King Alfonso X, also known as King Alfonso el Sabio (the Wise), organized and possibly contributed poetry and music to the Cantigas de Santa Maria, a collection of 420 cantigas (songs) written in honor of the Virgin Mary, around 1270-90. Each cantiga tells the story of a specific occasion on which, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, everyday people were granted miracles. The subjects of the poetry range from merchants and robbers to more interesting characters, such as an incestuous widow and a pregnant abbess (Yudkin, 304-305).
Secular song was becoming very popular in many regions of Europe during the Medieval Period, and although the Cantigas de Santa Maria are sacred in nature, there is a clear influence from this secular movement in the music. The most prominent of these secular movements was the troubadours of Southern France. These poet-composers had a particularly strong influence on the music and culture of Spain. It was not uncommon to find French troubadours at Spanish Court and ties between French and Spanish royal families were strong (Wilson, 177). The influence of troubadour music on that of Spain can be seen in the Cantigas' form, as both troubadour songs and the songs of the Cantigas de Santa Maria were mostly strophic and syllabic. The troubadour influence can also be seen in the Cantigas' language. The troubadours were some of the first musicians to write in the vernacular, and the Cantigas de Santa Maria, though religious in nature, are written in Galician-Portuguese, the Spanish dialect of the time.
The recording of the Cantigas de Santa Maria that I chose to listen to was performed by the Ensemble Unicorn. This ensemble concentrates on performance of music from the Medieval and Renaissance periods, and their goal is to give a historically appropriate performance of the works. Illustrations of the music being played, such as those seen below, accompany the manuscripts of the Cantigas de Santa Maria. Based on these images, the performers use instruments such as the flute, shawm and pipes and tabors, the vielle, bagpipes, and numerous percussion instruments in their recording of the Cantigas de Santa Maria.
There are four manuscripts of the Cantigas de Santa Maria, three of which are written using mensural notation. This notation makes this collection some of the only songs from the period that can be transcribed confidently into modern meters with modern note values (Hoppin, 318-322). The instrumentation based on the art accompanying the manuscripts and the translatable notation of the songs convinced me that this is an accurate representation of the original music.
The Ensemble Unicorn’s recording is a compilation of thirteen cantigas, including the prologue, epilogue, and three instrumental tracks. The first track on the recording is the prologue, and it is clear right away that conveying the poetry is the primary goal of the music. The work opens with percussion accompanying two instruments, most likely shawms, playing a melodic line in parallel fifths. After this introduction, a drone plays while a narrator speaks rather than sings the text. The clarity of the spoken text emphasizes the poetry.
Every tenth song in the collection is a general song of praise to the Blessed Virgin instead of the story of a miracle. For instance, “Rosa das Rosas,” one of these songs of praise, is one of the most popular of the Cantigas and is included in many recordings of the work. I found it to be the most lyrical and the most beautiful song on the recording. The setting of the text is mostly syllabic, with just a few ornaments that make the melody more elegant. The voice sings a slow, flowing melody, accompanied by a drone and usually another instrument sounding either an octave or a fourth above. The refrain is the first section introduced, and thereafter is played instrumentally, alternating between sung verses. The very last refrain is sung while doubled by a solo instrument. The drone plays throughout the song. This cantiga is a good example of the standard strophic form found in the Cantigas de Santa Maria.
Another song in particular caught my attention because of its unusual form. The song “Quen Serve Santa Maria” seems to have a much more unique form than the other cantigas, which are nearly all strophic. The song opens with percussion playing a cadenza-like section, which melds into a more solid rhythmic pattern. The percussion is then joined by several instruments that play a rhythmically active, loud, and rambunctious melody. The section that follows is drastically different. A lute plays a short transition and is joined by the voice which sings a very slow, simple melody. The same percussion introduction comes back and this time the voice joins the instruments in repeating the first melody. This is unusual for the collection, because most of the songs have several verses with the same refrain appearing after each verse. I found this to be the most interesting cantiga featured on this recording because it was so unique.
I really enjoyed this recording of the Cantigas de Santa Maria. The performers did a wonderful job giving a historically accurate performance, which helped to further my understanding of Medieval song and dance and deepen my appreciation for all Medieval music.
Works Cited
Hoppin, Richard H. 1978. Medieval Music. New York, New York: W.W. Norton and Company.
Wilson, David Fenwick. 1990. Music of the Middle Ages. New York, New York: Schirmer Books
Yudkin, Jeremy. 1989. Music in Medieval Europe. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc.
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