Cantiga de Santa Maria 119 at Palazzo Citanova, Cremona

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This palazzo was constructed in 1265 as Cremona was beginning to expand past its Roman walls (hence "citanova", "new city"). I wanted to play something in keeping with the era, so I went with Cantiga de Santa Maria 119, "Como somos per conssello".

The Cantigas de Santa Maria are over 400 13C hymns written for pilgrims to sing. As with much medieval music, we don't know who wrote them, but we do know who paid for them: King Alfonso X of Castile. He was known as "el Sabia", "the wise", and I like to joke that it's because he paid his musicians well.

The Cantigas are a delight to play, especially since the limits of period notation give the performer a lot of leeway for rhythm and tempo. They are generally known both by number and by a phrase that begins the song, in this case, "Como somos per conssello do démo perdudos, assí somos pelo da Virgen tóst' acorrudos" "though we are lost if we follow the demons counsel, we are saved if we follow the Virgin's path"

As the song sums up in its first verse, it is about "how holy Mary saved a judge from the Devils who had kidnapped him, and returned him to his house, and told him to repent, for he only had one day to live". You can find the full set of lyrics at https://www.earlymusicamerica.org/files/Como%20somos%20per%20conssello%20for%20EMA%20article.pdf