Escuela de vihuelistas

Luys Milán

Probably born in Valencia. He published three books, among them Libro de música de vihuela de mano. Intitulado El Maestro, in Valencia in 1535.His book is the most original since Milán did not make any arrangements of choral polyphonic music. His style remembers that of Spinacino's, but Milán's style is far from the rigid polyphony and is more related to the popular style of improvisation of his hometown, passionately Spanish: 'consonancias', 'redobles' and 'fazer garganta'.His book contains mostly fantasias and some pavans and songs in Spanish, Italian and Portuguese.

Luys de Narváez

Probably born in Granada, he published Los seys libros del Delphin in 1538 in Valladolid. He made arrangements of the most famous composers of his time, songs, fantasias and diferencias ("variations") upon popular songs like 'Guardame las vacas'. His style is more polyphonic and resembles Francesco da Milano.

Alonso Mudarra

He was raised at the household of the Dukes of the Infantado. He published Los tres libros de música en cifra para vihuela in Sevilla in 1546 containing fantasias, diferencias, intabulations of vocal music, some dances and songs. Like Narvaez, he belongs to what has been called the second generation of composers of instrumental music. His counterpoint is more free than Narváez's.

Enriquez de Valderrábano

He published Silva de Sirenas in Valladolid in 1547. Besides fantasias, intabulations, diferencias, songs a pieces for two vihuelas, he wrote small pieces called sonetos. His 'soneto lombardo' is based upon an Italian tune which appears in several publications for the lute and the organ like Lyublin's book. Newsidler called this tune 'Welschertanz'.

Miguel de Fuenllana

His Orphenica Lyra published in Sevilla in 1554 is the largest collection for vihuela music. He was blind. His book contains 188 pieces including compositions for two, three, four voices and more. He grouped the pieces by categories: 'fabordones', 'estrambotes', 'sonetos and madrigales', 'ensaladas', 'villancicos'

Diego Pisador

He published his Libro de música de vihuela in Salamanca in 1552. He was somewhat of an amateur. Unlike his larger pieces, his small compositions are charming like 'Dezilde al cavallero', 'Madona mala vostra' and 'Pavana muy llana para tañer' which is based on the Italian tenor 'La Gamba' o "La cara cosa'.

Esteban Daza

His El Parnasso appeared in Valladolid in 1576 as the last collection of vihuela music. He was a nobleman, but unlike Pisador, his compositions reflect a more skilful vihuelist.

Besides the books from the seven vihuelists, other pieces survive in two manuscripts, 'La moreda' appears in some fragments of the Simancas, from around 1564. The Ramillete de Flores, probably compiled around 1593, contains pieces from authors who would otherwise be unknown, like Mendoza and López. Mendoza's 'Diferencias de folías' appear for the first time as a set of variations based on that harmonic progression.
The vihuelists also wrote music for the 4-course guitar,
like Mudarra and Fuenllana.

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