Cantigas with dotted rhythm

Abstract

The Cantigas de Santa Maria comprise over 400 song texts and melodies commissioned by Alfonso X of Castile, written as an expression of courtly devotion to the Virgin Mary. Full editions of the Cantigas already exist by Higini Anglès (1943–64), Pla Sales (2001) and Chris Elmes (2004–14), but Martin G. Cunningham’s edition and study of 16 songs is a most welcome addition to the field. As its title suggests, this study focuses on a handful of Cantigas that exhibit elements of dotted rhythm in ternary metre. Given that some of the most polemical musicological debate has centred around the Cantigas’ rhythmical interpretation, Cunningham’s editions are invaluable both for their novel approach, and their engagement with existing debate. Cunningham’s volume is structured into chapters—unusual for editorial work—with each section addressing songs that exhibit similar rhythmic behaviours. Discussion of previous editorial approaches prefaces the editions, and here Cunningham gives approving weight both to Manuel Pedro Ferreira’s study of ‘compressed’ mode III songs (2014) and David Wulstan’s theory of ‘bagpipe-rhythm’ (2000 and 2001). Cunningham then provides an overview of the differing notational styles in the three sources that survive with notation: the earlier Códice de Toledo (To), and the two sources at El Escorial, the Códice Rico (T) and the Códice de los Musicos (E). Here Cunningham makes two important observations. First, that rules of alteration—which may be expressed in the brevis of the later codices T and E—do not automatically translate when applied to the rhomb forms in codex To. Second, that To’s perfected brevis corresponds to its short-stemmed virga, whereas the brevis recta in T and E does not correspond to the visually similar perfect longa. By comparing the notation of songs in all three codices, Cunningham is able to argue for the presence of dotted rhythm, even if this is not explicitly called out in the source.