Social alienation and political subversion: Anti-Judaism in medieval Spanish music

Abstract

Jews endured centuries of persecution by Christian rulers of Spain prior to the Expulsion of 1492. In this thesis, the occurrence of anti-Judaism in medieval Spanish music is explored, within the scope of Judeo-Christian relations. Also discussed is the effect that anti-Jewish sentiments and stereotypes had on music composed and performed during these times, and the role music played in transmitting these thoughts within the Spanish realm. This research includes a consideration of the politics of anti-Judaism in Spain and Naples, an analysis of medieval Spanish literature and iconography, and a study of the musical traditions and performance practices in the courts. Music examined includes songs from the Cántigas de Santa María, a “Kedushah-motet” copied in Naples between 1470 and 1485, a 1492 mass based on the anti-Jewish song “Eajudíosaenfardelar,” and a Judeo-Spanish love song. With little surviving music, secondary literary and historical sources are also considered.