Vyola

Fotos: Tony Esparís

This instrument appears several times in he paintings of the “cantiga de Santa María” nª VIII in the codex T.I.1 from the  Library of the Monastery of “El Escorial”, held by the hands of a jongleur, and  in the text of the “cantiga” the instrument is called “vyola””.


It is probably the most important bowed instrument throughout Middle Ages.


It has five strings arranged in “choirs”.


It is the ancestor of the “lira da braccio”, instruments that pretend in origin to make an renaissance recreation of “antiquity”. In some way the inspiration to do it came from the vyolas.

After the Portico of Glory, Santiago de Compostela Cathedral (XII century)

Made by  César Árias and Francisco Luengo

To know more about it read the following publications:

"El Pórtico de la Gloria, Música, Arte y Pensamiento", 1988 published by Cuadernos de Música en Compostela,

"Los Instrumentos del Pórtico de la Gloria", 1993 published by Fundación Barrié de la Maza,

“Instruments à cordes du Moyen Age”, 1999 CERIMM, Fondation Royaumont, published by Créaphis,

“Instrumentos de Corda Medievais”, Lugo 2000 published by Deputación Provincial de Lugo

Saltarello

Performer: Xurxo Varela

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