La Spagna – Rediscovering Spain
Composer: Anonymous, Heinrich Isaac (1450-1517) & Fahmi Alqhai
“La Spagna” was a famous “tenor”, that is, a simple Gregorian chant melody whose long notes “held up” the polyphonic web of other melodies above it. In this case, the Renaissance composer Heinrich Isaac wrote voices over that original chant, and Fahmi Alqhai later adds others over Isaac’s version. Today’s word “tenor” comes from the type of singer who usually took that base melody, which we hear here in long, low notes.
Credits
ACCADEMIA DEL PIACERE
Fahmi Alqhai, viola da gamba & direction
Rami Alqhai, viola da gamba
Johanna Rose, viola da gamba
Francisco Javier Núñez, harpsichord
Agustín Diassera, percussion
