Biography
Francisco Viñas (Barcelona, 1698 - Calahorra, April 11, 1784) was a Catalan composer and conductor.
Little is known about the life of Master Viñas. In fact, in 1983 a brochure from the Juan March Foundation stated that "Francisco Viñas is one of the many good Spanish composers so unknown, that not even his name appears in any dictionary." He was born in Barcelona in 1698, as documented in the Jacetan chapter acts in 1726, when "the chapel master was granted permission to go to Barcelona his homeland." It is very likely that it was formed musically in that city. It is known that it belonged to the reformed Franciscan order of San Pedro de Alcántara.
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Between 1722 and 1731 he was master of the chapel of the Cathedral of Jaca. After the brief teaching of Juan Francisco Sayas from 1717 to 1719, the position of teacher became vacant. No oppositions were organized and, after receiving a memorial of Viñas, the council immediately admitted it. He was awarded a salary of 40 pounds of check and the corresponding bread benefits.
During his teaching in Jaca he presented himself to the teachings of four cathedrals. In 1727 for chapel master of La Seo de Zaragoza. There he faced Joseph Lanuza, chapel master of the Cathedral of Huesca, and Manuel Martín at the exam. Lanuza would win.
In 1729 he presented himself to the master's degree of the Cathedral of El Burgo de Osma, vacant after the death of Mateo Villavieja, which was made by direct election, without opposition. Viña was rejected by the council, obtaining the position of Adrián González Gámiz.
He finally won the opposition to the mastery of the Cathedral of Calahorra on November 19, 1731.
He would remain in office in Calahorra until his retirement in 1771, although he continued on an interim basis for another six years. The case was a dispute caused by the oppositions that were organized to replace him, of which Viñas was part of the court. These competitions were presented by José Gargallo and Diego Pérez Camino, chapel master of the Cathedral of Santo Domingo de la Calzada. Although Gargallo had achieved a higher score in the exam - "because he had exceeded the others in the work of the works, good taste of the composition and modern style, which is used" - the council was decided by Pérez Camino. Gagallo filed a complaint with the Metropolitan Court.
Gargallo obtained the magisterium of the Cathedral of León in 1776, so the lawsuit had to be resolved shortly after, Pérez Camino occupying the position in the Calagurritana metropolitan on August 8, 1777. Viñas was able to retire definitively in 1777.
He died in Calahorra on April 11, 1784.
Vineyards are preserved in the Cathedral of Jaca by at least 90 signed or attributed compositions, 47 in Latin and 43 in Romance, including Spanish and Aragonese. In the vernacular language there are twenty-eight carols, five sung, a four, two duets and six couplets. Among the compositions in Latin, nine masses, two antiphons, four lamentations, thirteen psalms, two lessons, five magnificates, eight verses, three sequences, four motets and an inviterio.
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.