Alonso Mudarra

Alonso Mudarra
(b c1510; d Seville, 1 April 1580). Spanish vihuelist and composer. Raised in Guadalajara in the household of the third and fourth dukes of the Infantado, Diego Hurtado de Mendoza (1461–1531) and Iñigo López de Mendoza (1493–1566), it is likely that Mudarra travelled with the latter in the entourage that accompanied Charles V to Italy in 1529.

He subsequently entered the priesthood, probably in Palencia, becoming a canon at Seville Cathedral on 18 October 1546, less than two months before the publication of his vihuela book. During the following 34 years he played an important role in cathedral affairs: arranging the annual Corpus Christi celebrations, hiring wind players, negotiating the purchase and installation of a new organ, and consulting in 1572 with Francisco Guerrero at the request of the chapter concerning the music commissioned from Guerrero for the coming Christmas season. From March 1568 he served as major-domo of the cathedral, in charge of all disbursements. After his death, the 92,000 maravedís raised from the sale of his possessions was distributed to the poor according to the provisions of his will.