Juan Arañés

Who is Juan Arañés?

Juan Arañés or in Catalan Joan Araniés was a Spanish baroque composer. His tonos and villancicos follow the style of those preserved in the Cancionero of Kraków.

Arañés was born in Catalonia, at an unknown date. After studies in Alcalá de Henares, he was maestro di cappella at the Spanish embassy in Rome, where in 1624 he published his Libro Segundo de tonos y villancicos. The first book is lost. The Libro Segundo collection contains 12 pieces of 1, 2, and 3 voices, tonos humanos and villancicos, the final being a vocal chaconne for 4 voices, A la vida bona which features in the works of Cervantes. The collection is notable for its guitar accompaniment in Italian notation. He died in 1649.