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Alonso Mudarra

Fantasía 10, que contrahace la harpa en la manera de Ludovico

 

Tres libros de música en cifra (1546), fol. I/13

mu012

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Source title Fa[n]tasia que co[n]trahaze la harpa e[n] la manera de Luduuico. es difficil hasta ser entendida.
Title in contents   Otra fantasia q[ue] co[n]trahaze la harpa en la manera de luduuico.
Text incipit


Music

Category abstract

Genre fantasia

Fantasia type Id

Mode 2

Voices 4

Length (compases) 158

Vihuela

Tuning G

Courses 6

Final VI/0

Highest I/7

Lowest VI/0

Difficulty not specified

Tempo fast

Song Text

Language

Vocal notation

Commentary

Mudarra’s most famous fantasia. It pays homage to the harpist Ludovico who flourished in Mantua, Ferrara and Naples from the 1480s, and who then came to Spain with the exiled Ferrante of Naples. On his identity see Bermudez (berm1994, berm2002). Bermudo attests that Ludovico was able to play chromatic notes on a diatonic harp by shortening the string with his finger. He was apparently legendary for this ability.

When Mudarra came to pay him homage in his Tres Libros, Ludovico would have been only a memory. Perhaps Mudarra might have heard him play at some banquet organised by his patrons. Mudarra chose a unique formal organisation structure to reflect probably what he understood to be the way that musicians of that generation improvised fantasia, by improvising on a ground. This one is built on three variations on the formula that was known as the “pavana” bu that by the 1590s had transformed into the “folia” Mudarra cleverly avoids any internal cadences within the work by substituting a chord on the 4th degree of the mode each time that a cadence on the modal final is set up by expectation. This means (on a vihuela in G) that all melodic cadences on G are harmonised with a chord on C that allows the music to continue forward with any closes. The music is set as three variations on the “pavana” of 95, 31 and 32 compases. It is at the beginning of variation 3 that Mudarra adds: “Desde aquí fasta açerca del final ay Algunas falsas, tañiéndose bien no pareçen mal”

The fame of the work due to its exceptional harmony, clarity of direction, and particular idiomatic appropriateness and clever devices. The work forms three intensity curves as shown, and can be divided texturally into 4. The descending 3rd is important as an interval, melodically. The harmonic framework likewise and the intensity of I can be traced by the pattern & direction of the lower notes of the descend 3rd. There is no imitation.

Recordings

rogers-maz01 ¡Baylado!. Music of Renaissance Spain The Terra Nova Consort ensemble Milán Mudarra

fentross01 Ay Luna. Música española del Siglo de Oro Guillemette Laurens, Mike Fentross (vihuela) vihuela song Mudarra Valderrábano Narváez Milán

heringman05 Alonso Mudarra: Songs and solos for vihuela & guitar Catherine King, Jacob Heringman Mudarra

eisenhardt03 La Guitarre Royalle Lex Eisenhardt Milán Narváez Fuenllana Mudarra

moreno02 La Guitarra Española, vol 1 José Miguel Moreno solo Narváez, Mudarra, López

wilson01 Vihuela Music of the Spanish Renaissance Christopher Wilson solo Milán Narvaez Mudarra Valderrabano Fuenllana Pisador Daza Mendoza López

griffiths01 The Echo of Orpheus John Griffiths solo Narváez Daza Valderrábano Milán Mudarra Fuenllana

rivera01 De los Alamos de Sevilla: 16th century Spanish vihuela music printed in Seville Juan Carlos Rivera solo Mudarra, Fuenllana

wallace01 Star shining on the Mountain: Music of Medieval and Renaissance Spain LiveOak (Frank Wallace) ensemble Pisador, Mudarra

fresno02 Vihuelistas españoles del siglo XVI (II) Mudarra, Fuenllana Jorge Fresno solo Mudarra, Fuenllana

zayas01 Vihuelistas españoles del siglo XVI (IV) Rodrigo de Zayas & Anne Perret solo vihuela song Milán Narváez Mudarra Valderrábano Pisador Fuenllana Daza

fresno04 Alonso Mudarra: Tres libros de música en cifras para vihuela y para canto y vihuela Jorge Fresno and Rosemarie Meister solo vihuela song Mudarra

wallace05 Delphín Frank Wallace solo Milán Fuenllana Narváez Mudarra Daza

smith06 Alonso Mudarra - Tres libros de musica en cifras para vihuela Hopkinson Smith solo Mudarra

maier01 The Art of Vihuela Ralph Maier solo Milán Narváez Mudarra Valderrábano Fuenllana Daza

fernandez01 Valderrábano y los vihuelistas castellanos Alfred Fernández solo Fuenllana Valderrábano Pisador Daza López

espi01 Dezidle al Cavallero. Obras para vihuela y guitarra renacentista Fernando Espí solo Fuenllana Pisador Narváez Milán Mudarra

satoh01 Vol 3_The Art of Spanish Variations. “Conde Claros” and other Spanish Vihuela Music Toyohiko Satoh, Ireen Thomas (Vihuela) solo ensemble Mudarra Milán Narváez Valderrábano Pisador Cabezón

north01 A Golden Treasure of Renaissance Music Nigel North solo Mudarra

north02 Guitar Collection Nigel North, Maggie Cole solo Mudarra Milán Narváez

bonavita01 Al compás de la vihuela Rafael Bonavita solo Pisador Narváez Milán Mudarra Fuenllana Valderrábano

bream01 Guitarra: The Guitar in Spain Julian Bream solo Mudarra Milán Narváez

bream03 Music of Spain Julian Bream solo Milán Narváez Mudarra

lonardi03 Libros de Música para Vihuela Massimo Lonardi solo Milán Narváez Mudarra Valderrábano Fuenllana Daza Pisador

ragossnig02 Musik für Laute - Music for Lute - Musique pour Luth Konrad Ragossnig Milán Mudarra Narváez

marchese01 Si amores me han de matar: Italian and Spanish music for Vihuela de Mano Massimo Marchese Mudarra Milán Narváez Fuenllana

abt01 Dreams of a lost era. Spanish Renaissance Music Walter Abt Mudarra Narváez Milán Valderrábano Pisador

mito01 Music for vihuela 2: O gloriosa domina Shigeo Mito solo Milán Mudarra Narváez

moreno07 Música en el Quijote y otras obras de Miguel de Cervantes José Miguel Moreno, Orphénica Lyra Milán Mudarra Pisador Narváez

A Song of David. Music of the Sephardim and Renaissance Spain La Rondinella Mudarra, Narváez

muska01 Vihuela Fantasies - Roots of the Classical Guitar Series (Digital Only) Terry Muska solo Milán Mudarra Narváez

hesperion05 Folias & Canarios Hespèrion XX. Jordi Savall solo Mudarra Narváez

heringman04 A Royal Songbook. Spanish Music from the time of Columbus Musica Antiqua of London, Jacob Heringman Mudarra

hesperion11 Altre Follie 1500-1750 Hespèrion XXI, Jordi Savall, Rafael Bonavita (guitar, vihuela da mano) Mudarra

cherevko01 Silva de Vihuelas Dimitry Cherevko Milán Narváez Mudarra Valderrábano

cherici02 El Siglo de Oro: Obras para vihuela 2 Paolo Cherici solo Mudarra Valderrábano Pisador Fuenllana Daza

Song Text

Intabulations
Modern edition(s)
Printed source(s)
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