Matheo
d'Aranda
Matheo d’Aranda (1495?-1548?), Spanish-born theorist and composer, played an important role in music in Portugal, particularly in Évora and Coimbra, in the first half of the 16th century. Aranda studied music with Pedro Ciruelo at the University of Alcalá de Henares around 1524, later heading to Italy to complete his studies. Around 1528, he appears as mestre de capela at the Cathedral of Évora, a position he held until 1544, when he went to the University of Coimbra. Matheo d'Aranda published two treatises on music. These are considered, until this date, as the first of their kind to be printed in Portugal, despite being written in Castilian. The first of these treaties, Tractado d'canto llano, was printed in Lisbon in 1533. The second, the Tractado de canto mensurable, was also printed in Lisbon in 1535.
