CSM Cantiga 407 Lyrics: Como o démo cofonder, nos quér acorrer Santa María

Standard spelling
Como o démo cofonder, nos quér acorrer Santa María
Cantiga 407: Como o démo cofonder, nos quér acorrer Santa María
Please read the notes on using the texts and the IPA transcriptions Please read the notes on using the music transcriptions
   
Standard spelling
Epigraph  

Esta düodécima é como Santa María fez veer ao hóme que cegara porque se comendara ao démo.

Line Refrain  Metrics  
1 Como o démo cofonder, CSM 407:1Mettmann divides this refrain into three lines, rather than my four. He then appears to read the first two words Como o as Com' o so that he can label the metrical scheme as 7 11 7, and thus match the stanza structure 11 11 11 7. However, though his thought processes are transparent, I believe that he's made a mistake, which is obvious when you consider the music. First, there really are three separate notes for Como o, so the supposition of elision or synalepha is straight away cast into doubt. Far more importantly, though, the music for the refrain consists very clearly in the repetition of two identical phrases, each of 13 separate notes and ligatures. There's no way to fit a 7 11 7 scheme to this phrasing, but there is obviously a way to fit the 8 5 8 5 scheme that I have here. And, of course, this four line structure neatly brings out all of the [er] rhymes in the refrain, whereas Mettmann's division buries two of them. (Note, by the way, that quér is [kɛr] and doesn't rhyme with the other -er words.) My thanks go to Chris Elmes for suggesting this clearly superior interpretation. 8  A
2 nos quér acorrer 5  A
3 Santa María e valer 8  A
4 e del defender. 5  A
 
  Stanza I     
5 Dest' un miragre vos contarei que vi 11  b
6 escrit' en livro, e dizía assí 11  b
7 com' oïredes adeante per mi, 11  b
8 que foi a Virgen fazer 7  A
 
  Stanza II     
9 en un cativo d' hóme que foi errar 11  b
10 porque do pée en ũa pédra dar 11  b
11 foi e doeu-se; e porên braadar 11  b
12 começou e descreer: 7  A
Cantigas de Santa Maria for Singers ©2013 by Andrew Casson
www.cantigasdesantamaria.com/csm/407
 
  Stanza III     
13 “Aquesta pédra o démo a ficou 11  b
14 aquí por mi que mi méu pée britou; 11  b
15 e pois que póde tan muit', a el mi dou 11  b
16 e non quér' en Déus creer.” 7  A
  Como o démo cofonder...    
 
  Stanza IV     
17 Aquesto disse con gran sanna mortal; 11  b
18 e lóg' alí o prendeu un tan gran mal, 11  b
19 que come tolleito se parou, atal 11  b
20 que cuidou lóg' a morrer. 7  A
  Como o démo cofonder...    
 
  Stanza V     
21 E demais la vista dos ollos perdeu, 11  b
22 e o poder do córpo si ll' ar tolleu, 11  b
23 e con mui gran coita en térra caeu 11  b
24 que se non pod' end' erger. 7  A
  Como o démo cofonder...    
Cantigas de Santa Maria for Singers ©2013 by Andrew Casson
www.cantigasdesantamaria.com/csm/407
 
  Stanza VI     
25 Mas séus parentes o fillaron dalí 11  b
26 e o levaron a sa casa, e i 11  b
27 o deitaron en un leito e assí 11  b
28 leixárono i jazer. 7  A
  Como o démo cofonder...    
 
  Stanza VII     
29 E pidindo por Déus jouv' i gran sazôn, 11  b
30 chorand' e rogando-lle de coraçôn 11  b
31 que dos séus érros podéss' haver perdôn 11  b
32 e que lle foss' ên prazer. 7  A
  Como o démo cofonder...    
 
  Stanza VIII     
33 Mas pois, na fésta en que Déus resurgiu, 11  b
34 dos madodinnos a campãa oiu 11  b
35 e ũa dona cabo si estar viu, 11  b
36 e começou-ll' a dizer: 7  A
Cantigas de Santa Maria for Singers ©2013 by Andrew Casson
www.cantigasdesantamaria.com/csm/407
 
  Stanza IX     
37 “Porque sofriste téu mal e ta door 11  b
38 en paz, porende praz a Nóstro Sennor 11  b
39 que cedo sães e recebas sabor 11  b
40 per que póssas ben viver. 7  A
  Como o démo cofonder...    
 
  Stanza X     
41 E cre' i óra esto que ti digu' éu: CSM 407:41Mettmann (I and II) has E crei ora at the start of this line, which is lacking a syllable. However, [To] has a prominent plica over the i to indicate that it is a separate word, so I have reproduced the form cre' i as transcribed by [JMMS]. 11  b
42 fas que te léven tóst' ant' o altar méu; 11  b
43 e pois i fores, saúd' o córpo téu 11  b
44 lógo poderá haver.” 7  A
  Como o démo cofonder...    
 
  Stanza XI     
45 Respôs el: “Esto farei lógo de pran.” 11  b
46 E feze-s' entôn levar i manamán, 11  b
47 e tornou são, pela do bon talán, 11  b
48 a de que Déus quis nacer. 7  A
  Como o démo cofonder...    
Cantigas de Santa Maria for Singers ©2013 by Andrew Casson
www.cantigasdesantamaria.com/csm/407
 

Footnotes

Line 1:

Mettmann divides this refrain into three lines, rather than my four. He then appears to read the first two words Como o as Com' o so that he can label the metrical scheme as 7 11 7, and thus match the stanza structure 11 11 11 7. However, though his thought processes are transparent, I believe that he's made a mistake, which is obvious when you consider the music. First, there really are three separate notes for Como o, so the supposition of elision or synalepha is straight away cast into doubt. Far more importantly, though, the music for the refrain consists very clearly in the repetition of two identical phrases, each of 13 separate notes and ligatures. There's no way to fit a 7 11 7 scheme to this phrasing, but there is obviously a way to fit the 8 5 8 5 scheme that I have here. And, of course, this four line structure neatly brings out all of the [er] rhymes in the refrain, whereas Mettmann's division buries two of them. (Note, by the way, that quér is [kɛr] and doesn't rhyme with the other -er words.) My thanks go to Chris Elmes for suggesting this clearly superior interpretation.

Line 41:

Mettmann (I and II) has E crei ora at the start of this line, which is lacking a syllable. However, [To] has a prominent plica over the i to indicate that it is a separate word, so I have reproduced the form cre' i as transcribed by [JMMS].

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Manuscript references

External links marked are to facsimiles on Greg Lindahl's Cantigas de Santa Maria website.

[To]XII*view p1http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/cantigas/facsimiles/To/bob106small.gifExternal link
view p2http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/cantigas/facsimiles/To/bob107small.gifExternal link

Oxford CSM Database record

External link to poem data:  CSM 407http://csm.mml.ox.ac.uk/index.php?p=poemdata_view&rec=407

Links to the Oxford database are provided with the kind permission of the project team. When planning a concert or recording, I would recommend that you use (and credit) my more pragmatic texts and supporting materials in the preparation of your performance, but that you request permission from the Oxford database team to reproduce (and credit) their own critically edited texts in your programme or liner notes, as these adhere to stricter criteria that keep them closer to the original sources, and undoubtedly have the greater academic authority.

Metrical summary

Refrain

8  5  8  5

Stanzas

11  11  11  7

Rhyme

AAAA / bbbA
 RIIIIIIIVVVIVIIVIIIIXXXI
A
b iou̯aleu̯iiu̯ɛu̯

Estimated performance times

Average syllables / min. Time
Very slow5015:02
Slow1007:31
Medium1505:00
Fast2003:45
Very fast2503:00

These are very approximate total times for a full sung (or spoken) performance of all stanzas with all repeats of the refrain. Note that the speed is in average syllables per minute, and no particular mensural interpretation is assumed. More ornamented music will reduce the syllabic speed considerably. Remember also to add time for instrumental preludes, interludes and postludes.

Total syllables: 752