The Santiago Codex of Valladolid: Origins, Contents and Dating

Abstract

The present study analyses the function and importance of music in a parish church, the Parish Church of Santiago Apostel in Valladolid, Spain, through examination of a polyphonic manuscript from the early seventeenth century, the Santiago Codex (E-Vp: Ms. s. s). The parish church in Valladolid served also as the royal church because the court was in residence in Valladolid, so this center of apparently less importance still provides a wealth of information about the existence and contextualization of polyphony during this period. This study examines the construction of the Codex, the composers and repertoire contained within, and makes conjectures about its sources and dating.