A Spanish composite Rex Virginum Mass and the Beata Virgine Maria Mass tradition in Europe

Abstract Concepts of ‘centre’ and ‘periphery’ in Renaissance music studies have sometimes been the cause of oversights concerning points of contact and cultural exchange between the musical ‘mainstream’—represented by the northern European and Italian circles—and the Spanish kingdoms. Musicians from the Iberian Peninsula—among them, Francisco de Peñalosa—were well aware of musical developments in the Franco-Netherlandish polyphonic tradition, and incorporated some of these into their Mass composition throughout the 16th century. This article presents a case study of the Rex Virginum composite Mass, with sections by Pedro de Escobar, Francisco de Peñalosa, Pedro Hernández [de Castilleja] and Alonso Pérez de Alba. This Mass is directly connected with the popularity of votive Beata Virgine Maria Masses composed by Franco-Netherlandish and later Spanish composers. In order to shed more light on the significance of this work, the different musical styles of each composer involved in its creation are examined, and the Mass compared with other Beata Virgine Maria models. Through this analysis, the distinct musical contribution of this Mass in the context of European Renaissance music, and its influence on later generations of Spanish composers—especially Francisco Guerrero—are examined.