Haunting music from Las Huelgas deserves to be listened to before a visit to the convent.
The Abbey of Santa María la Real de Las Huelgas in Burgos is a cistercian nunnery founded in 1187 by Eleanor of England, queen to the Spanish king of Castille, Alfonso VIII. In 1199 it was incorporated into the Cistercian order. Later it was turned into the burial place for the royal family. It is a national shrine for the Spaniards. Apart from the fascinating royal burials, which can be seen in the nave of the church, the cloister also displays a Muslim tapestry seized a the Battle of Las Navas de Toledo in 1212 and a most remarkable collection of medieval textiles stemming from the royal tombs. All shown on guided tours in the Muso de Ricas Telas. Apart from this Las Huelgas is an evocative place full of beautiful corners.
The Codex Las Huelgas is written on parchment with the staves in red ink. It must have been intended for use in performances and raises the question of how the polyphonic settings crept into the Cistercian cloister, generally known to rule against this.
Since 1977 the Huelgas Ensemble founded in 1971 by Paul Van Nevel has specialized in recording performed many important early Spanish and Portuguese works including some music from the Codex. Recently, however, the wellknown performers “Anonymous” has returned to this musical collection and recorded some of the highlights. Of which the most beautiful without doubt is Ave Mari Stella. Enjoy!
