JOANES DE ANCHIETA AND FR. JOSÉ ANTONIO DE DONOSTIA

An interesting episode in the history of the dissemination of the musical works of Juan de Anchieta is the initial endeavor made by Fr. José Antonio de Donostia to publish the comprehensive collection of the musical works by the Basque musician. This initiative took shape within the framework of the Society of Basque Studies (Sociedad de Estudios Vascos), a cultural institution for which Friar Donostia assumed leadership of the Music and Dance Section from 1926 to 1936.

The earliest news can be found in the records of the Session of the Permanent Board of the Society of Basque Studies on 14th April 1930:

“En la carta antes aludida del P. Donostia, indicaba éste el deseo de que la Sociedad publique las obras inéditas del músico azpeitiano Anchieta, de fines del siglo XV, algunas de las cuales se encuentran en Tarazona, donde el musicógrafo catalán Mossen Anglés ha obtenido fotocopias de ellas para la Biblioteca de Cataluña. Indicaba el P. Donostia la conveniencia de que el Sr. Apraiz se pudiera [sic] al habla en Barcelona con Mossen Anglés para obtener reproducción de estas fotocopias para que de todas suertes la Sociedad las conserve en sus archivos. Así lo acordó la Junta, expresando su conformidad con los deseos del P. Donostia de publicar más adelante dichas obras si asi lo estima conveniente.”[1]

‘In the aforementioned letter from Father Donostia, he expressed his desire for the Society to publish the previously unpublished works of the Azpeitian musician Anchieta, dating back to the late 15th century, some of which are located in Tarazona, where the Catalan musicographer Mossen Anglés has obtained photocopies of them for the Library of Catalonia. Father Donostia indicated that it would be beneficial for Mr. Apraiz to communicate with Mossen Anglés in Barcelona to acquire reproductions of these photocopies for the Society archives. The Board concurred with this proposal, endorsing  Father Donostia’s intention to publish these pieces at a later date if he deems it opportune.’

Two months later, during the Session of the Permanent Board on June 29, 1930, further information was presented:

“Igualmente dio cuenta el Sr. Apraiz de haber tratado en Barcelona con Mossen Anglés y con el Director de la Biblioteca de Cataluña, acerca de las copias que ésta posee de obras inéditas del músico Anchieta, ofreciendo aquellos toda clase de facilidades para que la Sociedad obtuviera fotocopias de las mismas, las cuales se había acordado confiar al fotógrafo Sr. Mas.”[2]

Mr. Apraiz also reported on his discussions held in Barcelona with Mossen Anglés and the Director of the Library of Catalonia. These conversations centered around the copies of unreleased compositions by the musician Anchieta that the Library possessed. Both offered him all kinds of facilities for the Society to obtain photocopies of them. That task had been agreed to entrust to the photographer Mr. Mas.’

An undated document sourced from the P. Donostia Archive, presumably authored by Fr. Jorge de Riezu, alludes to the transcriptions completed by Fr. Donostia of the works by Juan de Anchieta:

“TRANSCRIPCIONES DE OBRAS MUSICALES DE JUAN DE ANCHIETA, tomadas de los Archivos de Tarazona y Segovia y reducidas a partituras por el P. Donostia, en vistas a la edición que preparaba de las obras musicales de dicho Maestro e ilustre guipuzcoano. El Manuscrito del P. Donostia se guarda en el INSTITUTO ESPAÑOL DE MUSICOLOGÍA (Barcelona, Egipcíacas 15-3º). Consta de tres cuadernos apaisados, cuyo contenido es el siguiente:

TRANSCRIPTIONS OF MUSICAL WORKS BY JUAN DE ANCHIETA, sourced from the Archives of Tarazona and Segovia and subsequently transformed into musical scores by Fr. Donostia, with a view to the edition he was preparing of the musical works of the Maestro and illustrious Guipuzcoan. Donostia’s manuscript is preserved at the INSTITUTO ESPAÑOL DE MUSICOLOGÍA (Barcelona, Egipcíacas 15-3º). It consists of three oblong notebooks containing the following contents:

I. p. 1 – 7: Spiritus et alme orphanorum Paraclite (de la Missa Rex Virginum amator)
p. 8 – 48: Missa (no tropada) a 4 voces mixtas
II. p. 49 – 78: (prosigue la Missa no tropada)
p. 79 – 93: Magnificat 1º, a 4 voces mixtas (incompleto?)
p. 94 – 112: Salve
p. 113 – 127: Magnificat 2º, a e voces mixtas
p. 128 – 132: Virgo et Mater, motete
p. 133 – 141: Gloria (de la Miss atropada)
III. p. 142 – 163: (prosigue el Gloria) Credo
p. 164 – 168: Rex Virginum amator (de la Miss atropada)
p. 168 Lista de obras de Anchieta conservadas en la Cat. de Segovia
p. 169 – 173: Oh bone Ihesu, motete a 4 voces mixtas
p. 174 – 180: Domine, ne memineris, motete a 4 v. iguales de hombre
p. 181 – 183: Domine, ne secundum, motete a 3 voces iguales
p. 184 – 185: Conditor alme siderum, himno
p. 186 – 187: Fin del Magnificat
p. 188 – 195: Libera me, a 4 voces mixtas

On loose papers:

Virgo et Mater, a 4 voces mixtas
Rex Virginum amator
Domine Jhesu Christe
Virgo et Mater
Et incarnatus est (de la Missa no tropada, p. 38-40)”

The three notebooks, of which ERESBIL has a copy, also detail, as was the custom of Fr. Donostia’s accuracy, the dates on which he began and ended the transcriptions, as can be seen in the Appendix. This allows us to know that most of the transcriptions were made by Fr. Donostia between November 1931 and 6th June 1932.

We have evidence that the project also had a certain public dimension, as we read in a Basque-French newspaper of the time:

“… Joanes Ancheta (1450-1553), maître de chapelle, Guipuzcoan qui écrivit des meses, des motets et dont l’oeuvre très importante será très prochainement éditée par les soins du R.P. Donostia.”[3]

‘… Joanes Ancheta (1450-1553), a choir master from Guipuzcoa who composed masses and motets, and whose very important work will be edited very soon by Father Donostia’

What happened to bring the project to a standstill? Little do we know; probably other musical projects delayed the progress of the edition.

Only three works, Conditor alme siderum, the end of the Magnificat, and the Libera me appear in the notebooks as transcribed in 1936 after the last transcriptions made in 1932 in Segovia directly from the manuscripts in the cathedral archives, ” con dos velas por no haber luz eléctrica  (with two candles because there was no electric light)”. At the beginning of the Libera me he clearly indicates the occasion that probably encouraged him to finish his transcription task: “Comenzado en Barcelona. Abril 1936 – Congreso de musicología (Begun in Barcelona. April 1936 – Congress of musicology)”.

In the paper read at the Barcelona congress, Fr Donostia specified that he had been able to reconstruct 185 pages of score.

Page 191 of the third notebook contains the last transcription made by Fr. Donostia: the Dies illa del Libera me, and at the end of it he indicates the date: “Lecaroz 30 / Junio/ 1936”.

18 days later, on 18 July 1936, a long, dark period began with the outbreak of the Civil War in Spain, paralysing so many cultural projects…

APPENDIX

 

Dates included in the booklets:

I.

p. 1 – 7: Spiritus et alme orphanorum Paraclite [Inicio: “16.XI.1931”; Final: “Bibliotheque Nationale / Paris / 23.XI.1931 – midi / P. José Antº de / Donostia / d’après les photocopies de Barcelona”]

p. 8 – 48: Missa (no tropada) [Final: “29.XI/1931/ 11 h. ½ / Paris / Cayre’s Hotel/ P, José Antº / de Donostia”]

II.

p. 49 – 78: (prosigue la Missa no tropada) [Final: “4.XII.1931 / Paris. Cayre’s Hotel / P. J. Antº de Donostia / 11 mañana”]

p. 79 – 93: Magnificat 1º, a 4 voces mixtas [Final: “10.XII.1931/ Paris. Cayre’s Hotel / 10 ½ matin”]

p. 94 – 112: Salve [Final: “Paris.- 12-XII-1931 – Cayre’s Hotel / 5 ¼ h. après-midi / P. José Antº de Donostia”]

p. 113 – 127: Magnificat 2º, a e voces mixtas [Final: “Paris – 14.XII.1931 – Cayre’s Hotel / P. Jose Antº de Donostia”]

p. 128 – 133: Virgo et Mater, motete [Final: “Cayre’s / Hotel / Paris / 15-XII-1931 / P. J. Antº / de D.”]

p. 133 – 144: Gloria (de la Miss atropada) [Final:] “Bib. Cons. 9.XII.1931 / 10 ½ mañana”.

III.

p. 142 – 163: (prosigue el Gloria) Credo [Final: “Lecaroz 18.- I -1932 / 8 ½ h. matin / P. J. Antº de Donostia / transcripsit”]

p. 164 – 168: Rex Virginum amator (de la Miss atropada)[Final: “P.J.A. à Sancto / Sebastiano/ transcriptsit / 14.II.1931 / 2ª transcriptio / 6.II.1932 Lecaroz”]

p. 168 Lista de obras de Anchieta conservadas en la Cat. De Segovia

p. 169 – 173: Oh bone Ihesu, motete a 4 voces mixtas [Inicio:] “Catedral Segovia.- 5 Junio 1932”; [Final:] “Segovia / 5 Junio 1932 / Sala capitular / pequeña de / la Catedral / 6 ½ tarde… / con dos velas / por no haber luz / eléctrica”.

p. 174 – 180: Domine, ne memineris, motete a 4 v.i. [Final: “Segovia . 6 Junio 1932. 11 mañana”]

p. 181 – 183: Domine, ne secundum, motete a 3 v.i. [Final: “Segovia / Catedral / 12 mañana / 6 Junio / 1932 / P. J. Antº de D.”]

p. 184 – 185: Conditor alme siderum, himno [Final: “18. Abril /1936 / Barna”

p. 186 – 187: Fin del Magnificat [Final: “esto está en la mitad / de una página: en la / otra mitad comienza / otro Magnificat ¿de quien?”]

p. 188 – 195: “Libera me de Anchieta a 4 / Comenzado en Barcelona. Abril 1936 – Congreso de musicología.”; p. 191 [al final de “Dies illa”:] “Lecaroz 30 / Junio / 1936”; p. 195, al Final: “30 Junio 1936”.

[1] Eusko-Ikaskuntza’ren Deia – Boletín de la Sociedad de Estudios Vascos. Boletín nº 46 (1930- 2º tr.).

[2] Eusko-Ikaskuntza’ren Deia – Boletín de la Sociedad de Estudios Vascos Boletín nº 47 (1930- 3er tr.).

[3] La Gazette de Biarritz-Bayonne et Saint-Jean-de-Luz, 1932/09/19