Las Cantigas de Santa MariaFacsimile of Escorial MS
The four surviving manuscripts of this collection of sacred Cantigas (medieval monophonic songs) represent a massive undertaking by Alfonso X. These songs were compiled in the later part of the 13th century under his rule, and is the largest collection of miracle stories of the Virgin Mary to survive the Middle Ages.
The songs were written in Galician-Portuguese, not Castillian Spanish, as was the custom for court poets at the time. The formats and music for the collection is varied, some songs are bouncy and energetic, others are sweet and reverent, others are haunting. FAVORITES #353 - Quen a omagen da Virgen #159 - Non sofre Santa Maria (aka The Pork Chop Cantiga) #25 - Non e gran cousa se sabe |
LinksCantigas de Santa Maria for Singers
An amazing website with the lyrics for all 427 Cantigas in this collection, divided into syllables that make it easier to figure out what syllable goes with what note. Unfortunately, the music is not available on this site, but there are links to places that do offer the music. The Cantigas de Santa Maria A website containing facsimiles of the original illuminated manuscript of the Cantigas. It also has many links to recordings of the Cantigas. The Oxford Cantigas de Santa Maria A searchable database of the Cantigas, with a lot of specific scholarly information. Cantigas de Santa Maria - Alfonso el Sabio This site is in French, but it includes midi files of the music for the Cantigas. |