Booklet "favola in musica.alte neue musik"

174
Sebastián Durón (1660 –1716), Royal Capellmeister
to Charles II and Philipp V
Sebastián Durón Picazo was one of the most important
representatives of the Spanish Baroque and Royal
Capellmeister to the last Spanish Habsburg Charles II,
as well as Philipp V, the first Spanish Ruler of the House
Bourbon. He was born in Brihuega in the province of
Guadalajara, son to Sebastián Durón, a sacristan of the
parish of San Juan of Brihuega and Margarita Picazo, and
christened on the 19th of April 1660. It was probably his
father who introduced him to music, much as he did with
his stepbrother Diego, himself an outstanding composer
who held the post of Director of Music of Las Palmas de
Gran Canaria throughout his adult life.
In 1668, when Sebastián Durón was only eight years old,
his father died. A few years later, Alonso Xuárez, Director
of Music in Cuenca, was recruited to teach the brothers
Durón. In 1679 Sebastián Durón stayed in Saragossa as
the very talented student of Andrés de Solas, organist
at the Church of Christ the Saviour, and a year later he
won by far a tender for the position of Sevilla’s Second
Cathedral Organist. At the age of 20 he was already a fully
trained composer and was asked to compose several
works for Holy Week.
It was in great part down to the recommendation of
Alonso Xuárez that Sebastián Durón was appointed First
Organist at the Cathedral El Buerog de Osma in the province
of Soria without having to face the traditional call
for tenders. After less than a year in town, it was once
more due to his teacher’s advisory opinion that he became
Cathedral Organist of Palencia, again bypassing the
usual selection process. During his five years in Palencia,
his reputation as a composer and organist soared.
With his appointment as Royal Cathedral Organist by
Charles II on the 23rd of September 1691, he achieved
arguably the greatest desire of a composer and organist
of his time. He maintained a close and cordial friendship
with the Regent, who rewarded him with new posts such
as a lectureship with the Royal Orchestra. Sebastián
Durón was increasingly engaged with musical activities at
the Royal Court in the area of religion as well as theatre.
In 1700, when the dynasty of the Bourbons succeeded to
the throne, Sebastián Durón continued to serve the Court
in all key functions, which he even went on to extend,
despite always having considered himself a loyal follower
of his strongest supporter, the House of Habsburg.
In 1702, he signed off the work General Rules for Accompanying
on the Organ, Harpsichord, and Harp by José de
Torres, in which he is referred to as the Court Capellmeister
and Principal of the Royal Grammar School.
Said work, about the practice of accompanying music for
solo singing in the theatre, is a paradigm of “contemporary
music” and far from the typical counterpoint in
sacred music, which is possibly the reason for Father
Feijoo’s criticism of Sebastián Durón in his thesis Music
in the Temple from 1726. At this time, when Sebastián
Durón had already been dead for a decade, he was made
responsible for “bringing foreign styles into Spanish
music”, in this case Italian ones.
Between 1702 and 1706 there is evidence that Sebastián
Durón supported Charles VI, Archduke of Austria and pretender
to the throne of Philipp of Anjou (Philipp V), in the
Spanish War of Succession. In June 1706, when Charles
VI was just about to march personally into Madrid,
Sebastián Durón and his Royal Orchestra hastened to the
streets in order to celebrate his victory and demonstrate