Cancioneiro da Biblioteca Nacional
Date
Credits
- Angelo Colocci
- Various artists 2 Author
Format
- Book 705
Locations Made
- Italy 41
This book is a collection of 1560 songs written by about 150 different poets in Galician-Portuguese. The songs cover 3 genres: “cantiga d'amor”, “cantiga d'amigo”, and “cantigas de escárnio e mal-dizer”. The book was copied/compiled under the order of Angelo Colocci, an Italian humanist who “transcribed the incomplete Arte de trovar” (an addition at the beginning of the book which described the rules of poetry and the genres) , as well as “initially numbered compositions and annotated practically the entire codex” (Biblioteca Nacional de Portugal).
Beyond the six different copyists who worked on the collection, whose unique hands can be seen in Chancelloresque italic, cursive, and Gothic scripts, this codex passed through many hands and has been in the possession of many before being acquired by the Portuguese government.
This particular style of verse is an important piece in the history and culture of music, art, and poetry in Portugal, as well as an important manuscript source for the Galician-Portuguese language.
The creation of both the songs themselves (as songs expressing love and scorn towards another) and the book as a whole (being an immensely collaborative work) show the importance of song and poetry as both a means of communication and as an artistic form in this culture.
[Cancioneiro da Biblioteca Nacional]. -[1525-1526]. - 355 f. (2 colns, 31-40 linhas) ; 28 cm
