ALFONSO X (EL SABIO),   BIOGRAPHY

Alfonso el Sabio (Alfonso the Wise) became king of Castile and Len in 1252. As a patron of the arts and of learning he was responsible for a number of important publications, among them the Cantigas de Santa Maria, a varied collection of songs in honour, in one way or another, of the Blessed Virgin. His court was an artistic and scholarly centre, where Jewish, Islamic and Christian met. Politically he was less successful, his patronage of the arts leading to accusations of weakness.

Vocal Music

The Cantigas de Santa Maria are songs that celebrate the Blessed Virgin, whether in songs of praise or in anecdotal accounts of miracles, probable or improbable. Alfonso el Sabio may have been both poet and musician, but the Cantigas represent a collection that he ordered and by which he set great store rather than his own original creative work.