THE GUERRA MANUSCRIPT Volume 4 17th Century Secular Spanish Vocal Music Hernández • Fernández-Rueda • Arias Fernández Ars Atlántica • Manuel Vilas, Harp and Director The Guerra Manuscript, Vol. 4 The Guerra Manuscript, Volume 4 17th Century Secular Spanish Vocal Music 1 Anon: Qué dulcemente canta 3:19 2 Juan Hidalgo (1614-1685): ¿Qué quiere Amor? 2:43 This fourth volume in the complete recording of the Orléans (first wife of the Spanish king Charles II) to 3 Anon: Hermosa tortolilla 3:40 vocal works found in the Guerra Manuscript contains a Madrid. He then visited Italy in 1680-81, probably as 4 Anon: Poco sabe de Filis 3:04 further twenty pieces of music. This manuscript is, in part of his duties as a member of the queen’s staff. On 5 Juan Hidalgo: Con la pasión amorosa 2:59 my opinion, the leading source of tonos humanos to his death, Guerra bequeathed his library to his son, Juan 6 José Marín (c.1619-1699): Filis, el miedo ha de ser 5:09 have survived to the present day and a document of Alfonso de Guerra, who also inherited many of his titles fundamental importance in the history of Spanish music. and privileges. An inventory of this library, dated 1738, 7 Juan Hidalgo: ¡Ay que sí, ay que no! 4:50 Broadly speaking, tonos humanos are secular songs, has survived and includes the books that Juan Alfonso 8 Anon: Si descubro mi dolor 4:00 some of which are drawn from seventeenth- and was left by his father. The collection was sold to the 9 Anon: Culpas son Nise hermosa 3:44 eighteenth-century Spanish theatrical works. In the first Royal Library in 1753, and is now part of the Spanish 0 Anon: No hay razón que a lo bello 3:34 half of the seventeenth century, most tonos were National Library. It is worth noting that it contains not a ! José Marín: De la sierra morena 2:56 polyphonic, and while such pieces continued to be single book of music. @ José Marín: Diz que era como una nieve 2:19 written, in the ensuing decades it was solo works that Nothing is known about José Miguel de Guerra’s # Juan Hidalgo: En los floridos páramos 3:32 came to the fore. Among the unusual items in this fourth musical education. The documents that include references $ Anon: Despertando estaba el sol 2:42 volume are the only two duets to be found in the to his journeys to Italy and France make no mention of any % José Marín: Corazón que en prisión 6:43 Manuscript and a pair of bonus tracks ( ) that complete musical interest on his part. His knowledge of the subject the previous release in the series (The Guerra may well have been minimal – sufficient to carry out his ^ Cristóbal Galán (?-1684): Ya los caballos 3:56 Manuscript, Vol. 3, Naxos 8.573312). duties as a music scribe and no more. His work as a & Anon: Canta pajarillo 4:10 The anthology contains one hundred tonos humanos copyist ended in 1685, and one might conclude that he * Juan Hidalgo: Detén los rayos 3:01 for voice and instrumental accompaniment. Close was more interested in climbing the social ladder than in ( Juan de Navas (1647-1719): Tente, Siques, espera 5:50 analysis of the manuscript reveals that of these hundred continuing to pursue his previous occupation. This ) Anon: Aunque sabes, Nise 5:17 works, two are for two voices and there is a single piece manuscript contains a small number of minor or careless (Manda la piedad, which can be heard on The Guerra errors, easily amended, but in general his work shows an Mercedes Hernández, Soprano 1 3 5 7 9 ! # % & * Manuscript, Vol. 2, Naxos 8.572876) which is not a tono astonishing level of accuracy, clarity and professionalism. Francisco Fernández-Rueda, Tenor 2 4 6 8 0 @ $ ^ * humano, but a tono a lo divino, the sacred equivalent. His handwriting is clear and pleasing to the eye, unlike It is only very recently that the Guerra Manuscript that found in some other tono manuscripts housed in other Yetzabel Arias Fernández, Soprano ( ) was christened thus, after the only name that appears in archives and libraries, documents in which the writing Manuel Vilas, Spanish baroque harp 1-* the entire manuscript, that of José Miguel de Guerra often reveals a considerable lack of care and attention. (1646-1722), the copyist of all one hundred works. In The Guerra Manuscript is an anthology of the best Ars Atlántica their exhaustive and highly impressive study of the and most well-known solo songs that were circulating in Santi Mirón, Bass viol ( ) manuscript and its contents, scholars Álvaro Torrente the Madrid court in the latter half of the 1600s. It is and Pablo L. Rodríguez1 also manage to shed some light currently the only music manuscript held by the Eligio Luis Quinteiro, Theorbo ( / Baroque guitar ) on Guerra’s life story. A member of the Spanish Biblioteca Xeral at the University of Santiago de Manuel Vilas, Spanish baroque harp ( ) nobility, he became a scribe at Madrid’s Royal Chapel Compostela. It fails to tell us who wrote any of the Viols: Italian bass viol, anonymous and undated in 1667. By the end of his life he had been awarded music or lyrics contained within its folios, but as some Theorbo: Fourteen-course theorbo by David van Edwards, Norwich, 2010) various honours and titles, including that of Knight of of its tonos have survived in other sources, a certain the Order of Santiago, King of Arms of the Spanish number of works can be attributed to composers of the Guitar: Four-course guitar (Dias model, 1581) by Alexander Batov, Lewes, 2008 (a' 415) monarchy and chief attendant to the Queen’s chamber. day. The two leading figures in this respect are two of Harp: Two-course Spanish harp built in 1995 by Pedro Llopis Areny, In 1679 Guerra travelled to the French border as a the greatest composers of the Spanish Baroque: José after Pere Elias model, Barcelona 1704. (a' 415) member of the party sent to escort Marie Louise of Marín (c.1619-99) and Juan Hidalgo (1614-85). The following are some of the most notable pieces attributes it to Hidalgo, a 1699 manuscript copied by mythological characters in plays of this period. A brief One fascinating and little-studied aspect of this on this album: Brother Martín García to José Marín. It can also be stage direction introduces this tono: “Enter Minerva, in repertoire is that of the people that performed it. These Qué dulcemente canta (How sweetly sings) 1, a found in three other sources: an Italian manuscript from a spherical globe, singing…”. pieces, whether theatrical excerpts or stand-alone songs, duet. This anonymous piece is stylistically very similar the Villa Contarini in Padua, another in the Biblioteca Hermosa tortolilla (Pretty little turtle dove) 3 – this caused a sensation in Spain in the latter half of the to the tonos of Juan Hidalgo, and may be attributable to de Catalunya (Barcelona), and the last in the Biblioteca is a very beautiful piece with an intricate text and seventeenth century, and it seems likely that much of that him. The manuscript does not include an instrumental Nacional de España (Madrid). The latter version remarkably hypnotic power. success would have been due to the actors, actresses and bass for the refrain, but reconstructing this is a simple includes an instrumental realisation explicitly written Canta pajarillo (Sing, little bird) & is a song of singers who performed them, rather than to the enough task. It is also possible that the accompanying for harp; our version is, of course, the one found in the praise to Charles II; several tonos written to praise this composers themselves. The names of great if now long- instrument read from the tenor line, or even that the Guerra Manuscript, but borrows the harp accompaniment monarch have survived, including one composed by forgotten theatrical artists were extraordinarily well- refrain was sung without accompaniment. from the Madrid manuscript. Unlike some other tonos another of the greats of the Spanish Baroque, Sebastián known: actresses such as María de Navas, who wielded Si descubro mi dolor (If I reveal my sorrow) 8 – that have survived in various disparate sources, here Durón. Canta pajarillo is unquestionably one of the considerable power in Madrid society, or Manuela de this is unquestionably one of the most moving pieces in there are only a few discrepancies – textual or musical – most inspired examples of its type. Escamilla, who gained what was almost a pension for life the whole collection, and sets one of the loveliest lyrics. between the different versions. Detén los rayos (Hold back your light) * is the from the Royal Household for her performance of the Poco sabe de Filis (He who holds) 4 is one of the ¡Ay que sí, ay que no! (Ah yes, ah no!) 7 is one of second of the two duets found in the Guerra Manuscript. song Ay que soy tamborilero, to give just two examples. few pieces that indicates a repeat of the refrain after the songs that acquired new fame in the late twentieth Our source is missing any instrumental accompaniment, They were genuine stars of the stage, forerunners of the each verse. Normally the performer is given century thanks to a 1977 set of transcriptions made by but that does not imply negligence on the part of the great copla artists of the twentieth century. considerable freedom as regards the order of verses and Miguel Querol of tonos humanos from the Biblioteca copyist; the corpus of tonos humanos was in no way a The instruments most frequently employed to refrain, and as regards repetitions and the interspersing Nacional de España for the publisher Alpuerto.