Juan de Lienas
Juan de Lienas ( ) was a composer active in Latin America during the early to mid-17th century. He also served as a chapel master and conductor in the Catholic Church. Much of his life is still a mystery, but what is known comes from accounts in the only two manuscripts that include his compositions: "El Codice del Convento del Carmen" and the Newberry Choirbooks. Some of these comments are unflattering to the composer, insulting his appearance and personality. He is identified as a cacique (a native of noble birth), an Indian, and a married man, all of which  may have kept him from higher standing within the church. One scholar indicates that he may have been born in Spain. Most scholars place him in Mexico in the employ of the convent connected to the cathedral of Mexico City, but one asserts that he also worked in Havana. Musical style. Lienas' compositions are very skilled, and several compositional trends can be found throughout his music. His vocal lines were quite demanding, the ranges for each part quite high, and the sonorities often in 5 parts. He is skilled at writing for double choir, sometimes placing instruments on the lower  voices. His compositions can be analyzed in terms of modern tonality, focusing less on modal music. This helps to bolster the ideals of fluid musical styles instead of the harsh cutoffs implied by musical periods. While his music reflects the styles of early Renaissance, his dates put him in the Baroque period, and his tonalities show that, while he composed in earlier styles, he was still moving towards more modern compositional ideals.