Notes and Editorial Reviews
VAZQUEZ
GENTIL SEÑORA MIA: 16th Century Songs and Villancicos
•
Quink Ens
•
BRILLIANT 94711 (53:33
Text and Translation)
Juan Vazquez (c. 1510–c. 1560) is one of those composers known to us only through their music, and in the reflected light of a few documents. He appears in Badajoz Cathedral’s capitular acts of 1530, where his job is listed as teaching plainsong to choirboys. He shows up in the record books of the Archbishop of Toledo as a debit of 20 ducats, given to
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travel to the court in Madrid. His name doesn’t appear there as a chapel singer, but in 1545 we find him engaged as
maestro de capilla
at Badajoz Cathedral. The only surviving volume of his sacred work, an
Agenda defunctorum
, includes a preface where Vasquez calls himself a priest, and a native Badajozian. His final publication, from 1560, entitled
Recopilacion de sonetos y villancicos
, was a reprint compilation. It furnishes the selection of
canciones
and
villancicos
heard on this album.
These
villancicos
aren’t the simple, repetitive, folk-influenced ones that even Francisco Guerrero wrote. While the melodic shape and improvisational quality surrounding repeated verses suggests folk origins, these are sophisticated works filled with independent part-writing and imitative points. The model would appear to be French rather than Italian, given the clarity of Vazquez’s textures, despite the rapidity with which he tosses his themes about between voices. In the
canciones
, notably
Hermosisima Maria
, there are cadential phrases popular at the time among Dutch and North German masters. Since the Netherlands were still part of Hapsburg Spain at the time, and some Dutch and Flemish musicians are known to have traveled south to teach and perform, it’s just possible Vazquez was at least influenced by them. In any case, his music is unfailingly tuneful, yet sophisticated enough to attract for its learning and variational content.
In the Quink Ensemble, Vasquez finds an eloquent champion. The balance, clarity, precision, and beauty of the sound produced by these five musicians makes them one of the best current groups of their kind. Given music like this, the results are irresistible. I could wish for a longer disc, but at least with Brilliant Classics you aren’t paying top dollar. Strongly recommended.
FANFARE: Barry Brenesal
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Works on This Recording
3.
Gentil senora mia by Juan Vasquez
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Quink Vocal Ensemble
Period: Renaissance
Written: by 1560; Spain
6.
Si no os uviera mirado by Juan Vasquez
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Quink Vocal Ensemble
Period: Renaissance
Written: 16th Century; Spain
7.
Con que la lavare by Juan Vasquez
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Quink Vocal Ensemble
Period: Renaissance
Written: 16th Century; Spain
8.
Por una vez by Juan Vasquez
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Quink Vocal Ensemble
10.
O dulce contemplacíon by Juan Vasquez
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Quink Vocal Ensemble
Period: Renaissance
Written: 16th Century; Spain
15.
Torna, Mingo, a namorarte by Juan Vasquez
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Quink Vocal Ensemble
Period: Renaissance
Written: 16th Century; Spain
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