chacona packet

8/16/2019 Chacona Packet

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The New York Continuo CollectiveFall 2010

Music of Spain: Chacona

Contents

p. 2 Texts from literary sourcesp. 4 Texts from dramatic sources

Dancep. 5 Examples from guitar booksp. 6 Words and music together, no melodyp. 8 Words, music and melody


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ChaconaTexts from Literary Sources Romance

Ahora que la guitarraMe sirve de voz sonoraY de lengua con que puedaCantaros aquesta historia,Antes que os dé cuenta larga,Sumada en palabras pocas,De la tierra que pisais,De la gente y de sus cosas,Sabed que los de esta islaNo podemos decir cosaSin la guitarra, cantando

A este son y de esta forma:Es la isla de Chacona,Por otro nombre Cucaña,Que de ambos modos se nombra.Los aires de este paisSon vientecillos que soplan,Por regalar el olfato,La fragancia de las rosas;Cristales frescos las aguasCon muchas fuentes de aloja,Y á cada paso entre nieveDe vino mil cantimploras.De la otra parte del rio

Hay árboles que sus hojasDan panecillos de leche,Y por frutas llevan roscas.Los huesos de aquestas frutasSon mantequillas y lonjas,Que dentro en los panes nacenCon que se pringuen y coman.

Now the guitar serves meas a sonorous voiceand tongue with which I cansing this tale to you.Before I give you a long account,summarized in a few words,of the land which you scorn,its people, and its things,you should know that we of this islandcannot say anythingwithout the guitar, singing

in this tone and this form:it is the island of Chacona,otherwise called Cucaña,for it is called by both names.The airs of this landare gentle breezes which caressthe sense of smellwith the fragrance of roses;the waters are like pure crystal,and run with mead,at every step are set in snowa thousand wine vessels.On the other shore of a river

are trees, whose leavesare manchets of the finest flour,whose fruit is rusks.The pits of this fruitare slices of lard,born in the bread,ready to be roasted and eaten.

Hay un árbol que es tan grandeQue debajo de su sombraCaben cuarenta mil mesas,Y en cada veinte personas.La fruta de este son pavos,Perdices, liebres, palomas,Carneros y francolines,Gallinas, capones, pollas;Todos se nacen asadosY guisados de tal forma,Que parece que da el árbolTambien cazuelas y ollas;Y en sentándose en la mesa,Solo con que un hombre pongaLa vista en lo que desea,Se cae á pedir de boca.Cada Chacon de nosotrosTiene á su mando seis mozas,Una aguileña de rostro,Y otra de rostro redonda;

Otra blanca, cabos negros,Y de ojos azules otra,

There is a tree that is so largethat beneath its shadeis space for forty thousand table,and at each one twenty persons.the fruit of this tree is turkeys,partridges, hares, doves,sheep, heath-cocks,hens, capons and pullets;All are born roastedand exquisitely prepared,so that it seems that this treealso brings forth stew-pots and cooking-pots;When sitting down at the table,a man has only to lookat what he wants,and it falls as desired.Each Chacon among ushas six wenches at his command,one has an aquiline face,another has a round face,

anothe is light-skinned, with black hair and eyes,another has blue eyes,


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3Otra morena con gracia,Y con donaire una gorda;Y cada semana quitanEstas seis y nos dan otras;Y esta si que era vita bona :

Vámonos todos a Chacona.

another is dark and elegant,and one is plump and graceful.Each week they take awaythese six and give us six others:This was truly the good life.

Let’s all go to Chacona.

Primavera y flor de los mejores romances . . . Madrid, 1621); translation by Very (1959) and Esses (1992)

Letra al tono de chacona

Antes que el alma sugetesmira niña lo que prometes.

Before you subjugate your soul,look, girl, at what you promise.

Antes que al amor astutoniña le entregues el alma,y lleve de ti la palmaquien sea palma en el fruto.

Y antes que entoldes de lutolas alas del coraçon,y la nave de aficionpara el mar de llanto fletes:mira niña lo que prometes.

Before to astute Cupid,girl, you deliver your soul,and he takes the palm from youwho is the palm in the fruit,

and before you dress with mourning garmentsthe wings of your heart,and the boat of affectionyou take out into the sea of tears,look, girl, what you promise.

Goza del puerto suavela sossegada bonança,y al viento de una esperançano engolfes tu hermosa nave.Que de experiencia se sabequen un punto da al travesla nave niña que ves

mas llena de gallardetes:mira niña lo que prometes.

Enjoy the calm fair weatherof the gentle port,and don’t engulf your vesselin the wind of hope;for experience knows thatin an instant acrossyour boat, girl, you will see it

more full of trophies:look, girl, at what you promise.

Quarto Quaderno de Varios Romances (Valencia c.1598);in Las Series Valencianas del Romancero Nuevo y Los Cancionerillos de Munich (1589-1602); Noticias

Bibloigráficas por Antonio Rodríguez-Moñino. Instituto de Literatura y Estudios Filológicos, InstituciónAlfonso El Magnánimo, Diputación Provincial de Valencia (1963), #30, p. 134.

Chacona from Cervantes Entren, pues, todas las ninfasy los ninfos que han de entrar,que el baile de la chaconaes más ancho que la mar.

Requieran la castañetasy bájense a refregarlas manos por esa arenao tierra del muladar.

Todos o han hecho muy bien,no tengo que les rectar;santigüense, y den al diablodos higas de su higueral.

El baile de la chaconaencierra la vida bona.

Then all the girls enter,and the boys that must come in,for the dance of the chaconais wider than the sea.

They need the castanets,and they go down to rubtheir hands in the sandor in the dung heap.

Everyone does very well,I don’t have to correct them;they cross themselves, and give the deviltwo figs from the fig orchard.

The dance of the chaconasurrounds the good life.

from Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, La Ilustre Fregona (Novelas Ejemplares,1613)


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Texts from Dramatic Sources

[Baylan y cantan todos]

Vita bona, vita bona,La chacona, la chacona,Bonorum, rebonorum,La chacona, la chacona.

All sing and dance.

The good life, the good life,the chacona, the chacona . . .

From: Entremes De El Colegio de Gorrones De Don Francisco Lanini Migaxas del Ingenio, y apacible entretenimiento, en varios entremeses, bayles, y loas, escogidos de losmejores Ingenios de España . . . Zaragoça, Ivan Martinez de Ribera Marcel, n.d.

Dance

And so I judge that parents who teach their children how to dance [ danzar y bailar ] are teaching them to be crazy. Whatprudence can there be in the woman who in these diabolical exercises goes beyond the bounds of the modesty andmoderation which she owes to her virtue, by revealing with these leaps her breasts, her feet, and those things which nature orart has decreed should be covered up? What can I say of their brazen looks, and the way thay move their necks, toss theirhair back and forth, circle around, and make faces, as occurs in the zarabanda, polvillo, chacona, and other dances.

Juan de la Cerda, Libro intitulado, Vida política de todos los estados de mujeres (1599)Translated by Esses (1992)


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5Examples from Guitar Books

Foriano Pico, Nuova Scelta di Sonate per la Chitarra Spagnola (Napoli, 1608)


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6Words and Music

Luiz de Briçeño, La Chacona Sobre El Cruçado

Luis de Briçeño, Metodo mui facilissimo para aprender a tañer la guitarra a lo español (Paris, 1626)


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Vida vida vida bonaVida bamos a chacona.

Life, life, the good life,life, let’s go to Chacona.

Por un vergel muy floridoSe pasean dos amantesA la ley de amor constantesPrisioneros de cupidoEl uno ques mas queridoA su dama le deçiaQue me muero señora miaNo se muera ques boberia.

In a very flowery garden,two lovers walked,constant to the law of Love,prisoners of Cupid.The one, who is more belovedof his lady, said:If I die, my lady,don’t die, for it is foolish.

Mas hermosa sois que el mismoMas encumbrada que un diamanteY mas rubia quel mas finoQuya imajen de esmeraldasQuyo artifiçio divinoMereçe que todo el orbeTe ofrezcan mil sacrifiçiosY pues que tienes la palmaSolo falta la corona.

Vida bona.

More fair you are than the same,more prized than a diamond,and more ruby than the finest,your image of emeralds,our divine artifice,deserves that the whole earthoffer you a thousand sacrifices,and since you have the palmyou only lack the crown.

The good life.


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8Juan Arañes, Un sarao de la chacona


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Juan Arañes, Libro segundo de tonos y villancicos a una dos tres y quatro voces (Roma, 1624)


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1. Un sarao de la chaconaSe hizo el mes de las rosas,Hubo millares de cosas,Y la fama lo pregona.A la vida, vidita bona,Vida, vamonos a chacona.

An evening party of chaconaWas made in the month of roses;

A thousand things happened there, And its fame spread far and wide:"To life, the good life,

Life, let's go to Chacona!"

2. Porque se casó AlmadánSe hizo un bravo sarao,Dançaron hijas de AnaoCon los nietos de Milán;Un suegro de Don BeltránY una cuñada de OrfeoComençaron un guineo,Y acabólo una maçona,Y la fama lo pregona . . .

Because Almadan got marriedthey made a great party;the sons of Anao dancedwith the nieces of Milan;a father-in-law of Sir Beltranand a cousin of Orfeobegan to dance the 'guineo',and finished with a 'maçona':and its fame spread far and wide . . .

8. Entraron treinta Domingos,Con veinte Lunes a cuestas,Y cargó con esas zestasUn asno dando respingos.Juana con tingo los mingosSalió las bragas enjutas,Y más de quarenta putasHuiendo de Barcelona,Y la fama lo pregona . . .

Thirty Sundays came inwith twenty Mondays,and loaded up with their basketsa bucking donkey;

Jane, with a'tingo los mingos'Took off her skimpy breeches,With more than forty whores

Running off from Barcelona; And its fame spread far and wide . . .

chacona packet

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