Search - Alfonso X (el Sabio), Anonymous, Guiraut Riquier :: Sequentia performs Vox Iberica III by El Sabio (DHM)

El Sabio, the laudatory name for King Alfonso X of Castile and Leon, means "the learned," and among this legendary 13th-century king's accomplishments was the gathering, editing, copying, and illustration of a collection of songs known as the Cantigas de Santa Maria. This outstanding recording features 18 of the original collection's more than 400 songs--an enticing sampling that only begins to suggest the music's enormous variety and inventiveness. Although most of the songs center on praise and reverence for the Virgin Mary, there also are religious feast songs, stories about Marian miracles, penitential prayers, and occasionally, songs of erotic love and romantic longing. Unlike liturgical chant, these songs are often highly rhythmic, with dancing, shifting accents according to the stresses of the text. Some songs are charged with atmosphere, created by stark harmonies and accompanying drones. Sequentia's brilliant, energetic performances clearly convey the flesh-and-blood lives that inspired these songs and make them still exciting 700 years later. --David Vernier