Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

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548 SONG
J'rologo des milagros y loores de S. Maria.
«Bx. 1.
1 cou - sa eu
gl^^^^^B^-i^pgil
priest and people, the name villamcicos was
given. The greater number refer to the Nativity,
such as the following example, which dates
about the end of the 15th century :
etc.
po - ren quea •
There are numerous villancicos of later date, and
those for six voices by Pnebla and the collections
of P. de Ruimente,^ S. Raval, Araniez,'
and Pardinas* prove that learned musicians
turned their attention to them. But in pro-
The Cancionero ' musical de los Siglos XV.
y XVI.,' edited in 1890 by Francisco Aaenjo
Barbieri, is in the library of the Royal Palace mL De quen por al - la mal pren
at Madrid, and contains nearly 500 sacred and
secular songs in parts. ' Juan del Eucina is
one of the principal contributors, and about
sixty other native composers are named ; but
many of the songs are anonymous. Close
examination will show that the Spaniards of portion to the quantity of extant words very
the 15th century stood nearly as high as the little of the music has come down to us. Other
French and the Italians in music. Similar and church festivals, such as the Feast of the Asses
also somewhat later collections exist in Toledo (in memory of the Flight into Egypt), the Feast
and Seville. Among such literary relics are of the Fools, and of the Innocents contain
the celebrated candoneros and romanceros of burles(][ue milancicos with long nonsensical
the 15th and 16th centuries, in which a great verses.9 (See Noel, vol. iii. p. 385.) Still, in
number of eanciones, invenmyites, preguntas, Spain, the tone of these songs was never so indecorous
villamekos, and ballads will be found. ^ The
as in the northern countries of Europe.
rinnanoeros consist chiefly of ballads in For historic reasons there was frequent and
8 - syllabled verse in assonance, the vowels only close intercourse between Spain and the Netherlands,
rhyming. The tunes are stated to have been
and many Flemish composers are known
transmitted by blind ballad-singers who sang to have resided in Spain, and left the deep
them in the streets ;
and not one note of music impress of their learned school. But although
was written down. But these old ballads are many of the Spanish polyphonic composers may
still sung by the people in Spain to traditional have used Flemish folk-songs for their masses
airs which have passed from mouth to mouth and motets, there are scarcely any Spanish folksongs
preserved in this way. A few exceptions
through many generations.
The vUlandcos have always been an important may be mentioned, such as,
'
Una musque de
feature in the musical life of Spain. The term buscgaya, ' used by Josquin des Fv6s "> :
has been variously, applied : it may mean the Ex.
sacred songs sung at great festivals,' or it may
apply to the peasant's songs in general with
their refrains or burdens * (estrihillos), but most
probably the villancicos of Spain answer to the
noels of France. 5 Towards the close of the
15th century secular music was introduced
into th& churches in order to induce the congregation
to join in the singing. Miracle plays
and mysteries (especially those relating to the
Nativity) were also allowed to be held in the
churches, and to the chanted dialogues between
1 gee also Qi^ord JTltt. of Uutic, ii. 306 et mq., H. Wooldiidge.
2 The fashton of maklnf; such eollectionfl, generaUy called cancioneroB,
was very commou In Spain Just before and after the
introduction of printing ; and many, both printed and in manuscript,
have been well preserved. Juan P. Riaiio, in his Xoteg on
Early Spanieh ifuKtc, gives descriptions and examples of over seventy
medljBval MS8. existing chiefly in Toledo and Madrid, and ranging
from the 10th to the 16th eentury. The Bibllothique Nat., Paris,
contains no less than seven collections. See Oataloga de MSS.
EEpaRolea en la Biblioteca Real tie Parte, 378-526, Paris, 1844. See
also Ticknor's Eiatory of Spanish Literature, xxiil, 391.
3 Riemann.
* Soriano Fuertea derives the term from the peasant's songs
called vtUanat, i. 92.
6 P^tis derives lylllancicoa from vfUono—peasant, because the shepherds
were the first to announce the birth of Our Lord, and most
vUlatieicog were Nativity Plays or Songs, Hhtotre gen, de la
Mui. V. 144.
and Nunquam '
fue pena mayor' by P. de la Rue.
On the other hand, there are also many
Spanish folk-song survivals in Jewish worshipmusic.
A most interesting and trustworthy record
of the songs of the 16th century is to be found
in a book, written in Latin by Franceso de
Salinas of Burgos; who di«d in 1590.li in hjs
chapter on rhythm, Salinas quotes as examples
numerous popular songs of his period, belonging
" 'El Parnaso Espafiol de Maiirigales y Villancicos' for several
voices, published at Antwerp like so much other Spanish music.
7 'Villancicos de Natlvidad,' 16i!4.
^ To Fardlilas are also attributed those Cantares gallegoe which,
like the villancicos, were sung by troops of pilgrims.
" Soriano Fuertes, i. 217, gives a song from the Feast of the Asses.
See also Fiitis, v. 130 et teg. for varlanta of same.
w Printed inPetrucd's 'Canti C. numero Cento Cinquanta,' 1503,
This tune was also used by H, Isaak. See Ambros. 11. 293.
li Several editions of the book of this learned blind organist were
Issued at Salamanca between 1677 and 1692.