Juan del Encina (1468-1529)
Todos los bienes del mundo
Juan del Encina and Musical Traits in Spanish Renaissance
ContrArco Consort
rec. 2020, Basilica dei Santi Bonifacio e Alessio, Rome, Italy
Texts available online
DA VINCI CLASSICS C00526 [58]
Discs devoted only to Juan del Encina’s music are very rare. Jordi Savall recorded one in 1990 (Astrée E8707). Encina is a fascinating figure, so it was with high expectations that I unwrapped this disc. It was disappointing to find that the texts are not provided in the booklet, and can apparently be accessed (in Spanish) from the Da Vinci website. They may be there but if so, they are not obvious. The slim booklet does have a useful essay by Gianfranco Russo, quite detailed and worthwhile even if followed by the usual tedious biographies. Encina was also a playwright, a man of words, so the texts – which I have seen elsewhere – would be interesting, and would enhance one’s listening experience.
Encina was born in Salamanca, a city with a huge cathedral, and died in religious orders in León, another city with a world-heritage cathedral. Oddly enough for me, I broke into listening to this recording with a holiday in the León area, and attended a concert. Encina only seems to have left secular works, villancicos and romances which tell stories. The only Encina in the recital was the beautiful villancico Pues que jamás olvidaros (since my heart can never forget you); its simple, homophonic, hymn-like harmonies support a memorable melody. This takes the ABBA form, the same as the frottola, very popular at the time, especially in Italy. Encina’s success was in the matching of words and music so well that each inflection of text gives rise to a new melodic and rhythmic invention; that shows great sympathy of expression. I know this because I am lucky to have several other discs with his music on them and with texts supplied.
Encina is by far the most copied composer in the manuscripts of the period, El Cancionero de Palacia and Cancionero de la Colombina, from the period till 1520.
The performance approach by the ContrArco Consort is pleasing if not very inventive. Baltazar Zúñiga has an ideal, expressive voice. He often characterises the songs sensitively and compellingly: consider Fata la Parta about a man whose wife leaves him for another and is murdered. At other times, as in Hoy comamos y bevamos (today let us eat and drink), he seems content to go through the motions.
The instrumentalists are Valentina Nicolai on bass viol, Marco Ottone on tenor viol and director Gianfranco Russo on viola da braccio. They have passages between verses to improvise around the melody, and they offer instrumental works to break up the songs, for example Danza alta by Francisco de la Torre. Sometimes they use pizzicato which brings to mind the guitars and lutes popular at that time. Daca, bailemos carillo begins with a bass viol solo. The use of the viol consort allows the players to carry clearly the elegant beauty of Encina’s music, reminiscent perhaps of folk tunes in its simplicity. The instruments, which blend exquisitely, are copies of those found in paintings and sculpture of the period.
Gary Higginson
Track listing
1. Todos los bienes del mundo
2. Pues que jamás olvidaros
3. Antonilla es desposada
4. Danza alta [FrancIsco de la Torre (1460-1504)]
5. Es la causa bien amar
6. Fata la parte
7. Propiñan de melyor
8. Levanta pascual
9. Qu’es de ti, desconsolado
10. Ya soy desposado
11. Soy contente y vos servida
12. Hoy comamos y bevamos
13. Romerico tu que vienes
14. Paguen mis ojos pues vieron
15. Daca, bailemos carillo
16. Ay triste que vengo
17. Más vale trocar
