Changing ceremonial and musical paradigms

Abstract

This article seeks to analyze the different strategies adopted by the first monarchs of the Braganza dynasty, regarding religious music and the ceremonial practices of the Lisbon Royal Chapel, in the construction of the image of royalty. The chronological scope covers the period between the Restoration of the independence of the kingdom of Portugal in 1640 and the first decades of the reign of King John V (1707-1750). Two clearly distinct phases can be distinguished in this time span: the Iberian musical traditions of the 17th century linked to the affirmation of religious vilancico as the privileged genre in the major celebrations at the Royal Chapel and the paradigm shift operated by King John V characterized by the adoption of Roman models as a result of the elevation of the Royal Chapel to the statute of Metropolitan and Patriarchal Church in 1716. Aspects related to ceremonial, normative texts of liturgical and musical content, repertories and performance practices are addressed in order to bring some light to the complex relationship between faith, politics and music, as well as issues such as identity and tradition, both inherited as invented.