Murcia: Gaitas

‘Navidad’ is a celebration of the lively and compelling repertoire of Christmas music, songs and dances from 16th and 17th century Latin America and Spain, performed by leading Canadian early music ensemble The Toronto Consort.

‘Navidad’ features Christmas dances and a style of songs known as villancico, a distinctively Spanish form which has enjoyed a long history of popularity across Spain and Latin America almost continuously from the late 15th century to the present. Some of the songs written in Latin America were performed in the Iberian peninsula within a few years of their premieres in Mexico, showing how quickly music could travel both directions across the Atlantic. Indeed, as this recording demonstrates, in the 17th century the musical world in Latin America could boast a depth of feeling and vitality of execution to rival anything from Europe.

Since its founding in 1972, The Toronto Consort has become internationally recognised for its excellence in the performance of Medieval, Renaissance and early Baroque music. The Consort’s goal is to explore new repertoire and new ways to bring early music to the modern audience. It regularly tours across Canada, the United States and Europe.

The various pieces collected together on this release are by Santiago de Murzia and from the famous Salvador Codex. The Codex was uncovered in a Mexican bookshop in the 1940’s and named after the man who found it, Gabriel Salvador. The guitar music is accompanied by percussion, hurdy-gurdy and castanets, lending it a degree of improvisation and variety. An excellent release for anyone interested in guitar or music of the period.

“La Guitarra Espanola” continues William Carter’s fascinating exploration of little-known baroque guitar repertoire. Carter’s second solo release cheerfully champions the dances of Spanish guitar giant Santiago de Murcia, which were banned and deemed ‘obscene and offensive’ in their day for inspiring lascivious behaviour. Luckily the ban did not eradicate the music completely.