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Enríquez de Valderrábano

¿Cómo puedo yo vivir?

 

Silva de sirenas (1547), fol. 24v

va043

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Source title Primero grado.
Title in contents   Villancico como puedo yo bivir en el primero grado.
Text incipit Como puedo yo bivir que el remedio


Music

Category intabulation

Genre villancico

Fantasia type

Mode 1

Voices 3

Length (compases) 67

Vihuela

Tuning A

Courses 6

Final V/0

Highest I/3

Lowest VI/0

Difficulty easy

Tempo medium

Song Text

Language ES

Vocal notation texted cifras rojas

Commentary

Valderrábano’s setting of this courtly popular villancico appears to be an intabulation of an unknown three-voiced polyphonic version of similar style to the music of Vásquez. A two-part setting of the same text is in the 1556 Villancicos de diversos autores (Cancionero de Uppsala), nº 1, but with different music. Pujol maintains that both versions are based on the same popular melody as the Uppsala version (pujol1965, 53), but the two versions are only similar in their opening bars. Romeu Figueras categorised the poetry as a villancico of the courtly popular tradition. There are minor differences between the texts of the two versions, verses 2 and 5: v 2 Valderrábano: Que el remedio tras que ando / Uppsala: Si el remedio tras que ando; v. 5 Valderrábano: El quándo se á d'esperar. / Uppsala: Quando no s'á d'esperar. Pujol transcribes the music for a vihuela in G, but it works better in A.