Composer. A leading musician at the Spanish Royal Court and one of the last representatives of the Medieval tradition. His "Libera Me" (c. 1497) is among the earliest known settings from the Requiem text. Anchieta was born in Guipuzcoa, near Azpeitia, into a distinguished Basque family. On his mother's side he was related to future Catholic saint Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), and he became a monk in the Franciscan Order. From 1489 he was a prominent member of the Royal Chapel and his wealth and influence secured him several important church benefices, including the title Honorary Abbot of Arbos. Under Queen Joanna of Castile ("Joanna the Mad") Anchieta visited Flanders and England and worked with the Flemish master Pierre de La Rue. In 1519 he retired to a Franciscan monastery he had founded in Azpeitia; his wish to be buried there was denied and he was interred at the Church of San Sebastian de Soreasu, where he had served as nominal Rector since 1503. In his will he left a considerable sum of money to a "loose woman" (his words) in the town, suggesting he may have had a child with her. As a composer Anchieta symbolized the gradual transition between the Medieval and Renaissance periods of Spanish music, which lagged somewhat behind other European countries. Although he was aware of the new polyphonic developments of the Franco-Flemish School (through his travels and association with La Rue), his style remained essentially chordal and rooted in 12th Century plainchant; only in his delicate word-setting does he achieve a more contemporary humanist spirit. About 30 of his compositions survive, including two complete Masses, the "Missa Sine Nomine" and "Missa Rex virginum", four Passions, two Magnificats, a "Salve Regina", seven motets and a handful of secular songs to Spanish texts ("Dos anades", "En Memoria d'Alixandre"). He is not to be confused with another Juan de Anchieta (1540 - 1588), a noted sculptor.