Mudarra

Alonso Mudarra - Música de Vihuela III: Tres Libros de Música en Cifras para Vihuela
DbPowerAmp secure mode FLAC (tracks+log, no cue) + MP3 (320 kbps CBR) | 304.02 Mb (FLAC) + 159.11 Mb (MP3) | 65:05 minutes | Full info & covers.
classical, renaissance, vihuela | Auvidis-Astrée Records, Recorded at the Roman Church of Saint Lambert in November 1991. Cd published in 1996

The “Vihuela de mano” is a somewhat mysterious instrument. It evolved in Spain alongside the lute which it replaced at the begining of the 16th century and from which it differed in its guitar-like flat back and waisted shape. Alonso de Mudarra was a sixteenth century Spanish composer and vihuelist known for his songs and his numerous innovations in the field of instrumental music. He lived in relative luxury throughout his life. His upbringing and education were in the ducal household in Guadalajara. Duke Iñigo López de Mendoza (1493-1566), a highly cultured man and fine lutenist, may have been a mentor to the young de Mudarra, influencing him toward study of the vihuela...

The last decade or so has seen the blossoming of a new generation of vocal talents from Spain, many of whom have been expressing their art through early music. A leading figure in this artistic array has been the soprano Nuria Rial, a singer blessed with an unaffected declamatory style, sweet and yet intimate in its emotional charm. In recent years the career of Rial has seen her tackle with success music by Bach, Handel, Mozart, Haydn, as well as Pergolesi and much Italian seicento repertoire. This newly-prepared Glossa album turns the clock back to collect together recordings made by the fresh voice of the Catalonian soprano in the years immediately following her studies at the Musik-Akademie in Basel.

During the mid-16th century in Spain, it became increasingly common for collections of music to include tablature that would enable performers of other polyphonic instruments to perform the repertoire. With the recent addition of chromatic strings, the harp was one such mechanism to benefit from this, and its presentation in this beautifully performed compilation of works offers a fascinating glimpse into the rich world of Iberian Renaissance music making.

Vihuela Music Of The Spanish Renaissance - Christopher Wilson (1990) {Virgin Classics}
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© 1990 Virgin Classics | 0777 7595962 8
Classical / Renaissance

The vihuela is not a viol, it is a sort of lute. Vihuela and lute coexisted in Spain but the composers wrote only for the former. The works played in this recording were mainly published between 1535 and 1554; Daza's book (1576) and a collection of other authors (1593) mark the end of the era of the vihuela. Then the instrument lent its shape to the guitar, as you can infer from the cover of the CD.

Frank Wallace - ¡Ay de Mí! - Music of 16th Century Spain for Vihuela and Voice (1991) {Centaur CRC 2112}
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© 1991 Centaur Records | CRC 2112
Classical / Renaissance / Early Music / Vihuela

Frank Wallace’s skill at performing self-accompanied songs is unusual and unsurpassed in the classical world. The Spanish repertoire he presents on this recording ranges from earthy to suave and sophisticated…one of the best vihuelists working today…Wallace also sings…no mean feat when one considers the polyphonic nature of the vihuela accompaniments…His renditions of fantasías by Narváez, other instrumental works, and song accompaniments are exemplary, bringing the kind of polish to the music that must have been prized in the Spanish noble houses.

Studio der Frühen Musik - Música Ibérica II 'El siglo XVI' (LP / FLAC)
FLAC | CUE | NO LOG | Full LP Cover (1:1) | 236mb
Genre: Renaissance | Label: EMI/Odeon J 063-20.582 | Original release: 1968

Precursors in the broad sense of the word are "Studio der Frühen Musik". I've been fortunate to meet through a radio in my land.