Antonius [Antonio] Calasans [Calasanz] {Clement VII-Gregory XIII}
Bass; Lerida [Barbastro]; born 1489 ; member of the confraternity of Nostra Donna di Montserrat in Rome, 1513 ; admitted November 1529 [according to the list in DS 2, fol. 94v]; mandati : July-September 1529 , April 1530 -October 1571 ; list of 1573 ; died in Rome on 6 July 1577 at the age of 88, and was buried the same day in Santa Maria di Montserrat; a funeral Mass was celebratedin that church on 8 July; dean as of December 1563 ; punctator in 1543, 1549, 1562 .
Calasans must have been one of the most trusted members of the choir, for he was put in charge of most of their legal affairs; his numerous notes and drafts of documents are a major source of information about the institutional life of the College of Singers during his 49-year tenure there (see preceding chapters). His death inspired the punctator for 1577 to a rare tribute:
Fuit vir integerrimus, cappelle et cantorum validissimus defensor, sacerdos bone fame. Habuit quam sonoram vocem bassi et in canendo satis doctus. Fuit hispanus ex regno Aragonum patria Balvastro. Utinam tales essemus omnes presentes cantores et futuri. Requiescat in pace.[ DS 11, fol. 30v]
LLORENS gives his epitaph.
ANTONIUS CALASANS DECA.
CAPELLAE S.D.N. PP. HIC
SE CONDI IUSSIT ET PRO EIUS
SUOR UQ ANIMABUS CERTA
PECUNIA HUIC TEMPLO
ATTRIBUTA TRES SINGULIS
HEBDOM. MISSAS DIEB. LUNAE
MERCRURII ET SABBATI ET
SEMEL IN MESE ANNIVERSARIUM
AB HUIUS TEMPLI SACERDO-
TIBUS PERPETUO CELE-
BRAR. RELIQUIT
VIXIT. AN. LXXXVIII.
DOCUMENTS
DS 11
30v: entry dated 6 July 1577
Hodie hora matutina d. Antonius Calasans decanus cappelle SS.mi ex longa valetudine mortuus est qui in cappella inservivit quadraginta et novem annis mortuus est aetatis sue annum atingens nonagessimum.
Hodie post misam proposuit d. Ju.o Luisius cantoribus quod irent 22.a hora ad sepeliendum d. Calasans defunctum et quod omnes portarent pavanaceas vestes et birretum. Dicta hora omnes cantores venerunt cum R. domino magistro cappelle et sacrista et comitaverunt corpus a domo ipsius usque ad eclesiam Dive Marie de Monserato et cantaverunt responsorium ut mos est.
31r: entry dated 7 July 1577
Fuit intimata missa in crastinum pro decano mortuo in Sancta Maria de Monserato hora duodecima.
31v: entry dated 8 July 1577
Hodie celebravimus exequias D. Antonii Calasans in Sancta Maria de Monserato.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Josef LLORENS , "Cinco cantores españoles en la capilla pontificia," Anuario Musical 36 (1981): 78-80.