Manuel Rodrigues Coelho was born in Elvas, in the Eastern part of Portugal, around 1555 and died in Lisbon in 1635. During his life he held positions as an organist in his hometown and in Badajoz (Spain), later being appointed organist of the Royal Chapel in Lisbon. Flores de musica, his only known work, was printed in Lisbon in 1620 by Pedro Craesbeeck.

The original edition of Flores de música is a volume with 235 folios of music printed in open score. All the musical pieces use a system...