Tomás Luis de Victoria (c. 1548 - August 20, 1611) began his career as a choirboy in Ávila Cathedral, where he also likely he began studying the keyboard. In his maturity he studied the music of Italian and Iberian masters, including Palestrina, Morales, and Guerrero, becoming a leading composer of the Roman School.

Victoria published his first book of motets in 1572, followed by the Officium Hebdomadae Sanctae in 1585, a collection of motets and lamentations for Holy Week Catholic services. These works established Victoria as the most significant composer of the Counter-Reformation in Spain, and one of the most highly-regarded composers of sacred music in the late Renaissance. His masterpiece is the Requiem Mass "Officium defunctorum" for the Empress Maria.