Credits:

Castelfranato, Andrea

Description:

Alfonso X (1221-1284), King of Castile, was known as the "Wise King. The "Cantigas of the Virgin Mary," compiled during his reign, consists of over 400 cantigas (songs) for the Virgin Mary, including liturgical songs, hymns, and folk songs derived from medieval dances, in a variety of forms. The illustrations are from the original manuscripts. The illustrations depict the instruments and clothing used at the time, and are a valuable source of information about the culture of the time. This album attempts to reproduce the original sound of the cantigas by adding performances on reconstructed instruments from the 13th century to a selection of songs from a large number of cantigas. Naxos Japan