EL CLÉRIGO Y LOS LADRONES. Cantiga 102, Alfonso X el Sabio
VINO GENEROSO. Anónimo egipcio.
EL ICONO DE DAMASCO. Cantiga 9, Alfonso X el Sabio
LOS MARINEROS DE COLLIURE. Cantiga 112, Alfonso X el Sabio
MERCADER ROBADO. Cantiga 193, Alfonso X el Sabio
PERDIDOS DE AMOR. Anónimo egipcio
SAN SALVADOR DE SEVILLA. Cantiga 378, Alfonso X el Sabio
LA PEDRADA. Cantiga 385, Alfonso X el Sabio
LOS CORSARIOS. Cantiga 379, Alfonso X el Sabio
LA DONCELLA DE ARRAS. Cantiga 105, Alfonso X el Sabio
LOS MARINEROS DE LAREDO. Cantiga 248, Alfonso X el Sabio
ALCANATE-SANTA MARÍA DEL PUERTO. Cantiga 328, Alfonso X el Sabio
LA TABERNA DE LAREDO. Cantiga 244, Alfonso X el Sabio
NAWA SHAMBAR. Anónimo andalusí Túnez
LAS RELIQUIAS DE LAON. Cantiga 35, Alfonso X el Sabio
SOBRE LAS AGUAS DE MARSELLA. Cantiga 236, Alfonso X el Sabio

Piracy is the practice of organized looting and banditry on the high seas. It is as old as navigation itself. A private vessel, or indeed a state-owned craft taken over by the crew in a mutiny, attacks another ship outside the area of any State’s jurisdiction, to steal cargo, take passengers as slaves and demand a ransom, and very often take over the ship itself.

As well as pirates who robbed of their own accord, there were corsairs, sailors who served on ships under contract to attack the ships of an enemy country. These privateers enjoyed certain guarantees of being treated like soldiers from another army and not just simple thieves and murderers. The word pirate comes from Latin, and in turn from the Greek peiratés “attempt to gain fortune through adventure”. Others say that it comes from the Greek pyros “fire”, the term pirate being equivalent to arsonist. In any case, the word has come into widespread use and is applied to all looters in general. Nowadays, those who copy and sell audiovisual works, stealing the authors’ rights, are also called pirates.

Alfonso X el Sabio, 1221-1284.

Alfonso X (1221-1294), king of Castile and León, pursued the crown of the Holy Roman Empire for eighteen years (1257-1275) and has been labeled “Emperor of Culture” because of his intense work on History, Science and Law, as well as his participation in poetry, music, miniatures and architecture. As part of his project to render the classical knowledge of Arab, Latin and Hebrew cultures into the vernacular, he ordered manuscripts on the most advanced ideas in these fields to be produced. The intellectual appeal of his court, attracting experts and interest from the furthermost parts of the known world, gradually brought him and his kingdoms increasingly more renown in 13th century Europe. The poet-king is personally best reflected in the poems from the Cantigas of Santa María, written in Galician- Portuguese, rather than the works written in Castilian. Alfonso gathered together a great number of Iberian and Trans-Pyrenean Marian repertoires that dated from before his time. Among the works from beyond the Pyrenees the following authors stand out: Hugo Farsitus, Gautier de Coincy, Herman de Laon, Gobius, Etienne de Bourbon, Vincent de Beauvais, Jean Le Marchand, the Speculum Historiale and the Provençal miracles.

The Cantigas de Santa María (songs in Praise of Holy Mary), contained in four 13th century parchment codices, is the most important lyrical work from Medieval Spain. The four hundred and twenty-seven poems that have reached us with their musical notation and extraordinary miniatures combine stories of miracles told in the Middle Ages with praises to the Virgin Mary. In these songs there is no shortage of adventures featuring pirates, corsairs, seaport taverns, gamblers and gamesters, and hidden treasure. This musical programme includes the most interesting narrative sung on this theme at the height of the Middle Ages.

Eduardo Paniagua, conducts his group MUSICA ANTIGUA WINNER OF THE 2009 SPANISH ACADEMY OF MUSIC CLASSICAL MUSIC AWARD (Nominated in 1997, 2000 and 2004). NOMINATED FOR THE UFI 2010, 2011 AND 2012 CLASSICAL MUSIC PRIZES (UFI - Independent Phonographic Union). PRESIDENT OF THE FOUNDATION OF ANCIENT MUSIC. Eduardo Paniagua, born in Madrid in 1952, is an architect as well as a specialist in the music of Medieval Spain. By the age of 16 he had made his first four recordings with Atrium Musicae. As a founder member of the groups Calamus and Hoquetus, he specialised in Arab-Andalusian music, participating in festivals in both Spain and the Arab world. In 1994 he created the groups MUSICA ANTIGUA and IBN BAYA to work on the Cantigas of Alfonso X and Andalusi music (music from Moorish Spain). At the same time he founded and directed the record label PNEUMA through which he began to publish his musical work. As well as international awards Eduardo has received excellent reviews from critics for his work and publication of this previously un-released music.