The Cantigas de Santa Maria ("Canticles of Holy Mary";, ) are 420 poems with musical notation, written in Galician-Portuguese during the reign of Alfonso X El Sabio (1221–1284) and often attributed to him.
It is one of the largest collections of monophonic (solo) songs from the Middle Ages and is characterized by the mention of the Virgin Mary in every song, while every tenth song is a hymn.
The manuscripts have survived in four codices: two at El Escorial, one at Madrid's National Library, and one in Florence, Italy. Some have colored miniatures showing pairs of musicians playing a wide variety of instruments.
Read more about Cantigas De Santa Maria: Description
Famous quotes containing the words santa and/or maria:
“On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe.”
—Johnny Mercer (1909–1976)
“God rest you merry, gentlemen,
Let nothing you dismay,
For Jesus Christ, our Saviour,
Was born upon this day,
To save us all from Satan’s power
When we were gone astray.
O tidings of comfort and joy!
For Jesus Christ, our Saviour,
Was born on Christmas Day.”
—Dinah Maria Mulock Craik (1826–1887)