DOI: 10.5325/caliope.31.2.0282 ISSN: 2377-9551
Góngora’s Villancicos : Music, Words, and the Word in the Christmas Cycle
Tess EastgateAbstract
Luis de Góngora (1561–1627) wrote at least 23 villancicos, 13 of which were for the Christmas cycle beginning in 1615 or 1616. It is vital to consider his paraliturgical poems as villancicos, rather than as “letrillas sacras” or “romances sacros.” This article evaluates several poems of the Christmas cycle within their liturgical context, with a particular focus on the villancico de calenda, “Cuando toquen a los maitines.” Recontextualization of Góngora’s villancicos—not only within their musical and liturgical contexts, but also alongside other Golden Age poetry, including Góngora’s own works—is essential to fully understanding them.