Josepe Gay

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Josepe Gay (d. 10 September 1587) was a Valencian-born composer and chapelmaster whose surviving works give a precious glimpse of late-sixteenth-century sacred polyphony on the Aragonese–Valencian axis. Almost nothing is known about his early life, though he is repeatedly described in documents as valenciano and is thought to have studied at the Estudio General in Valencia, amassing enough debt in the process that his will later orders the sale of all his goods to satisfy his creditors. By the mid-1580s he was serving as maestro—probably maestro de capilla—in Gandía, very likely at the colegiata of Santa María. In 1587, following the death of Melchor Robledo, the chapter of Zaragoza’s La Seo found themselves unable to recruit a suitable resident master and opened a formal competition. Three candidates presented themselves: the young Martín Pérez of Badajoz, Cristóbal Téllez of Berlanga, and Gay from Gandía. Téllez withdrew, suspecting favouritism towards Gay, and the examination narrowed to Gay and Pérez, who were tested over several days on improvised counterpoint, direction of Masses by Josquin and performance of their own music. Although the examiner Juan Arnal was apparently underwhelmed, the chapter chose Gay, who took up the post in June 1587. Barely two and a half months later he died in Zaragoza, leaving behind unpaid debts in Zaragoza, Gandía and Valencia and a tantalisingly small documentary footprint. Musically, however, he has turned out to be far less minor tha

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