Towards a History of the Spanish Villancico: By Paul R. Laird

From its beginnings as a form of early Spanish lyric verse to its role as a religious work from the late sixteenth through nineteenth centuries, and finally as the Spanish equivalent of a Christmas carol today, the villancico has held an important place as a vernacular expression throughout the Spanish world. This discussion of a polyphonic genre covers the second half of the fifteenth century to the end of its period as a significant type of Spanish religious music around 1800. Sixty-three musical examples, a bibliography, and two appendices enhance the text.