Luis de Milán

Luis de Milán

Luis de Milán (c. 1500 – 1561 or possibly later) was a Spanish Renaissance composer, vihuelist (instrument similar to the guitar), and writer on music. He was the first composer in history to publish music for the vihuela de mano, an instrument employed primarily in the Iberian peninsula and some of the Italian states during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and he was also one of the first musicians to specify verbal tempo indications in his music.

He probably lived all his life in Valencia, though details are sketchy at best. He seems to have been employed by the ducal court until around 1538. In 1535 he published his first book, a parlor game with music, entitled "El juego de mandar"; in the next year he published what was to be his most important book, "Libro de música de vihuela de mano intitulado El maestro". This book was dedicated to King John III of Portugal; this dedication, and the existence of six villancicos which Milán wrote in Portuguese, suggest that he may have traveled to that country and spent some time there.

The book is the first collection of vihuela music in history. It may have been intended as a book for students of the vihuela. The music is presented in grades from simple to complex, so that a beginning vihuelist can proceed from elementary to gradually more complicated pieces as he learns. It contains more than forty fantasias, six pavans, twelve villancicos, as well as sonetos (settings of Italian sonnets), and other pieces; some of the pieces are for solo vihuela, and others for voice accompanied by vihuela. Many are of considerable virtuosity, though not all the ornamentation is provided in detail. The style of the compositions varies from simple homophony to polyphony and virtuoso passage-work; unusual chromaticism also occurs, including strange double-inflections which were quite rare in music from other parts of Europe at the same time. It appears that the book was prepared with great care; alternate passages are given for players who wish to avoid more virtuosic parts, sections of pieces are indicated as optional, and he provided verbal tempo indications, for example "ni muy apriessa ni muy a espacio sino con un compás bien mesurado" ("neither too quickly nor too slowly, but with a moderate measure"). Half of the villancicos are in Castilian Spanish, and half are in Portuguese.

His last publication, "El cortesano" (1561), modeled on "Il Cortegiano" by Baldassare Castiglione, gives a vivid and entertaining picture of life in the Valencian ducal court. While it contains no music, is a valuable account by a professional musician at the time.

The music of Luis Milan is popular with performers on the present-day classical guitar because it can be adapted very easily to their instrument.

ources and further reading

*Gustave Reese, "Music in the Renaissance". New York, W.W. Norton & Co., 1954. ISBN 0393095304
*Articles "Vihuela" and "Luis de Milán," in "The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians", ed. Stanley Sadie. 20 vol. London, Macmillan Publishers Ltd., 1980. ISBN 1561591742
* Luis de Milán interpreted by Jordi Savall, [http://www.classicalacarte.net/Fiches/8535.htm]

Example

* [http://magnatune.com/artists/albums/martin-luismilan/ Magnatunes] Listen on-line to "El Maestro" performed by Edward Martin.

Recording

*2005 – "Dulcis Melancholia. Biographie musicale de Marguerite d’Autriche." Capilla Flamenca. MEW 0525. Contains a recording of Pavane 4 and Pavane 5 (La bella franceschina) by Luis Milan.

External links

heetmusic

* [http://bibliotecadigitalhispanica.bne.es:80/webclient/DeliveryManager?application=DIGITOOL-3&owner=resourcediscovery&custom_att_2=simple_viewer&pid=201461 "Libro de musica de vihuela de mano, intitulado El Maestro"] (Biblioteca Nacional de España) [http://bibliotecadigitalhispanica.bne.es:80/R/-?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=201461&current_base=GEN01 info]
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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Luis De Milán — Orfeo jouant une vihuela. Image de El Maestro Luis de Milán (avant 1500 après 1561), également connu comme Luys de Milán, Lluís del Milà, Lluís Milà, Luys Milán ou Luis Milán, fut un compositeur et vihueliste espagnol de la Renaissance …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Luis de Milan — Luis de Milán Orfeo jouant une vihuela. Image de El Maestro Luis de Milán (avant 1500 après 1561), également connu comme Luys de Milán, Lluís del Milà, Lluís Milà, Luys Milán ou Luis Milán, fut un compositeur et vihueliste espagnol de la… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Luis de milán — Orfeo jouant une vihuela. Image de El Maestro Luis de Milán (avant 1500 après 1561), également connu comme Luys de Milán, Lluís del Milà, Lluís Milà, Luys Milán ou Luis Milán, fut un compositeur et vihueliste espagnol de la Renaissance …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Luis de Milan — Luis de Milán (* um 1500; † um 1561), auch bekannt als Lluís del Milà, Lluís Milà, Luys Milán, Luis Milán oder Luys de Milán war ein spanischer Renaissance Komponist, Vihuelist (Instrument ähnlich der Gitarre), und Autor über Musiktheorie. Leben …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Luis de Milán — (* um 1500; † um 1561), auch bekannt als Lluís del Milà, Lluís Milà, Luys Milán, Luis Milán oder Luys de Milán, war ein katalanischer Renaissance Komponist, Vihuelist (Instrument ähnlich der Gitarre) und Autor über Musiktheorie. Leben …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Luis de Milán — Orfeo jouant une vihuela. Image de El Maestro Luis de Milán (avant 1500 après 1561), également connu comme Luys de Milán, Lluís del Milà, Lluís Milà, Luys Milán ou Luis Milán, est un compositeur et vihueliste espagnol de la Renaissance. Il est… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Luis de Milán — Orfeo tocando una vihuela. Imagen de El Maestro Luis de Milán (antes de 1500 después de 1561), también conocido como Lluís del Milà, Lluís Milà, Luys Milán, Luis Milán o Luys de Milán, fue un compositor y vihuelista español del Renacimiento. Es… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Milan — bezeichnet: die Greifvogelgattung Milane und speziell den Rotmilan und den Schwarzmilan im weiteren Sinn weitere Arten der Unterfamilie Wespenbussarde, siehe die Familie Habichtartige Milan (Vorname), ein Vorname ein Panzerabwehrlenkwaffensystem …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Luis XII de Francia — Luis XII Rey de Francia Rey de Nápoles Rey de Francia 7 de abril de 1498 1 de enero de 1515 …   Wikipedia Español

  • Luis Figo — Luís Figo Luis Figo …   Wikipédia en Français

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