Francisco Lopez Capillas

Full biography Francisco Lopez Capillas

Francisco Lopez Capillas was a Mexican composer and organist who lived from approximately 1615 to 1673. He is best known for his religious music, which includes eight Masses and a set of eight Magnificats found in manuscripts in Mexico. Lopez Capillas was considered by many to be one of the most profound and prolific composers of Masses in Mexican history.

Although little is known about his early life, Lopez Capillas was likely a pupil of Juan de Riscos , the maestro de capilla of the cathedral in Mexico City. He served as an organist and maestro de capilla himself at various churches in Mexico City, including the Cathedral and the churches of Santa Clara and San Agustin.

Lopez Capillas' music is noted for its distinctive style, which makes use of rhetorical devices and expressive harmonies to convey the text of the prayers and hymns. His polyphonic settings of the Mass Ordinary are particularly noteworthy, as they are among the first to show the influence of Italian music in the New World.

Today, Lopez Capillas is recognized as one of the first great native New World composers, and his music remains an important part of the Mexican and Latin American musical heritage.