Approach to the liturgical music in the crowns of Castile and Aragon (15th – 16th centuries). The authority of plainsong at Easter

Abstract

This research aims to carry out a preliminary study of the music and liturgy in the fifteenth and sixteenth century Spain, through the critical collation of some printed editions of plainsong published in the Kingdoms of Castile (Toledo: Francisco Jiménez Cisneros, 1499-1519) and Aragon (Zaragoza: Hernando de Aragon, 1504-1563). According to the analysis of this widespread catalogue of Spanish sources, a favourable liturgical context is detected, in which the archdiocese of Toledo and Zaragoza –probably the most important diocesan enclaves in each Kingdom at that time– respectively determined the musical and textual practice (monophonic and polyphonic) of both the Spanish courts and the ecclesiastical institutions in the Crowns of Castile and Aragon. Therefore, it should be noted the value of the study of these sources of plainsong, with the purpose of identifying the survivals, transformations and transfers of the liturgical practices from the Middle Ages to Renaissance. This liturgical-musical framework is observed particularly when examining the repertory of Holy Week.