Alfonso X (1221 – 1284), called the Wise (Spanish: el
Sabio), was the King of Castile, León and Galicia from
30 May 1252 until his death. During the Imperial
election of 1257, a dissident faction chose him to be
King of the Romans (Latin: Rex Romanorum; German:
Römisch-deutscher König) on 1 April. He renounced his
imperial claim in 1275, and in creating an alliance
with England in 1254 his claim on Gascony also.
Alfonso established Castilian as a language of higher
learning, and w...(+)
Alfonso X (1221 – 1284), called the Wise (Spanish: el
Sabio), was the King of Castile, León and Galicia from
30 May 1252 until his death. During the Imperial
election of 1257, a dissident faction chose him to be
King of the Romans (Latin: Rex Romanorum; German:
Römisch-deutscher König) on 1 April. He renounced his
imperial claim in 1275, and in creating an alliance
with England in 1254 his claim on Gascony also.
Alfonso established Castilian as a language of higher
learning, and was a prolific author of Galician poetry,
such as the Cantigas de Santa Maria, which are equally
notable for their musical notation as for their
literary merit. Alfonso's scientific interests—he is
sometimes nicknamed "the Astrologer" (el
Astrólogo)—led him to sponsor the creation of the
Alfonsine tables, and the Alphonsus crater on the moon
is named after him. As a legislator he introduced the
first vernacular law code in Spain, the Siete Partidas.
He created the Mesta, an association of sheep farmers
in the central plain, but debased the coinage to
finance his claim to the German crown. He fought a
successful war with Portugal, but a less successful one
with Granada. The end of his reign was marred by a
civil war with his eldest surviving son, the future
Sancho IV, which would continue after his death.
Alfonso X commissioned or co-authored numerous works of
music during his reign. These works included Cantigas
d'escarnio e maldicer and the vast compilation Cantigas
de Santa Maria ("Songs to the Virgin Mary"), which was
written in Galician-Portuguese and figures among the
most important of his works. The Cantigas form one of
the largest collections of vernacular monophonic songs
to survive from the Middle Ages. They consist of 420
poems with musical notation. The poems are for the most
part on miracles attributed to the Virgin Mary. One of
the miracles Alfonso relates is his own healing in
Puerto de Santa María.
Although originally written for 5 Viols (Tr, Tr, T, T,
B) and percussion, I created this arrangement for wind
quintet (Flute, Oboe, Bb Clarinet, English Horn &
French Horn).
