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Luis Milán

Fantasía 19 del quinto tono

 

El Maestro (1536), fol. F1v

mi019

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Source title Aqui acaba el quarto y quinto cuadernos. Y para tañer la musica que en ellos ay con su natural ayre como ya otra vez os he dicho:ha de ser desta manera. Tañendo las co[n]sona[n]cias a espacio:y los redobles apriessa. Y por esta mutacion de co[m]pas os dire que no la aueys de tañer como tañereys esta musica que de aqui adelante torna a proseguir la cual es como la del principio que la aueys de tañer toda a vn ygual compas sin hazer mutacion. Y la fantasia que agora ase sigue es del quinto tono.
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Music

Category abstract

Genre fantasia

Fantasia type ImP

Mode 5

Voices 4

Length (compases) 203

Vihuela

Tuning A

Courses 6

Final V/3

Highest I/8

Lowest VI/1

Difficulty not specified

Tempo not specified

Song Text

Language

Vocal notation

Commentary

This is the first of Milán’s third group of fantasias, following the fantasias of consonancias and redobles. These works are polythematic imitative fantasias that are longer and slightly more difficult than the preceding works, but in steady metre, effectively an extension of the first group of fantasias. Analytically the work is difficult to come to terms with because it is only an illusion of it what it appears to be. This piece is not really a polythematic imitative piece in the most usual sense even though it begins as though it might have been. The imitations are usually octave repetitions following the first statement of the theme, and either at the bottom of the texture or as fixed networks of voices transposed to dominant or subdominant rather than genuine vocal imitation.The succession of ideas is rapid and not clearly conceived. It is hard to sectionalize meaningfully as it is not clear whether subsidiary themes are meant to complete previous ones, or begin new ideas. The sectionalizations below are alternative readings. Note also that several of the themes however are related.