Manuel Machado

Manuel Machado Lisbon C. 1590 - Madrid 1646 Was A Portuguese Composer And Harpist. He Was Mostly Active In Spain As He Was Born When Portugal Was Under Spanish Rule. Manuel Machado Studied At The Claustra College Of The Lisbon Cathedral With The Renowned Composer Duarte Lôbo. He Moved To Spain And In 1610 He Became A Musician Of The Royal Chapel In Madrid Where His Father Lope Machado Was Already A Harpist. In 1639 He Became A Musician In The Palace Of Philip IV Of Spain And In 1642 He Was Rewarded "for His Long Years Of Service". Machado Composed Several Sacred Works But He Is Better Known For His Profane 3- And 4-Voice Cantigas And Romances In An Early Baroque Style. Unfortunately Very Few Of His Works Have Survived Most Of Them Were Destroyed During The 1755 Lisbon Earthquake . His Profane Music Is Characterised By Great Skill In The Flexible Use Of The Meter And Harmony To Reflect The Content Of The Poems. Machado's Highly Expressive Word-Painting With Rich Chromatism Unexpected Modulation And Dissonant Chords Such As Augmented Chords Or Inverted Seventh Chords Which Would Have Caused Considerable Impact In His Own Time Associated With Typical Petrarchan Love Lyrics Make His Romances Comparable In Style And Quality To The Italian Late-Period Madrigals Such As Those Of Marenzio Or Monteverdi. His Known Compositions Are Found In The Most Important Songbooks Of His Time Such As The Cancionero De La Sablonara Which Indicates That He Probably Enjoyed A Considerable Popularity. read less