And They Sang a New Song

Twenty-four Musical Elders at Santiago de Compostela

The cathedral shrine of Santiago or St James of Compostela was the destination of thousands of pilgrims from all over the Christian world, since St James was the only one of Christ's apostles supposedly buried in western Europe. Above the Portico de la Gloria are sculpted the twenty-four elders of the Apocalypse, musicians surrounding the figure of Christ, all holding musical instruments remarkable both for their variety and the accuracy of their detail. Why did the twelfth-century artist place the elders there? Was he depicting real instruments? And were they actually played in the cathedral at the time, despite the opinion of scholars that instruments were not used in most liturgical ceremonies? Our examination of the sculptures is accompanied by music of the period, including pilgrim songs taken from the Codex Calixtinus, a twelfth-century guidebook for pilgrims to Santiago.

`...accurate and interesting examination of musical iconography and medieval artistic license. It also provides a glimpse at the life of a twelfth-century pilgrim ... highly recommended for music, art, and history classes. Public libraries would also find it a valuable addition.' Video Rating Guide for Libraries, USA

© 1998-2001 The Roland Collection & Pira Intl.