Album

Alonso Mudarra was a lutenist and composer active in Seville in the middle of the sixteenth century. The Tres Libros de Música from which the pieces heard on this disc are extracted come from the early years of music publishing in Spain, and they mix original compositions by Mudarra with vihuela intabulations of works by other composers. Both vocal and instrumental, the pieces recorded here offer a delightful variety; Mudarra seems to have tried simply to offer a cross-section or greatest hits of the musical world at the time in his publication. There are a few sacred pieces; Triste estava el rey David, track 5, is a setting of the biblical text recounting the sorrow of King David upon learning of the death of his son Absalon. This tragic work (curiously designated as a "romance," which seems here to mean a song that tells a story) rubs shoulders with examples of the reliably sexy villancico—track 9, Gentil Cavallero, is an especially pungent one, with its image of the knight who picks lemons in the nuns' garden—and other secular pieces, some of them in Italian. The instrumental works mostly consist of fantasias and tientos, the latter smaller in scale than the well-known examples of this prelude-like Spanish genre from the following century. All this is explained well in the booklet (in English, French, and German). What's not so clear is why the German-based group Private Musicke performs the music the way it did. Some of the pieces feature viols instead of vihuela or lute, which seems to run counter to the whole idea of recording an anthology of vihuela music. The voice of Spanish soprano Raquel Andueza, however, is a major attraction, light and coquettish in the villancicos but always hinting at the depths that are kept in reserve. She's reason enough to buy this album all by herself, and excellent, no-fuss sound and the fabulous El Greco portrait on the cover offer added bonuses. Even dedicated lovers of the Spanish Renaissance will find something new here, in many cases beautifully performed.

© James Manheim, All Music Guide

CD 1
Alonso de Mudarra Composer Fantasía No.2, de passos, for vihuela Work Private Musicke Ensemble
1	Fantasía No.2, de passos, for vihuela	1:22			$0.99
Alonso de Mudarra Composer Claros y frescos rios, for voice & vihuela Work Raquel Andueza Soprano, Private Musicke Ensemble
2	Claros y frescos rios, for voice & vihuela	3:23			$0.99
Alonso de Mudarra Composer Si me llaman a mí, for voice & vihuela Work Raquel Andueza Soprano, Private Musicke Ensemble
3	Si me llaman a mí, for voice & vihuela	2:35			$0.99
Alonso de Mudarra Composer Fantasia para desenbolver las manos Work Private Musicke Ensemble
4	Fantasia para desenbolver las manos	1:19			$0.99
Alonso de Mudarra Composer Trieste estava el Rey David, song for voice and vihuela Work Raquel Andueza Soprano, Private Musicke Ensemble
5	Trieste estava el Rey David, song for voice and vihuela	4:06			$0.99
Alonso de Mudarra Composer Sonetos en italiano, for voice & vihuela Work Raquel Andueza Soprano, Private Musicke Ensemble
6	Sonetos en italiano, for voice & vihuela	2:35			$0.99
Alonso de Mudarra Composer Pavan and galliard d'Alexandra, for vihuela Work Private Musicke Ensemble
7	Pavan and galliard d'Alexandra, for vihuela	1:42			$0.99
Alonso de Mudarra Composer Gallarda, for vihuela Work Private Musicke Ensemble
8	Gallarda, for vihuela	1:55			$0.99
Alonso de Mudarra Composer Gentil cavallero, for voice & vihuela Work Raquel Andueza Soprano, Private Musicke Ensemble
9	Gentil cavallero, for voice & vihuela	2:13			$0.99
Antonio de Cabezón Composer Romance: Para Quien Crie Yo Cabellos Work Private Musicke Ensemble
10	Romance: Para Quien Crie Yo Cabellos	1:48			$0.99
Alonso de Mudarra Composer Tiento in 2nd tone, for vihuela Work Private Musicke Ensemble
11	Tiento in 2nd tone, for vihuela	0:32			$0.99
Alonso de Mudarra Composer Israel, mira tus montes Work Raquel Andueza Soprano, Private Musicke Ensemble
12	Israel, mira tus montes	2:32			$0.99
Traditional Composer Claros y Frescos rios Work Raquel Andueza Soprano, Private Musicke Ensemble
13	Claros y Frescos rios	4:44			$0.99
Diego Ortiz Composer Recercata quinta sopra canto piano (Trattado de glosas) Work Private Musicke Ensemble
14	Recercata quinta sopra canto piano (Trattado de glosas)	1:44			$0.99
Alonso de Mudarra Composer Tiento in 8th tone for vihuela Work Private Musicke Ensemble
15	Tiento in 8th tone for vihuela	0:33			$0.99
Alonso de Mudarra Composer Fantasía de octavo tono, for vihuela Work Private Musicke Ensemble
16	Fantasía de octavo tono, for vihuela	2:03			$0.99
Alonso de Mudarra Composer O Gelosía d'amanti, for voice & vihuela Work Raquel Andueza Soprano, Private Musicke Ensemble
17	O Gelosía d'amanti, for voice & vihuela	2:47			$0.99
Luys de Narváez Composer 7 Diferencias for guitar on 'Guárdame las vacas' Work Private Musicke Ensemble
18	7 Diferencias for guitar on 'Guárdame las vacas'	2:18			$0.99
Luis de Milán Composer O gelosia d'amanti Work Raquel Andueza Soprano, Private Musicke Ensemble
19	O gelosia d'amanti	3:36			$0.99
Luis de Milán Composer Fantasía for vihuela No 10 Work Private Musicke Ensemble
20	Fantasía for vihuela No 10	2:08			$0.99
Esteban Daza Composer Quiente Hizo Work Raquel Andueza Soprano, Private Musicke Ensemble
21	Quiente Hizo	2:15			$0.99
Alonso de Mudarra Composer Romanesca (or Guárdame las vacas), for vihuela Work Private Musicke Ensemble
22	Romanesca (or Guárdame las vacas), for vihuela	2:19			$0.99
Alonso de Mudarra Composer Isabel, perdiste la tu faxa, for voice & vihuela Work Raquel Andueza Soprano, Private Musicke Ensemble
23	Isabel, perdiste la tu faxa, for voice & vihuela	2:03			$0.99
Alonso de Mudarra Composer Sonetos por asperos caminos, for voice and vihuela Work Raquel Andueza Soprano, Private Musicke Ensemble
24	Sonetos por asperos caminos, for voice and vihuela	1:36			$0.99
Alonso de Mudarra Composer Fantasia fácil, for vihuela Work Raquel Andueza Soprano, Private Musicke Ensemble
25	Fantasia fácil, for vihuela	3:15			$0.99
Alonso de Mudarra Composer Si viesse e melevasse, villancico for voice & viheula (Book 3) Work Raquel Andueza Soprano, Private Musicke Ensemble
26	Si viesse e melevasse, villancico for voice & viheula (Book 3)	2:07			$0.99