THE  polYPHOnic himn

     In the Musical Archive of La Seo Cathedral of Zaragoza it can be found a polyphonic version of the himn developed in four voices: Soprano, Contralto, Tenor and Bass.

     The polyphonic himn is dated in the XV century. Nowadays it is the most ancient polyphonic vocal work in the Aragonian archives .

     It consists of two parchments of 62,5 X 36,5 cm. Nailed on two bulky planks with iron fittings to be closed.

     According to Pedro Calahorra the composition presents two different harmonizations of the gregorian melody, each of them carries two different strophes of the himn.

     The first one carries the text of the strophes of the himn 1 and 4, and it is clearly vocal. While the second one develops the strophes 2 and 5, showing a typically instrumental condition.

     These two versions are adaptaded to the liturgical-choral practice of perfom the strophes of a psalm, song or himn, alternating the gregorian song with the instrumental sound of the organ or the group of the ministrils.

THE MOST RECENT PAST

     This himn Vexilla Regis was part of a liturgical-dramatic representation with no doubt, whose latter remains still remained in La Seo of Zaragoza from the 40s to 50s in the XX century.

     Pedro Calahorra comments that at the liturgic time of Passion the lignum Crucis was exceptionally venerated in the service of vísperas.   On arriving to the himn of that canonical hour, the components of the chapel of music -infantes, tenor, bass and the chapel master, accompanied by a music which was played by a simple basoon, direct descendant of the ancient basoons- , having each one a different sign of the Passion (crown, lance, ladder, esponge ...), they kneeled down at the foot of the high altar round a little lectern which held two planks on which the himn Vexilla Regis on an old parchment was.

     Alternating with the gregorian melody, the strange group, at the same time that the master ruled it giving little hits on the lectern, sang this himn polyphonically which exalts the triumph of the Cross.

     At the end, a solemn procession took it as far as the vestry, where a blessing of the participants supplied the ancient service of the depositio Crucis.

music in Aragón in the  XV CENTURY

     We know very little the history of the music in Aragón in the XV century.  It can be said that it is almost a virgin field for the musical investigation, and there are many things to do in the development of this theme.

     It is owned a lot of fragmented information of some villages in the aragonian territory which is mainly refered to the organery and the chapels of music.  Yet, This poor documentation suggests a very rich historical-musical reality.

     As for the medieval organery in the XV century, it is known the work of the organists Johan Ximenez Garcés, who in 1469 built the organ that the Archbishop Don Juan I from Aragon gave to his Cathedral of Saint Salvador -La Seo- of Zaragoza, Friar García Bailo, Pascual Mallén and the moslem artisan Mofferiz.

     As far the chapels of music are concerned, the panorama is splendid although it is at a local level.  Four chapels of music, excelent for their titularity, playing at the same time and in the same place.

     In the first place we will name The King Fernando the Catholic’s particular chapel of music, which follows him wherever the Court is, and of which we know its masters, musicians and singers from the middle of the XV century.

     At the same time another royal chapel of music had its seat at the chapel of Saint Martin at the Palace of la Aljafería in Zaragoza, being known some of its masters and singers.

     It can be named the chapel of music which belonged to the archbishops of Zaragoza, who belonged to the Royal House of Aragon which will perform until its dissapearance in 1530 when the archbishop Don Juan II of Aragon died and whose formidable singers will be part of the chapel of the Cathedral of Zaragoza.

     In the last place it can be mentioned the chapel of music of Saint Mary the Major and of El Pilar of Zaragoza.

     Their singers, whose are known in many cases, will also perform in the civic-religious demonstrations that the town council organised in that century.

     In the rest of Aragon we don’t know almost anything the musical fact in this century.  We know a little about the musical chapel of the Cathedral of Huesca, but we know nothing about such relevant places in that age such Jaca, Barbastro, Tarazona or even Teruel.

BiBLIOGRAPHY and links

Obras de los maestros de las capillas de música de Zaragoza en los siglos XV, XVI y XVII. I.F.C.  Zaragoza. 1984.

Amigos del Canto Gregoriano.

Thesaurus Precum Latinarum.

Canticum Novum. Schola Cantorum Bogotensis.

Il Portale della Musica Sacra a cura di Renato Tagliabue.

Christian Classics Ethereal Hymnary.

Himnos de Resurrección de Carmen Rodríguez.