Rocha Espanca's Tenebrae Lessons for Holy Thursday on the musical archive from Sao Bento de Castris

In the manuscripts of the musical archive of Sao Bento de Castris, several works of Father Joaquim Jose da Rocha Espanca (1839-1896) are represented. This article intends to focus on the three Tenebrae Lessons of the composer, highlighting its liturgical specificity. Having been composed before the definitive death of the monastery, on April 18, 1890, these lessons are further evidence that musical activity continued to exist in Castris until the end of the nineteenth century. It is intended to frame these works in particular in their historical-liturgical context and to understand the relation with the three responsories of Ferreira de Lima (dagger 1818), present in the same musical archive.