Juan del Encina
Juan del Encina’s villancicos and secular songs give early Spanish Renaissance lyric a clear, speech-led voice: flexible rhythms shaped to the verse, plain strong harmonies, and three- and four-part writing that keeps the text forward.
Almost none of his sacred music survives; what remains is courtly and popular song, often pastoral, amorous or festive. Settings such as Si habrá en este baldrés, Levanta, Pascual, Partístesos, mis amores and Hoy comamos y bebamos move with the accent of Castilian speech, voices held close until the cadence. On disc they sit naturally beside other Spanish Renaissance lyric and romance, sounding direct rather than ornate.
Compositions by Juan del Encina appear on
Music of the Spanish Renaissance
La Compañia's first CD gathers seventeen Spanish Renaissance works on period instruments with soprano Vivien Hamilton, including cues heard in the film Elizabeth but omitted from its commercial soundtrack.
Love Lyrics and Romances of Renaissance Spain
This is the first recording by the early music group La Romanesca, devoted to Spanish villancicos and romances of the Renaissance.