The New York Continuo Collective

Fall 2010

Music of Spain:
Chacona
Contents
p. 2 Texts from literary sources
p. 4 Texts from dramatic sources
Dance
p. 5 Examples from guitar books
p. 6 Words and music together, no melody
p. 8 Words, music and melody

Chacona
Texts from Literary Sources
Romance
Ahora que la guitarra
Me sirve de voz sonora
Y de lengua con que pueda
Cantaros aquesta historia,
Antes que os d cuenta larga,
Sumada en palabras pocas,
De la tierra que pisais,
De la gente y de sus cosas,
Sabed que los de esta isla
No podemos decir cosa
Sin la guitarra, cantando
A este son y de esta forma:
Es la isla de Chacona,
Por otro nombre Cucaa,
Que de ambos modos se nombra.
Los aires de este pais
Son vientecillos que soplan,
Por regalar el olfato,
La fragancia de las rosas;
Cristales frescos las aguas
Con muchas fuentes de aloja,
Y cada paso entre nieve
De vino mil cantimploras.
De la otra parte del rio
Hay rboles que sus hojas
Dan panecillos de leche,
Y por frutas llevan roscas.
Los huesos de aquestas frutas
Son mantequillas y lonjas,
Que dentro en los panes nacen
Con que se pringuen y coman.
Hay un rbol que es tan grande
Que debajo de su sombra
Caben 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 asados
Y guisados de tal forma,
Que parece que da el rbol
Tambien cazuelas y ollas;
Y en sentndose en la mesa,
Solo con que un hombre ponga
La vista en lo que desea,
Se cae pedir de boca.
Cada Chacon de nosotros
Tiene su mando seis mozas,
Una aguilea de rostro,
Y otra de rostro redonda;
Otra blanca, cabos negros,
Y de ojos azules otra,

Now the guitar serves me

as a sonorous voice
and tongue with which I can
sing 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 island
cannot say anything
without the guitar, singing
in this tone and this form:
it is the island of Chacona,
otherwise called Cucaa,
for it is called by both names.
The airs of this land
are gentle breezes which caress
the sense of smell
with the fragrance of roses;
the waters are like pure crystal,
and run with mead,
at every step are set in snow
a thousand wine vessels.
On the other shore of a river
are trees, whose leaves
are manchets of the finest flour,
whose fruit is rusks.
The pits of this fruit
are slices of lard,
born in the bread,
ready to be roasted and eaten.
There is a tree that is so large
that beneath its shade
is 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 roasted
and exquisitely prepared,
so that it seems that this tree
also brings forth stew-pots and cooking-pots;
When sitting down at the table,
a man has only to look
at what he wants,
and it falls as desired.
Each Chacon among us
has 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,

3
Otra morena con gracia,
Y con donaire una gorda;
Y cada semana quitan
Estas seis y nos dan otras;
Y esta si que era vita bona:
Vmonos todos a Chacona.

another is dark and elegant,

and one is plump and graceful.
Each week they take away
these six and give us six others:
This was truly the good life.
Lets 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 sugetes
mira nia lo que prometes.

Before you subjugate your soul,

look, girl, at what you promise.

Antes que al amor astuto

nia le entregues el alma,
y lleve de ti la palma
quien sea palma en el fruto.
Y antes que entoldes de luto
las alas del coraon,
y la nave de aficion
para el mar de llanto fletes:
mira nia lo que prometes.

Before to astute Cupid,

girl, you deliver your soul,
and he takes the palm from you
who is the palm in the fruit,
and before you dress with mourning garments
the wings of your heart,
and the boat of affection
you take out into the sea of tears,
look, girl, what you promise.

Goza del puerto suave

la sossegada bonana,
y al viento de una esperana
no engolfes tu hermosa nave.
Que de experiencia se sabe
quen un punto da al traves
la nave nia que ves
mas llena de gallardetes:
mira nia lo que prometes.

Enjoy the calm fair weather

of the gentle port,
and dont engulf your vessel
in the wind of hope;
for experience knows that
in an instant across
your 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
Bibloigrficas por Antonio Rodrguez-Moino. Instituto de Literatura y Estudios Filolgicos, Institucin
Alfonso El Magnnimo, Diputacin Provincial de Valencia (1963), #30, p. 134.

Chacona from Cervantes

Entren, pues, todas las ninfas
y los ninfos que han de entrar,
que el baile de la chacona
es ms ancho que la mar.

Then all the girls enter,

and the boys that must come in,
for the dance of the chacona
is wider than the sea.

Requieran la castaetas
y bjense a refregar
las manos por esa arena
o tierra del muladar.

They need the castanets,

and they go down to rub
their hands in the sand
or in the dung heap.

Todos o han hecho muy bien,

no tengo que les rectar;
santigense, y den al diablo
dos higas de su higueral.

Everyone does very well,

I dont have to correct them;
they cross themselves, and give the devil
two figs from the fig orchard.

El baile de la chacona
encierra la vida bona.

The dance of the chacona

surrounds the good life.

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

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 los
mejores Ingenios de Espaa . . . Zaragoa, 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. What
prudence can there be in the woman who in these diabolical exercises goes beyond the bounds of the modesty and
moderation which she owes to her virtue, by revealing with these leaps her breasts, her feet, and those things which nature or
art has decreed should be covered up? What can I say of their brazen looks, and the way thay move their necks, toss their
hair 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 poltica de todos los estados de mujeres (1599)
Translated by Esses (1992)

Examples from Guitar Books

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

Words and Music

Luiz de Brieo, La Chacona Sobre El Cruado

Luis de Brieo, Metodo mui facilissimo para aprender a taer la guitarra a lo espaol (Paris, 1626)

7
Vida vida vida bona
Vida bamos a chacona.

Life, life, the good life,

life, lets go to Chacona.

Por un vergel muy florido

Se pasean dos amantes
A la ley de amor constantes
Prisioneros de cupido
El uno ques mas querido
A su dama le deia
Que me muero seora mia
No 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 beloved
of his lady, said:
If I die, my lady,
dont die, for it is foolish.

Mas hermosa sois que el mismo

Mas encumbrada que un diamante
Y mas rubia quel mas fino
Quya imajen de esmeraldas
Quyo artifiio divino
Meree que todo el orbe
Te ofrezcan mil sacrifiios
Y pues que tienes la palma
Solo falta la corona.

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 earth
offer you a thousand sacrifices,
and since you have the palm
you only lack the crown.

Vida bona.

The good life.

8
Juan Araes, Un sarao de la chacona

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

10

11

12

13
1. Un sarao de la chacona
Se 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 chacona

Was 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 cas Almadn

Se hizo un bravo sarao,
Danaron hijas de Anao
Con los nietos de Miln;
Un suegro de Don Beltrn
Y una cuada de Orfeo
Comenaron un guineo,
Y acablo una maona,
Y la fama lo pregona . . .

Because Almadan got married

they made a great party;
the sons of Anao danced
with the nieces of Milan;
a father-in-law of Sir Beltran
and a cousin of Orfeo
began to dance the 'guineo',
and finished with a 'maona':
and its fame spread far and wide . . .

8. Entraron treinta Domingos,

Con veinte Lunes a cuestas,
Y carg con esas zestas
Un asno dando respingos.
Juana con tingo los mingos
Sali las bragas enjutas,
Y ms de quarenta putas
Huiendo de Barcelona,
Y la fama lo pregona . . .

Thirty Sundays came in

with twenty Mondays,
and loaded up with their baskets
a 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 . . .