Jerónimo La Torre

Jerónimo de La Torre was a Spanish composer and organist active in the second half of the seventeenth century and possibly at the end of the sixteenth. His date of birth is not documented with certainty: Zaragoza or Calamocha has been suggested, but his death in Valencia on 20 July 1672 is recorded. It should be borne in mind that there was a namesake, Jerónimo La Torre (ii), probably a relative, which complicates the attribution of some works.

His career began in Barcelona. He may be the "Jerónimo La Toria" who applied for an organist's post at Santa María del Mar in 1627, although the identification is not certain. That same year, on 17 July, he obtained a similar post in Tarragona and, in November 1636, he was appointed organist of Barcelona Cathedral. The cathedral chapter held him in high esteem: in 1642 it offered him financial assistance and sided with him in a dispute with the viceroy, who had ordered him to leave Catalonia, then allied with France against the Austrian monarchy. Even so, he was advised to obey; his salary continued to be paid and his post was kept open while a substitute performed his duties.

Around 1645 he probably resigned his Barcelona post. On 3 June of that year he was appointed second organist of Valencia Cathedral, where he again enjoyed esteem and rewards. In 1665 he suffered an injury to his hand that forced him to retire, and Cabanilles succeeded him in the post.

His musical legacy has yet to be studied in depth, and it is not always possible to separate his works from those of his namesake. The pieces preserved in Tarragona, Barcelona and Valencia are probably attributable to the elder, while those in Zaragoza would be by the younger. His works include secular tonos for several voices, a Salve regina and pieces for organ, although the authorship of many remains uncertain.