Estêvão de Brito was born in Serpa, Portugal. He studied music at the Cathedral of Évora with Filipe de Magalhães. On January 1597 he was already mestre de capela of the Cathedral of Badajoz (Spain), where he stayed until 1613. In that year, he went to the cathedral of Malaga and succeeded Francisco Vásquez bearing the same office as Cristóbal de Morales, precisely 50 years before. He stayed in Malaga until his death in 1641.

According to the New Grove he was born around 1575, and he died between 25 May and 2 December 1641.