Lawrence, Deborah.

[Opening paragraph of article] The seven books of music for vihuela de mano printed in Spain in the sixteenth century both participate in and stand apart from the wider tradition of printed music for popular consumption in the early modern period. The inclusion of intabulations of vocal works both sacred and secular, popular songs, and idiomatic instrumental pieces render them similar to most other books of printed instrumental music of the time. However, seen as material culture, they differ: unlike their counterparts from elsewhere in Europe and England, the Spanish prints are divided into units designated as “books,” each of which bears a heading describing the contents, and often a separate table of contents for each. Not only are such divisions unusual among early instrumental prints, but the wide range of genres contrasts with the more common format for prints that contain a single genre, or perhaps just a few. The Spanish works consistently include instructional material, suggesting that they are to be used as self-help books, but their tutorial value is questionable owing to an organization that seldom allows for gradual progress from beginner to proficient performer. One explanation for their organization points to their use as musical commonplace books for upwardly mobile Spanish men and women, and thus while they serve to tutor the vihuela de mano, they are even more useful for providing socially appropriate repertoire.

Composer

Instrument VIHUELA

Century 16CENT

Region SPAIN

Medium

Music genre

Research field GENERAL, HISTORY, SOCIAL HISTORY, PRINTING, MUSIC