Cravo, Frei Joaquim de Santa Rosa

Frei Joaquim de Santa Rosa Cravo (? - ?) may have been among the musicians protected by the 15th Conde de Redondo, D. José Luis de Sousa Coutinho, in the aftermath of the Liberal Wars. With Frei Luis de Santa Rosa, perhaps a relative, he assented to the rights of Dom Miguel as King of Portugal at Vila de Portel on 23 October 1831 (Gazeta de Lisboa, no. 81, 4 April 1832). This suggests a connection to the Mosteiro de Vera Cruz de Marmelar (Portel district, Alentejo).

Cravo’s handwriting varies considerably in the autograph manuscript of his Missa Pequena (P-Ln, F.C.R. 062), the unique source of his only known composition (e.g. in the formation of semiquavers). It also contains alterations to the underlay and additions (e.g. dynamics) added by the composer at different stages. A second copyist may also have worked on the manuscript, adding rubrics such as the vocal designations and tempo marking on p. 1.