José Peyró

José Peyró was a Spanish composer active in court and commercial theatre at the beginning of the eighteenth century. He is known to have been born in Aragon, although the exact date is uncertain: he is placed around 1670, and his death is dated to 1720. His output belongs to the world of the theatre companies that staged comedias and autos sacramentales in Spain, a milieu in which music frequently accompanied the spoken word.

His career began in 1701, when he joined Joseph Andrés's company as second musician, probably playing the harp or the guitar, although it is not known with certainty which of the two instruments he played. In 1703 he was performing in Mallorca. Around 1710–1711 he arrived in Madrid to join the successful company of Joseph Garcés, and he probably worked in the capital again between 1714 and 1715. In 1719 the authorities responsible for the autos sacramentales of the Madrid Corpus Christi celebrations urgently requested his presence, but Peyró claimed to be unable to attend because of an illness he described as being of French origin. That year he was replaced by the harpist and composer Juan de Lima Sequeiros, while Peyró worked with Garcés's company in Valencia and Granada.

Peyró wrote solos, recitatives and ensemble songs for plays and autos sacramentales. His music reflects the coexistence of styles in Spanish theatre at the beginning of the eighteenth century: in the pieces written for the revivals of Calderón's El lírio y la azucena and Primer refugio del hombre, the Italianate style is evident, with da capo arias, greater vocal coloratura and concertante parts for violin and oboe.

The bulk of his output survives in the so-called Manuscrito Novena, an anthology compiled around 1700–1710 that is now displayed in the Museo del Teatro in Almagro. It contains pieces for eight comedias and two autos, amounting to 53 numbers in total. His legacy is completed by fragments in Barcelona, Kraków and another manuscript from Madrid, which makes him a key figure for understanding the music of the Spanish stage of his time.