The Romanesca

For the footnotes and other extra information see the following link:
www.earlymusicsources.com/yout...
Created by Elam Rotem
www.earlymusicsources.com
Many thanks to Anne Smith and Leonardo Bartolotto.
ERRATA
[02:05] Some viewers commented that the first published Romanesca (or a musical statement and a variation that might be called later a Romanesca) is found in Joan Ambrosio Dalza's lute book from 1508, p.46r. Many thanks to Sean Smith and Martin Shepherd.
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[@erwincorioflores1017]

Beautiful. To be precise, 'guárdame las vacas' literally means 'look after my cows'...

[@fnersch3367]

I have been playing these types of compositions for 60 years and have never heard anything this good on this obscure and esoteric subject. I have built harpsichords and organs as a hobby and love this early period of Western European music history. Your presentations transport me to a different world. Thanks.

[@alex_evstyugov]

OMG. A KZbin video has no right to be as good as this one is. Like, don't get me wrong, I've read Gjerdingen and everything. But you still managed to showcase a whole bunch of things that just blew my mind. (And every time you casually throw around terms like "plagal" or "cantizans", I have to pinch myself to check that I'm not in some kind of wet dream. This must be like the most niche of all the niche music channels I've bumped into so far, and it wears that right on its sleeve with pride and dedication. Fantastic.)

[@SimoneBattaglia94]

Great comment, I absolutely feel the same way!

[@Mercer1012]

Someone online who has read Gjerdingen!? Amazing!

[@Inigobalboa]

Alexander, I feel the same. I don't get why they only have 28k subscibers

[@georggroeg6014]

...and it wears that right on its GREENsleeve with pride and dedication. Get it? *Greensleeves,* the famous English song that's also written in Romanesca style? (i'm sorry)

[@conradleviston]

Romanesca. The Renaissance twelve bar blues.

[@smguy7]

Agreed

[@andresdaniel6711]

Also: Twelve bar blues. The american romanesca. :)

[@arcturusthelion]

I used to play guitar and recorder with a small early music ensemble (in Mexico) back in the 70's. We would have a lot of fun playing the romanesca (las vacas) and combining other pieces with it, like playing Greensleeves, Las Vacas and la Folie d' Espagne on top of each other. Fun piece to improvise upon 😊

[@violjohn]

This channel is an absolute gem: I always learn something new and more light is effortlessly cast on some esoteric subject. And then there is the generous humour too. Please never stop casting these pearls in our direction! I have played Romanescas for decades and now I see them anew.

[@ChachiGuitarYT]

Elam, your channel and your videos are superb. Having all this information explainead in such an entertainingh way is like a dream come true. Thank you very much!!

[@EarlyMusicSources]

Thanks! This was already added to our Romanesca database, but now added as an ERRATA both to the youtube video info as well as to the footnote page.

[@anotherdamn6c]

Another wonderful lesson. Small note--the first lute Romanesca appears in Joanambrozio Dalza's Intabulatura, 1508 (Petrucci) 46r, titled "Calata". There are other Spanish pieces collected in it so it may still have a Spanish origin. The origin I heard way back when--true or not--was that it was popular tune for shepherds to play on their pipe to pass the time while guarding the herd.

[@EarlyMusicSources]

Thanks!

[@VitoOnYoutube]

Your channel is SPECTACULAR!!!! You really should have 10M subscribers and not 10K! Looking forward to the next video.

[@glitner]

What a wealth of knowledge olin all of his videos. I wish I could just upload it in my head.

[@camiaquilano]

Best channel ever.

[@juanpablovelez7656]

Indeed.

[@dorontirosh]

This episode is so soulful! And the Frescobaldi Romanesca at the end with the analysis is priceless and makes the music so accessible and inviting. I'm (healthily) addicted to this channel. Thank you!

[@constantinf.stimmer9445]

Beautifully made and superbly informing video! Your an education pro :)

[@eduardojahnke8970]

Ohhhh, that moment when in the 'cantizans' that F# renders the full harshness-sweetness of the 1/4 comma meantone. 🔥

[@sebastianbrix]

I always get excited when a new video comes out. Thank you!

[@frus5660]

So glad I happened upon this channel! Please do a video on Folias as well!

[@earlymusicmidi]

Your presentations are amazing. Thank you for clarifying these very difficult concepts.

[@derkanal876]

I can't explain why, but I'm addicted especially to this fantastic video. Humorous, informative, elegant - more a piece of art than a video.

[@billywoods1688]

An incredible channel, and this is one of your best videos yet. I just ordered a mug - it's not much in the way of support, but I hope it helps. Thanks very much for everything you do!

[@Nic33rd]

Thanks for the great lesson, Elam!

[@daviraftopoulosoliveira3731]

Thanks for this amazing channel!

[@dinos_catsoulis]

Love your channel! Keep upr with the good work ! Classical music students all over the world unite!!!!

[@daletaylor2433]

While it is possible that the duple notation of a triple metric group was due entirely to "convention" it is far more likely to encode a tempo indication. Many of the triple time dances of the 16th century are "incorrectly" notated in duple to indicate a slower proportional tempo (and vice-versa), and there is a battle piece from around 1500 which does the reverse. Many musicologists deny the extent to which the proportional system was used to indicate tempo, but there is much more evidence for it to do so than there is for it to suit their "I want to set the tempo I feel" rationalizations. And I have found that every time I use the evidence, I can make it work, but sometimes have to learn a new approach to the piece than I might otherwise bring to the table. I call that a good thing.

[@EarlyMusicSources]

Please share your findings! Looking forward

[@peterachtzehnter9338]

Hey Elam, that's really great to listen and look. Thanks!

[@leoshevkun3645]

Thank you for yet another excellent video! :)

[@ingoclever1722]

I Just Love your Channel

[@threethrushes]

Instasub, based on the insanely-high production quality. I am not an early music aficionado by any means, but I recognise passion and genius.

[@thegroovee]

This is Amazing!! Thank you so much!

[@allanfagerlund7112]

So good! Do you teach anywhere? Your videos make me want to study musicology again. Keep up the good work!

[@olavmars7846]

Elam, sei grande!

[@massascagnini]

What a beautiful video

[@Matthes80]

Great video. Thank you

[@dovedove9531]

Exquisite. Thanks!!!

[@johnrottler4000]

Pachelbel’s Canon is also very similar to this

[@ruperttmls7985]

Llevaba casi 20 años escuchando el "Guárdame las vacas" y hasta ahora me doy cuenta que era el tema de la famosa Romanesca... XD

[@luteshop]

I love this channel! Just a quick note to say that the earliest romanesca I know of is a "Calata" on f.46 of Joanambrosio Dalza's lute book (Venice, 1508). He also has several pieces designated "Calata ala Spagnola" so perhaps he was influenced by Spanish models.

[@7177YT]

Glad I found your channel, gonna bingewatch the backcatalogue (:

[@Ncarrascosa]

Wau ! Very good video and wonderful information !! Outstanding!!

[@SUNDRIEDTOMATOESBraydenOlson]

I'm glad you mentioned the cow thing because I was about to leave a comment about that!

[@clearbrain]

Very nice explanation ❤❤❤

[@93stefa]

bravissimi! come sempre.

[@anttoniriarte9842]

Amazing video. Interesting, "catchy" and very well organized information as all videos of the channel. If you're a history teacher or student, this channel is a great example to follow. Perhaps, in this particular video I'd include also a brief explanation of why the Romanesca is also called "guárdame las vacas" (a XV century anonymous Spanish song), but I guess there is no time to get into many details of every aspect. It is also good to leave viewers with the intrigue and make them feel like do more research about it. But oh well, I congratulate this channel for such a good quality information and such a well-given "online lectures". Thanks for sharing this.

[@Inigobalboa]

So, add a brief explanation of why the Romanesca is also called "Guárdame las vacas" yourself, I would read it gladly, and so would many viewers, I'm sure.

[@anttoniriarte9842]

@@Inigobalboa "Guárdame las vacas" which, as very well explained in the video means "look out for my cows" was a Spanish anonymous folk song from the XVth century. The song says: Guárdame las vacas carillejo* y besarte, si no bésame tú a mí que yo te las guardaré. It is difficult to translate 'cause the sentence structures are a little odd (the sencond verse sounds really awkward for someone of these ages) but I'll try to write the most accurate translation that I consider: Look out for my cows friend*, and kiss you, or you kiss me, that I will look out for yours. [*Carillejo is an old fashioned word used as "friend", "mate"...] You can find the song here (this video includes the original song with variations after it, where in one of them it appears one of Luys de Narvaez's "Diferencias sobre guárdame las vacas"): kzbin.info/www/bejne/f3mWaqOdgql2g5Y "Diferencia" was an instrumental genre which was based on the "bass" of (usually) a popular melody. In Spanish this was the melody that was most used for later improvisations over it, while in other Europe countries there were the "Folía", the "Passamezzo" (antico and moderno)... Probably emerged in the same way the Romanesca did in Spain, but from folk songs of their respective countries. Curiously all these (Except the passamezzo moderno) had a very similar "harmonic sequence" (seen from the modern point of view of "harmony"). I think there was an "intuitive" melodic formula in Europe, as if there was a hidden structure that sounded "European" in that Era, in potence of being discovered, and that's why in different countries, similar harmonic sequences emerged. That was probably caused by the greater communication the Renaissance lead to, which manifested not only in society but also in music.

[@theskoomacat7849]

Thank you so much for these videos! Also cute plushie!

[@agustinavarece5304]

What a really amazing channel

[@jimmeridda]

I learn so much here.

[@namor_onac]

Amazing video! It is educational and entertaining at the same time. Thank you!

[@ArtiomGaluza]

thank you !!!

[@eytonshalom]

came here after googling romanesca after reading a comment on page where someone comments on alma deutscher's use of a romanesca at just the right moment in her improvisation lesson with tobias cramm, age 6....great info!

[@oliviaqui5435]

Amazing

[@constanza517]

Thanks a lot!

[@Nicolas-zb9uw]

Mr Rotem , I read , somewhere , ( Orgues Nouvelles review ) that JACQUES BREL 's song - Dans le port d'Amsterdam ) one of his most famous ) , the music line is the Romanesca . Wow !

[@jean-xavierbardant1082]

“'Belle qui tient ma vie captive de tes yeux”, a very popular (today!) French pavane by Thoineau Arbot, use similar chords but in the reverse order : [Gm] D Gm F Bb.

[@stefanobertuol8660]

Bravo!

[@patriksabo1141]

When I had my dissertation exam this June on Capricornus solo motets, there was a remark made by my opponent (respected a known early music violinist) that term "diminutions" (passaggi) should be perhaps divided between melodic diminutions and rhytmic diminutions. As far as I understood, the first is the case when diminutions add their own melodical roots. Maybe an episode on diminutions will be better place where discuss this, but I would be interested to hear opinions on this concept. Thanks!

[@sleepydrJ]

I love your graphics here so much!! Why not use them to make a romanesca T-shirt for your store??? “Warning don’t try this at home!”….

[@JuanAndresPalacios]

I'm a big fan from Bolivia. It is an amazing work! I'm looking all your videos! Is it possible - just if you want - if you talk a little from Monte, Ponte and Monte sequences? I'm very interested in what you could say about that. Thanks again!!!

[@gustavoa.belfiore4701]

Thanks for this video! I'm an early music enthusiast who doesn't know s**t about musical theory and all that, so this is most welcome. Now I'm wondering whether one of my favourite compositions ever, Balint Bakfark's "Non dite mai", is also a variation on the Romanesca.

[@anttoniriarte9842]

This is version I heard of the piece kzbin.info/www/bejne/q6qUgYiji9Oihqc, and there are parts where yes, the sequence coincides with a Romanesca, but other parts are more like a passamezzo antico (starting the phrase with a minor chord, unlike the Romanesca) and there are also parts which are more in a "Major" tonality (from the modern point of view), which makes me think it could be a passamezzo moderno sequence (which is the one is different from the "top 4 bassi ostinati"; Romanesca, Follia, Passamezzo antico and Passamezzo moderno.

[@tahlilgaranniro.energy9314]

🤩🤩

[@ecrotti1034]

Great video, is really a pleasure to listen to, but I have a question: is the famous Madrigal by Claudio Monteverdi written on a Romanesca bass with a ritornello?

[@EarlyMusicSources]

As far as I know, Monteverdi composed only one piece based on the Romanesca bass: "Ohimé, dov’è il mio ben, dov’è il mio core?" for two voices and basso continuo (7th book of Madrigals, 1619). The piece by Monteverdi shown in the episode is a ritornello from Orfeo, demonstrating the composition technique of two dominant upper voices and bass.

[@ecrotti1034]

Early Music Sources sorry I made a mistake I referred to the famous Madrigal “si dolce é il tormento” because it came to my mind when you said that the romanesca was also used to sing poetry

[@Ncarrascosa]

Do you Know the Romanesca from Francesca Caccini ? I would like to find the instrumental score

[@ismireghal68]

Great video. Can you suggest 16th century music to start with. I have problems wit my attention span while listening to classical music .im trying to improve it but i need easy pieces to start.

[@EarlyMusicSources]

One of the first 16th century pieces I got to know and fell in love with was "Mille Regretz" by Josquin des Prez.

[@nicolasglemot6760]

I might be mistaken but I think "Guárdame las vacas" better translates to "Look after the cows for me".

[@LautaroArino]

Very interesting. Though 'Guardame las vacas' is not 'look out for the cows' in english. It would be more like 'Take care of the cows for me'. 'Look out for the cows' in spanish would be 'Cuidado con las vacas'. Unless that is a way of expression im not familiar with. Maybe its an older way of speaking?

[@sotonkst]

Very interesting. Is Pachabels canon a good example?

[@danyelnicholas]

Pangolin, piggy bank and pyjama man-quite a team to spread the ray of enlightenment!

[@jweb460]

these videos are fantastic and fun and I love everything about them except the kerning

[@EarlyMusicSources]

haha I know what you mean. There's an annoying problem in the font (KENZO). Would you recommend another font to replace it with?

[@jweb460]

i’d try the regular or bold weight of this free one www.fontfabric.com/bebas-neue/ if that’s not doing it for you fontsquirrel.com has tons of other free options that are all properly kerned again, love your work and this episode was especially great and i can’t wait to watch it again

[@EarlyMusicSources]

Thanks! going to try it for next time

[@RitaPas]

There is an exceeding quarter beat in the "Tenor cadences" example of Romanesca at 10:16. Is that done on purpose?

[@RicardoMarlowFlamenco]

Finally, Spain gets some credit in music history as a “leader” of musical form.

[@giggianna]

Thank you. Something more about the origin of the name "romanesca"?...

[@EarlyMusicSources]

As far as I know, there is no clear explanation for that.

[@bidalaska3457]

Looking for the cow...

[@nahir838]

Gracias por el ROOO MAAA NEEES CAAA.

[@arastoomii4305]

Yaaay

[@hidekimurakami6586]

This video gave me some implications: Apart from its origin or original literal meaning, perhaps later 'las vacas' might have been interpreted to refer to the bass parts (A, B, ... ) as cows slowly cross the road one by one. The initial 3rd-degree note is the head of a cow. The title 'Guárdame las vacas (Look out for/Take care of the cows for me)' serves like 'Readme.txt' and 'me' is the music herself. Then, the weird notation with rich variations must be a wit. In order to look out for/take care of the cows at a higher challenging level, they should be set hidden or care needed. And your presentation of Frescobaldi's Romanesca would be an exquisite solution to the puzzle.

[@vesteel]

that's a bit different opening jingle you have there

[@tom_szcz_org]

It was changed to a romanesca sequence 😁

[@luoshengying]

9:42👍🏻

[@evanstephen300]

A tree with three fat ravens will definitely go down

[@soledadgauna2802]

So, Greensleeves is on romanesca form?

[@padraicfanning7055]

The verses of Greensleeves follow the _passamezzo antico,_ while the refrain follows the _romanesca._

[@johnrothfield6126]

Could the romanesca have been in 7 beats originally? Like cyrto.

[@JazzGuitarScrapbook]

Soon may the Wellerman come…

[@Kurtlane]

The next video will be: Romaneasca. :-)

[@Lamadesbois]

5:46 Mayonnaise score :)

[@peterczipott6854]

Guardame los pangolinos!

[@ronwalker4849]

FROM THE 15TH CENTURY WAS HEBREW MUSIC SUNG IN ONE OF THE THE VAROUS FORMS OF HEBREW. SEFARDI? ASHKENAZI? HEBREW? OR SOMETHHING SIMILAR? WAS THE TEXT DIFFERENT FROM SPAIN AND ITALY? HISTORY IS SO FULL OF LAMENTABLE MISTAKES WHICH SERVED NO PURPOSE TODAY, AS MUCH AS EVER.

[@emanuel_soundtrack]

man, the tumbnails are way too funny haha check that little girl