Tomás Luis de Victoria was a Spanish composer during the Counter Reformation period of the 16th century. He was born in Spain and trained as a choirboy before traveling to Rome in 1565 to become a cantor. He later became a priest and held church music positions in both Rome and Spain. Victoria is considered one of the most important composers of the Spanish Counter Reformation, known for his motets and masses including his famous Requiem of 1603. His music featured divided choirs and sometimes treated the organ as a soloistic voice, while also being more homophonic than the highly polyphonic style of many contemporaries.