Hispanic Balladry Today

by Ruth H. Webber (Editor)

Overview

First published in 1989. The ballad or romance, as it is commonly called, has played a vital role over the centuries in Hispanic culture as an orally transmitted narrative song. It is characteristically the product of people who have had to look to themselves for entertainment. From the end of the fifteenth to the early seventeenth century, the romancero (balladry) enjoyed a great vogue among learned poets and their audiences, especially in the Spanish and Portuguese courts. The authors’ intent in this book is to survey and to assess the state of the romancero, not only in Spain and Portugal, but also in peripheral areas where it has migrated and taken root.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780824040352
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	08/01/1989
Series:	Albert Bates Lord Studies in Oral Tradition , #3
Pages:	342
Product dimensions:	5.44(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

Table of Contents

The Artisan Poetry of the Romancero, Survival of the Traditional Romancero : Field Work, Migratory Shepherds and Ballad Diffusion, In Defense of Romancero Geography, Hunting for Rare Romances in the Canary Islands, Collecting Portuguese Ballads, The Living Ballad in Brazil: Two Performances, The Traditional Romancero in Mexico: Panorama, The Judeo-Spanish Ballad Tradition, The Structure and Changing Functions of Oral Traditions

Editorial Reviews

The ballad tradition that flourished in 15th to 17th century Spain and Portugal has continued to influence writers, but is now dying out. Folklorists contribute 10 essays surveying and assessing the present state of the genre in Iberia, in the New World, and among Sephardic Jews. Deals with the process of collecting material as well as studying specific works, distribution, and the role of oral tradition. Set in a marvelous old typeface. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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