CABEZON, ANTONIO DE

(c. 1510, near Burgos, Castrillio de Matajudíos, Spain – 26 March 1566, Madrid)

   A blind organist who served the royal family from 1528, he composed about 275 works, including hymns, organ versets, and 29 tientos for four to six voices. Previously an improvisational form akin to the early toccata, Cabezon’s tientos, published in 1557 and by his son in 1578, resemble the ricercar in their imitative use of Gregorian melodies, sometimes employed as a cantus firmus, and so were appropriate for liturgy.