Alfonso X El Sabio
Cantigas de Santa Maria
Strela do dia


Vol. 20

Alia Vox AVSA9923
Code-barres/Barcode:
8435408099223

Édition remasterisée

Remastered edition

Super Audio CD

 







 


Description

Artistes / Performers
Ensemble Hespèrion XX, La Capella Reial de Catalunya / direction: Jordi Savall

Lieu d'enregistrement / Recording site:
Collégiale romane du Château de Cardona, Catalogne
 

Date d'enregistrement: février 1993
Recording date: February 1993

Durée totale / Total time: 70'15

Remasterisation: 2017

 
   
Édition originale/Original recording
Astrée - 8508
Réédition
Naïve - 9940
 



 

  "Le terme cantiga (désigne) une composition poético-musicale, sacrée et profane, en langue galaïco-portugaise...
La thématique général des Cantigas est la narration de miracles survenus par l'intercession de la Vierge..."

 

The word cantiga (is used) to describe a poetic-musical composition, whether religious or secular, in the Galician-Portuguese language... The general subject of the Cantigas is the narration of the miracles brought about by the intercession of the Virgin..."



Cantigas de Santa Maria
 



Cantigas de Santa Maria


Extrait du livret / From the liner notes

En tant que législateur et instigateur d’ouvrages juridiques, Alphonse X a suivi les traces de son père et réalisé des projets planifiés et initiés par ce dernier. Il est tout à fait possible que dans le domaine de la poésie l’exemple de ce père (Ferdinand le Saint) lui ait aussi servi de stimulant. Comme l’écrit son fils dans le Setenario et comme nous le savons grâce à d’autres sources, le roi Ferdinand a été un grand mécène de jongleurs fréquentant la cour castillane. Fait important, sa profonde dévotion à la Vierge Marie est mentionnée dans trois Cantigas (122, 221 et 292).

Texte intégral de présentation rédigé en 2017 par Jordi Savall. (Cliquer ici)
 

The Cantigas de Santa Maria («Canticles of Holy Mary») are 420 poems with musical notation, written during the reign of Alfonso X The Wise (1221–1284) and often attributed to him. It is one of the largest collections of monophonic songs from the Middle Ages and is characterized by the mention of the Virgin Mary in every song.

Original essay written in 2017 by Jordi Savall
(Click here)



 

 

 

 


 

Gramophone
(__/____)

(English)

 

 

 


Analyste: Mary Berry

Condensé (traduction libre):
"Un enregistrement tout empreint de charme et de simplicité. Les courtes mélodies modales sont irrésistibles... produisant ... un effet incantatoire..." 

Voilà qui nous semble bien résumer des commentaires d'une neutralité très courtoise

 

Reviewer: Mary Berry
Abridged version-: 

"It is a recording of immense charm and simplicity. The short modal melodies are compelling, even after the constant repetition of multiple stanzas. The effect of these on the ear is rather like an incantation and as two of these tunes occupy more than a third of the entire recording one might expect the result to be monotonous. Quite the contrary: some variety is introduced by the use of canon or discreet accompaniment, but the melodies themselves (Muito faz grand'erro and De toda chaga ben pode guarir) can bear this constant repetition." 
 
Goldberg
# 1, (Automne/Fall 1997)
(English)

Appréciation 

Evaluation

 


 

Reviewer: Sophie Roughol
Original text :


This commentary is a continuation of an article entitled "Cantiguas" published in Goldberg (no. 1).

"Savall is always Savall, whatever the repertoire. His inclination towards the hedonistic, the luxuriant, and the dazzling array of colours and rythms, always maintain the force of irrepressible seduction. His Cantiguas are the exact opposite of those of Sequentia  (Deutsche Harmonia Mundi 054722 77173 2 - 1991). You will find here no precise historical reference, no contrast in inspiration. They are all cast in the same mould, as though the codex followed only one form. Indeed, both the vocal style and the instrumental realizations carry the anachronistic stamp of a vaguely orientalizaing Hispanic renaissance or pre-baroque, devilishly attractive but cautious. What is the reality of the world which Savall evokes ? That of Sequentia, more demanding, seem also to be the truest".
 
Quelques extraits du texte du livret, signé Jesus Martín Galán:

A few excerpts from the liner notes by Jesus Martín Galán: 
 


Le terme cantiga ... (sert à) désigner une composition poético-musicale, sacrée et profane en langue galaïco-portugaise... Les Cantigas de Santa Maria, comprenant plus de quatre cents oeuvres consacrées à la Vierge, furent sans doute rassemblées dans la deuxième moitié du XIIIe s., entre 1250 et 1280, sous le contrôle du roi de Castille de cette époque, Alphonse X "le Sage"...   "Sa tâche fut surtout d'organiser, diriger et corriger .. (conséquemment) c'est donc à lui que semble revenir l'homogénéité stylistique de l'oeuvre"...

"La thématique générale des Cantigas est la narration des miracles survenus par l'intercession de la Vierge (appelés Cantigas de miragre). Cependant, au fil du recueil, toutes les dix pièces, il en apparaît une... qui possède une intention plus lyrique. Elles appartiennent à celles qu'on appelle les Cantigas de loor, qui louent la Vierge, qui la remercient de son rôle médiateur ou qui chantent ses vertus". (CSM 100, CSM 400 sur le disque)

Jesus Martín Galán conclue son article en s'interrogeant sur les motifs "... qui poussèrent le roi sage à rassembler systématiquement des chansons en l'honneur de la Vierge..." Il répond en nous rappelant que ce recueil a été constitué "à un moment où la poésie troubadouresque est complètement associée à l'idée de l'amour courtois (et que par conséquent) faire d'Alphonse X le Sage la figure d'un troubadour qui chante sa dame idéalisée, la Vierge Marie en personne, n'est pas du tout une idée erronée... Le concept divinisé de la femme dans la poésie médiévale¹ a pu donner lieu à l'apparition de cette littérature mariale... De ce point de vue, la collection suppose fondamentalement la sacralisation du fin'amor  ou, pour citer Ismeal Fernández de la Cuesta, le transfert au divin de l'attitude troubadouresque"

Traduction du texte original espagnol: Janine Lafont
Adaptation:  "Classic @ la Carte" :

 

"The word cantiga... (is used) to describe a poetic-musical composition, whether religious or secular, in the Galician - Portuguese language...
"..the Cantigas de Santa Maria, with more than four hundred works dedicated to the Virgin, must have been composed in the second half of the XIII century, around 1250-80, under the direction of Alfonso X, "the Wise", who was then King of Castille"... "His was the important work of organization, direction and correction... (consequently) ... the stylistic unity of the work is also to his merit"...

"The general subject of the Cantigas is the narration of the miracles brought about bu the intercession of the Virgin (called Cantigas de miragre). Throughout the collection, however, for every ten pieces there appears one... which has a more lyrical purpose. These are known as the Cantigas de loor, in which the Virgin Mary is praised, her role as a mediator is appreciated, or her virtues are sung. (CSM 100, CSM 400 on the CD)

Jesus Martín Galán concludes his article by questionning the "... motivations of the wise king to undertake the task of systematically assembling songs in honour of the Virgin..."  He answers by reminding us that the collection was assembled "at a time when poetry of the troubadours was completely associated with the idea of "courtly love", (and consequently)it must not have been thought at all strange to see Alfonso X, the Wise as a troubadour singing to his ideal lady, who is none other than the Virgin Mary... The exalted concept of woman in Provençal poetry could have brought about the appearance of this type of Marian literature... Seen in this light, the collection essentially implies giving a sacred character to the fin'amor, or, to quote (Ismeal) Fernández de la Cuesta, the transference of the troubadour attitude to the divine"

Translation from the original Spanish text: Angela Buxton

Adaptation: "Classic @ la Carte"

 

41:4 (03-04/2018)
 

 

This is a reissue of Astrée E 8508 (Fanfare 17:3) with the addition of a cantiga made for a more recent thematic book,Jerusalem (32:5). It has been a perennial best choice for a single disc of cantigas, for Savall has a keen appreciation of the music, the subject matter, and the era in which the works arose. His instrumental accompaniments are well judged (there are very few unaccompanied versions of the cantatas). Shortly after this first appeared, Eduardo Paniagua began to record a complete set of the cantigas. Some of them have been reviewed here, but after 36 CDs he is not nearly finished, and most of them have never been distributed in this country. His discs are not as well filled as this one, but he invariably performs every verse of each cantiga, even a 50-verse cantiga on a recent issue. He does take the shortcut of reciting groups of verses in the longer works (as others have done as well). Paniagua also includes instrumental versions of cantigas that, sooner or later, are rendered in vocal performances, thus stretching out the number of discs required for the eventual complete set.

On the Astrée disc, Savall’s group sang eight cantigas, all complete, and played four more (one of them twice, bookending the program). O ffondo do mar, the newly added recording, is sung with seven of its 12 verses. As Alia Vox has done in systematically reissuing Savall’s older recordings, the remastered Super Audio sound is stunning and the packaging is lavish. This one has a 180-page book with texts, six translations, three essays including the original one, and some gorgeous color photographs as well as manuscript facsimiles. The program includes one of the most beloved of the cantigas,Santa Maria, strela do dia, along with less familiar selections. The disc has long been one of my favorite cantiga collections, and it is better than ever in this presentation. J. F. Weber

 
 
"Cantigas" by Sophie Roughol in Goldbgerg, # 1, pp.43-49. (In English) (1997)

Excellent article with a comparative discography.
~ Res Musica (12/2017) 

~
Early Music Review  
 

Autres sites d'intérêt

Useful links


The Eduardo Paniaga project for PNEUMA
 

Musiques et Poésies
Médiévales
(Les cantigas de Santa Maria)

SCA Medieval and Renaissance Music
   -- The Cantigas de Santa Maria
Autres références disponibles via la base de données de Todd McComb/ Other available references  via Todd McComb's database:
(Site: http://www.medieval.org)
Re:

La musique / The music

CSM 176: Introductio CSM 037: Miragres fremosos faz por nos
CSM 100: Santa Maria, strela do dia CSM 77-119: Instrumental
CSM 400: Pero cantigas de loor

CSM 126:De toda chaga ben pode guarir

 

CSM 123: Instrumental CSM 181: Pero que seja a gente
CSM 209: Muito faz grand'erro CSM 176: Conclusion
 

CSM  018: Por nos de dulta tirar

CSM  142: Instrumental
CSM 163: Pode por Santa Maria

Autres sections d'intérêt sur ce site:

Other topics of interest on this site:

Harmonia Mundi / Gold - Appréciations

Goldberg Magazine - 1998-2008 - Les 50 meilleurs cd de la décennie

Harmonia Mundi / Gold - The critics' point of view

Goldberg Magazine - 1998-2008 - The 50 best cds of    the decade



Date de création de cette fiche:
Dernière mise à jour de cette fiche:
2022-02-04


This page was first published on:
This page was updated on:

02/04/22

 

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