A Pretty Paella: The Alfonsine Cantigas de Santa Maria and their Connexions with Other Repertories

The collection of Cantigas de Santa Maria compiled by Alfonso X (el Sabio) (r. 1221–1284) is a gold mine of musical information; unfortunately, however, much fool's gold has also been found amongst its pages. The CSM have been argued to provide evidence that their music derives from plainchant (thus justifying “churchy” performances) yet also to manifest so many “Arab” traits as to support a “Turkish Delight” style of performance. True, there are occasional substantive links between one or other of these repertories, but these are infrequent and specific rather than numerous and general. A closer, judicious, scrutiny of the Cantigas reveals that they are neither the product of an ecclesiastical nor of an “Arab” kitchen, as it were, but a repertory (and iconography) whose careful examination yields up several surprising secrets, especially when reading between its lines. The CSM are neither fish nor fowl, and the collection contains few, if any, recipes for Lamb Ziryāb or for the Lenten fast. On the contrary, its dishes are, in common with Paella, suorum generis, belonging to a musical cuisine of their own, whose sum is indeed greater than the parts of their manifold influences.