A composer travels to the holy land: Francisco Guerrero’s El viage de Hierusalem (Valencia, 1590)

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn 1588, Francisco Guerrero, chapelmaster at Seville Cathedral, departed Venice for one of the most significant experiences of his life, a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Upon his return, Guerrero, a prolific composer of mostly liturgical music, published a narrative of his trip, El viage de Hierusalem (1590), which became the most successful sixteenth-century travel account by a Spaniard. This article examines Guerrero’s narrative as an expression of the flourishing of spiritual literature in Spain, a development that witnessed the publication of more than a thousand devotional books between 1485 and 1750. Although not a professional writer, Guerrero used his knowledge of devotional literature and his experience connecting with listeners in Seville to write a succinct, unadorned and direct account that offered readers an opportunity for devotion and reflection by following the idea of imitating the life of Christ through recreating the places where he lived and died.