Secular Music from Christian and Jewish Spain

Before their expulsion in 1492, the Jews of medieval Spain developed a rich and lively culture, including an exquisite repertory of songs called romanceros--and they kept that repertory alive as they settled in places as diverse as Morocco, Bosnia, Turkey, and Bulgaria. Lovely as the romanceros are, they would have languished as the objects of ethnomusicological studies and might have disappeared altogether, were it not for the efforts of gifted musicians like Hespèrion XX. Jordi Savall and his ensemble, fronted by the unique soprano Montserrat Figueras, just about single-handedly brought those songs to the attention of the modern public with this 1976 recording (now reissued at a bargain price). Disc 1 features a selection of secular music from "Christian" Spain--that is, the courts of Ferdinand and Isabella and the Catholic nobility. The music is elegant and occasionally austere, but Figueras, Savall, and colleagues give the livelier pieces a flavorful swing. Yet disc 2, which features the Sephardic songs, is the real drawing card here. It was in Moorish Spain that Jewish culture flourished, so Hespèrion XX performs the romanceros with Arabic instruments, such as the 'ud (the ancestor of the European lute) and hand drums. These musicians, rechristened Hespèrion XXI in honor of the new century, perform this repertory with more polish now than they did in 1976, but--just as A Feather on the Breath of God did for Hildegard von Bingen--this recording made its own little bit of musical history. --Matthew Westphal Amazon.com

Although over thirty years old, this two-disc set shines

Jordi Savall, eminent violist hailing from Catalunya, once again works his period magic with the help of Hesperion XX. Savall is perhaps best-known for his recordings of French Baroque music by Lully, Sainte Colombe and Marais (for example, Tous Les Matins du Monde/Dix Ans Apres), although he has extensively explored other early music genres such as Spain's Golden Age or Eastern music from Turkey, Afghanistan, and beyond.

On Music from Christian and Jewish Spain, Savall has divided the work into two separate discs. The first disc is devoted to Spanish court music from Spain's Age of Discoveries (1492-1553), consisting mainly of villancicos, romances, and recercadas. This is not my main area of expertise, but I would venture that these are court dances. According to the sparse liner notes, villancicos feature homophonic writing and contrast between the refrain and stanza, while romances are long narrative poems with ornamentation. The Cancionera de la Colombina relates to the son of Christopher Columbus.

The second disc is what primarily interests me; it's a lovely selection of Sephardic Romances (prior to 1492, when all Jews and Moors were expelled from Spain on the order of Isabella). Sephardim Jews had lived in Spain for centuries, with large communities in Cordoba and Toledo, and wrote many beautiful works in Ladino, a cross between Hebrew and Old Castilian (written in the Hebrew alphabet, Ladino is easy to read for a Spanish speaker when transcribed with the Latin alphabet). These haunting ballads are strongly influenced by Arabic musical modalities (Spain was under Islamic control from 711 CE-1492 CE, when Granada was captured by los Reyes Catolicos, Ferdinand and Isabella). After the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492, Sephardim dispersed to Portugal, Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey, and beyond, taking their language, culture, and music with them (the beautiful cover art is taken from an early 14th-century Hebrew bible from Portugal).

Savall's wife, soprano Montserrat Figueras, sounds equally at home on both the Christian villancicos and the Sephardic romances, but of the two styles, I felt that she really shined when singing in Ladino; the combination of period instruments such as Saracen chitarra and Figueras's haunting delivery make you feel as though you've just stepped back in time. There's a stark contrast between the heavily ornamented style of the Spanish court music (heavy on strings) and the sparse backing of the Sephardic ballads, where the focus is on the lyrics and the singer. Some songs feature heavy use of Arabic percussion (Una matica de ruda).

Overall, this is a beautiful, balanced look at two major styles of period Spanish music (the third, and one of my favorites, is mudejar, the culture of Muslims who remained under Christian rulers until their expulsion in 1492). It has been digitally remastered and sounds as fresh as if it had been recorded yesterday. Savall also revisited Sephardic ballads on the more recent release Diáspora Sefardí, also featuring vocals by Montserrat Figueras, but Music from Christian and Jewish Spain is still an excellent introduction to both early Christian court music and Sephardic ballads.
March 19, 2008

Beautiful, mysterious ancient music

This is an album of mysterious, beautiful music that transports you to the late 15th Spain. The music is rich, sensual, and relaxing. The music is sung in medieval Spanish ( which sounds quite a bit like Portugese crossed with Italian), and has an exotic, very middle eastern quality to it. Other songs exhibit the beginnings of Spanish folk music. I am a writer currently writing a book set in the time period and find this music a great, relaxing companion while I write my novel. Four stars! December 19, 2007

Five Stars Despite the Lack of Documentation (and the Cheap Fragile Plastic CD Tray)

Music from Christian and Jewish Spain. CD 1: Court Music and Songs from the Age of Discovery 1492 - 1553. (Songs and instrumental pieces from the Cancionera de Colombina, the Canconiero de Palacio and the Cancionero de Uppsala plus three Recercadas by Ortiz). CD 2: Sephardic Romances from the Age before the expulsion of the Jews from Spain 1492. Performed by Hespèrion XX (= Montserrat Figueras, soprano; Jordi Savall, violas da gamba and bowed Saracen chitarra; Hopkinson Smith, lute and Saracen chitarra; Lorenzo Alpert, recorder and percussion; Arianne Maurette and Pere Ros, violas da gamba; Pilar Figueras, bagpipes; Gabriel Garrido, percussion). Recorded in November 1975 at the Münstermuseum in Basel, Switzerland. Total playing time: 1 hr 48 mins 25 secs. Re-released in 1999 as Virgin Veritas 561 591 2.

Montserrat Figueras has been described by a professional German music critic as the "Maria Callas of Early Music" because of the intensity and expressiveness of her interpretations. She has developed over the years a specifically Spanish way of performing early Iberian repertoire, and even on this comparatively early analogue recording from 1975 (now quite carefully digitally re-mastered with only a minimum of extraneous noise) what you get to hear is absolutely unmistakeably Spanish, including the Moorish influences that even a layman probably associates with this period. Figueras does not only sing here, she declaims, she shouts, she rejoices, she dances with her voice, negotiating, particularly on the second of the two CDs (the Sephardic Song), some incredibly difficult rhythms and what sound to me like semi- and quarter-tones, giving the whole an amazingly Oriental feeling without ever seeming to be forced. This is re-inforced by the instrumental accompaniments, which, I assume, were worked out by the group as the notation of this music is presumably very sparse (as is the case with most very early music). At any rate, whether it is the slightly more European sounding "Christian" Spanish music of the Age of Columbus or the passionate world of Sephardic song, the whole performance breathes dedication, identification with the music, absolute musicality and the spirit of discovery which has brought the early music or HIPP scene to the fore over the past decades. The music here is so wonderful that, in combination with EMI's excellent recordings, it balances out somewhat the complete lack of documentation (no texts and an introduction which is hardly worth the name and is beggared even by the average Naxos folded card) and the fact that Virgin use cheap plastic CD trays which break at the first opportunity. After listening to this I went on to buy Montserrat Figueras's recording of Marin's "Tonos Humanos" on Alia Vox (Jordi Savall's own label). December 18, 2007

Like a religious experience

This disc is pure magic that transends and defies definition. It is time period music that has been rereleased to capture the magic of the original recording. Each song is amazing. The music creates a mood that is best enjoyed alone ,in private so that your thoughts can be elevated to the point of inspiration. Although I like both discs I prefer the one that features Sephardic Romances over the disc that is Court Music and Songs. Montserrat Figueras angelic voice lends itself to beautiful interpretations of these beautiful songs from the Age before the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492. This ancient music is preserved and freshly interpreted under the masterful leadership of Jordi Savall for an authentic recreation. If you have never heard Hesperion XX check this one out, it is fantastic. Recommended for classical music fans who want to hear something different. Once you hear Montserrat Figuerras voice you will feel the inspiration and be hooked on her angelic voice. March 28, 2007

Dissappointing soprano

I was excitet buying this CD, expecting the quality of songs equal or better than
Begona Olavide and Carlos Paniagua on MA recodings. The music was fine but singing by soprano Montserrat Figueras was borderline annoying. February 22, 2006

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