Drummond, Henry T. - The Cantigas de Santa Maria

Offers one of the only major interdisciplinary studies of the Cantigas de Santa Maria in the English language
• Harnesses a broad range of methodologies, including musicology, literary analysis, art history, medieval politics and society, theories of religion, play, and rhetoric
• Assesses a wide selection of songs anew
• Engages significantly with Spanish and Portuguese scholarship
• Provides a focus on Jews, Muslims, and other non-Christian figures living in and around Alfonsine Castile

Alfonso X (1221-84) ruled over the Crown of Castile from 1252 until his death. Known as the Wise, he oversaw the production of a wealth of literature, one of the most impressive of which is the collection of songs known as the Cantigas de Santa Maria. This book offers a new perspective to the song collection, probing how the Cantigas use their music and text, together with rhetorical devices, to communicate with their desired audience.