Composer

:

Alfonso X (el Sabio)

Genre

:

Vocal

Style

:

Vocal Music

Average_duration

:

5:13

The Cantiga de Santa María 361, "Null'ome per ren non deve a dultar nen a teer," was composed by Alfonso X (el Sabio) in the 13th century. It is part of a collection of over 400 songs dedicated to the Virgin Mary, known as the Cantigas de Santa María. The premiere of this particular cantiga is unknown, but it was likely performed in the royal court of Alfonso X. The cantiga is written in Galician-Portuguese, a language spoken in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. It consists of three stanzas, each with six lines, and follows a rhyming scheme of ABABCC. The melody is simple and repetitive, with a range of only five notes. The text of the cantiga tells the story of a man who is falsely accused of a crime and sentenced to death. He prays to the Virgin Mary for help, and she appears to him in a dream, telling him to have faith and trust in her. The man is eventually proven innocent and released from prison, and he thanks the Virgin Mary for her intervention. The cantiga is notable for its use of repetition and parallelism, which create a sense of rhythm and structure. The refrain, "Null'ome per ren non deve a dultar nen a teer" (No one should ever doubt or fear anything), is repeated at the end of each stanza, emphasizing the message of faith and trust in the Virgin Mary. Overall, the Cantiga de Santa María 361 is a simple but powerful example of medieval religious music. Its message of faith and trust in the Virgin Mary would have resonated with audiences of the time, and its melody and structure continue to be appreciated by modern listeners.

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