Iberian Theatricality in Select Songs by Juan del Encina

Abstract

Poet, musician, and playwright of the Spanish pre-Renaissance, Juan del Encina (1468-1529) was the patriarch and one of the most important founders of Iberian dramaturgy. The theatrical vein of his musical work presents, on the one hand, a direct continuation of the Medieval (actus) drama, and on the other, an already distinguished Renaissance quality. Encina’s poems are intended to be sung, each forming a brief and synthetic dramatic act. The literary-musical form Romance is widely used in the work of Encina. His work can also be sub-classified into other forms such as Cantigas, Tonadas, and Villancicos, signs of marked ethnic work. Of popular inspiration, Encina’s work transits between a period of oral and written musical skills and culture. His texts and music compose a unit expressed in pungent melodies and strong rhythms through the dramatic force of themes such as love, suffering, religiosity, and satire. Through a studying that considers all the above important creative and instituting elements of Encina’s work, we propose a macro-structural analysis aiming at the arrangement and the musical performance of a selection of pieces by the author. We also propose to include illustrative comments on this song selection, to highlight the vigor and contextual dramaticity of Spanish musical theater in the work of Juan del Encina.