Alonso Mudarra
Gentil caballero
Tres libros de música en cifra (1546), fol. III/50
mu072
| Source title | Villancico. Entonase la boz e[n] la tercera al tercero traste. |
|---|---|
| Title in contents | Gentil caualero |
| Text incipit | Gentil cauallero |
Music
Category song
Genre Villancico
Fantasia type
Mode 1
Voices 4
Length (compases) 96
Vihuela
Tuning A
Courses 6
Final V/0
Highest I/5
Lowest VI/0
Difficulty not specified
Tempo medium
Song Text
Language ES
Vocal notation texted staff notation
Commentary
Another villancico by Mudarra that appears to set a popular melody, but in his own setting. The other known musical settings in Cancionero Musical de Barcelona (E-Bc M454, fol 74, nº 111) and Pisador (pi026) use the same melody but set independently. The text is well-known and is found in numerous sources, listed in Frenk2003, 1199-1200. The musical structure is clear Estribillo (1-38); copla (39-58) vuelta+estibillo (59-96). The three-voice accompaniment is notable for its agile movement and light texture
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Song Text
Gentil caballero dédesme ahora un beso,
Siquiera por el daño que me habeis hecho.
Venía el caballero, venía de Sevilla,
En huerta de monjas limones cogía.
Y la prioresa prenda le pedía,
Siquiera por el daño que me habeis hecho.
Gentil caballero dédesme ahora un beso,
Siquiera por el daño que me habeis hecho.
Kind sir, give me now a kiss,
In exchange for the pain you have caused.
The gentleman had come from Seville,
Picking lemons in a convent garden.
And the prioress asked for something else
in exchange for the pain he had caused.
Kind sir, give me now a kiss,
In exchange for the pain you have caused.