The Palacio Songbook

Early in 1870; a codex containing early Spanish vocal music had been discovered in the library of the Palacio Real in Madrid. The pieces which had been copied into the manuscript – entirely unknown up to that point – included compositions from the celebrated Juan del Encina and from many other; little-known; contemporaries of his. The first modern edition of the suitably entitled “Cancionero de Palacio” was published in 1890; immediately becoming a cornerstone of Spanish historical musicology. Later editions and studies consolidated the status of the Cancionero as a landmark in Iberian music. The present recording contrasts music from this cancionero with that found in other codices containing similar or related repertory; whether it be Iberian in origin or from elsewhere in Europe. It offers a broader vision not only of the “Cancionero de Palacio” but also of the musical atmosphere of the time and of the songbook repertory as a whole.