Medieval Love Songs: Galician Literary Renaissance
Medieval Love Songs and Galician Literature
Love songs are medieval lyrical compositions where the man is the singer, addressing a woman. These songs, originating in Provence, often depict unrequited love. The lady is idealized and remains anonymous.
Types of Love Songs
- Songs of Mastery: Complex compositions with refrains.
- Cantigas de Chorus: Songs featuring repetition in the chorus of each couplet.
- Cantigas de Amigo: Short, simple compositions, named for the appearance of the word “friend” in the first verse. These songs, with a popular and indigenous base, show traces of traditional poetry. They relate to the abuse of women due to the absence of their lovers, anxiety, revenge, jealousy, and suspicion, often set in beautiful countryside and springtime.
- Scorn and Scolding: Songs where the protagonist is subject to manipulation, criticism, and humor. They hold sociological importance, describing characters from different social classes. Derision involves veiled criticism using indirect language with irony, while scolding uses clearer, more direct language, revealing the person’s name. Themes include songs directed against other poets, parodies of love and friend songs, moral satire, and satires of social classes.
- Cantigas Religious: Represented by 427 cantigas addressed to the Virgin Mary, compiled in the court of King Alfonso X the Wise in the eighteenth century, called “Cantigas de Santa Maria.” These recount the miracles performed by the Virgin Mary and include works such as “The Songs of the 5 Parties de Santa Maria,” “5 of 5 Songs Feasts of Our Lord,” and “The Song of the Seven That Although Santa Maria Saw Her Son.”
The Dark Ages in Galician Literature
The Galician Dark Centuries: In the late Middle Ages, a period of decline known as the Dark Ages began. For political reasons, Galician was largely absent from written and oral use, with other languages being favored. This fragmentation persisted during the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. Frei Martín Sarmiento is noteworthy for defending the use of Galician in education and the Church, as is Father Feixó, who was the first to oppose the characterization of Galician as a mere dialect.
The Galician Literary Resurgence
Resurgence: This was a movement of cultural renewal in the 19th century. The Galician songs of Rosalía de Castro inaugurated the Renaissance. Galician dictionaries also appeared at this time. By the mid-19th century, Galician was considered a literary language. The resurgence in 1860 was marked by writers such as Cardoso, Luis de Camoes, and Curros Enríquez.
Rosalía de Castro and Her Impact
Rosalía de Castro: With “Cantares Gallegos,” the Renaissance period began in Galician literature. Rosalía de Castro is one of the best-known, studied, and criticized authors both within and outside of Galicia, and she has inspired many writers. Her themes include Galician culture and language, the injustices suffered by the people, and the strength of women. Notable works include “Cantares Gallegos” and “New Leaf.”
Rosalía de Castro’s Prose
Prosa Rosaliana: Rosalía is considered a significant figure in Galician prose, contributing three prose texts as prologues to “Cantares Gallegos,” “New Leaf,” and “Gallego Tale.” “Gallego Tale,” published posthumously, is a popular narrative with a dialog and dramatic structure in which the narrator makes interventions related to the story.