Francisco Guerrero - Duo Seraphim

Francisco Guerrero was born in 1528 in Seville, possibly in October. He was Spanish Catholic Priest and composer of the Renaissance. His older brother Pedro was also musical and they received their musical education together, although Francisco's talents soon eclipsed those of his brother. At the tender age of 17 he was appointed Master of Singing at Jaén Cathedral, later accepting a position in Seville in his early twenties. By the age of thirty his reputation was exceptional, he was highly sought after as a composer and singer and had published collections of his compositions at home and abroad.

Guerrero worked for several decades in Spain and Portugal, before travelling to Italy in 1581 where he published two further books of music. After returning to Spain for a few years, he next travelled to the Holy Land, only to be attacked by pirates! Nearly killed and robbed of all his money he returned to Spain penniless until Seville cathedral rescued him and re-employed him. Guerrero published a book of his experiences which met huge success and even planned a return to the Holy Land, but died of the plague in 1599.

Guerrero's unusually wrote both sacred and secular music, unlike his contemporaries Morales and Victoria. Interestingly he anticipated functional harmonic usage in his compositions, which have remained popular for centuries.

Duo Seraphim
This seems to have been the composer’s only piece (surviving complete) for twelve voices in three choirs.

"Guerrero had it printed twice, first in 1589 and again in his final collection (1597). Two lone high voices begin; at ‘Tres sunt’ three voices are exposed on their own. At ‘Plena est omnis terra …’ the grand tutti join in massive chords. The Trinitarian symbolism of the three choirs is obvious,  choral and instrumental groups enhance the separation of the three choirs and their dramatic potential." from notes by Bruno Turner © 1999

Our choral scholars recorded this beautiful motet during lockdown, one voice per part. It's a wonderful achievement and a fitting end to our current cycle of recordings. Next week we are back singing in church!

Duo seraphim clamabant alter ad alterum: 

Sanctus Dominus Deus Saboath. 

Plena est omnis terra gloria ejus. (Isaiah 6:3) 

 Tres sunt, qui testimonium dant in coelo: 

Pater, Verbum et Spiritus Sanctus: 

et hi tres unum sunt. 

Sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth. 

Plena est omnis terra gloria ejus.

Isaiah 6:2-3; 1 John 5:7

You can download a copy of the score from choral wiki here under their copyright license.