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cantiga

cantiga

1 9.9
A traditional song from Spanish or Portuguese culture
  • noun
  • /kænˈtiːɡə/
  • Literature
: cantiga
  • The traditional cantiga celebrating the harvest was sung at the village festival last night.
  • cantiga de

Examples

  • The number of medieval Galician-Portuguese cantigas de amigo that refer to fountains, lakes, rivers, and the sea is so great that the last two form a subcategory known as "barcarolas" or "marinas."

    Academic text (1998)
  • He is hardly ever directly named in the cantigas of praise that we associate with him personally.

    Academic text (1993)
  • A color image of this cantiga is available in Keller and Kinkade (Iconography in Medieval), plate 15.

    Academic text (1993)
  • There are also cantigas in which Alfonso appears as a witness, and again his rotulos are left blank: 29, 113, and 169.

    Academic text (1993)
  • In these lyrical cantigas, which gravitate so strongly toward advertising their patron, the miniaturists dropped all pretense of being strictly sequential.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Many cantigas tell stories of love and valor, reflecting the cultural values of their time.

  • The musician performed a beautiful cantiga that captivated everyone in the audience.

Synonyms

canso
vscantiga
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A medieval poem from southern France about love and knights

focuses on folk or popular tradition rather than courtly love themes
cantus
vscantiga
1 9.6

A song or chant sung by a group, often during a ceremony

is a secular folk lyric or poem rather than a ceremonial group chant
canzone
vscantiga
  • Literature
1 9.9

A formal lyric poem in Italian literature often written about love

is more a traditional folk form rather than formally structured poetry
canción
vscantiga
  • Archaic
9.9

A short old Spanish poem set to music about love or journeys

is more a traditional or folk song rather than only literary pieces
canzona
vscantiga
  • Archaic
9.9

A lyrical Italian song or poem from medieval to early modern times

is more associated with Iberian folk tradition than Italian literary song

Surface Forms

cantiga singular
cantigas plural

Etymology

Cantiga comes from the Latin word cantare, which means 'to sing', and it became the Spanish and Portuguese name for a folk or medieval lyric song. It is like the English word chant, so a cantiga is a sung poem or traditional song.