King Alfonso X, 13th Century Learned Monarch

In this 12^th year of my production, for public radio, I present the narrative and play list to “Las Cantigas de Santa Maria: A Musical Biography of 13^th Century Monarch, King Alfonso X”

I dedicate this program to David W. Bauguess, my high school music teacher and my continual mentor. We lost Davis last year, December 27 27, 2023. May David rest in power.

I invite you to listen to this program on December 24, at 2:00 in the Central Time Zone. The public radio station that has sponsored Las Cantigas in this 12^th year is High Plains Public Radio. Please tune in on hppr.org under holiday programming (not to be confused with hppr connect, the talk show portion of their dual programming).

Hello. I’m Debra Bolton. Welcome to Las Cantigas de Santa Maria (The Holy Canticles of St. Mary), Songs and poems in praise of the Virgin Mary – and the poetic/musical biography of Alfonso, “the wise”, The King of Castile-Leon, now Spain, and who lived from 1221 to 1284. I’m happy you’ve joined me today.

We begin this musical journey with The Learned King declaring himself Mary’s Troubadour who will take her teachings to his Kingdom and beyond. First, we hear the prologue where The Learned King states, “I am here to spread your good word to my people, and in doing that, I pray for my place in the Kingdom of Heaven.” This is Ensemble Unicorn, from Vienna. CSM 60 Cut #1 2:16

That was Ensemble Unicorn, Vienna with CSM #60, the prologue in which El Sabio declares himself Mary’s troubadour whereby he is her greatest public relations person, so to speak. Alfonso pledges to use every means to extol Mary’s virtues, especially where her miracles are concerned.

The Cantigas de Santa Maria is a collection of poems put to music. The catalog consists of more than 420 poems set to music beginning with what is called a “cantiga de loor” song of love, that is “courtly love” and every 10th song is a song of love while the others focus on scenarios related to sins and crimes with their accompanying stories of Mary’s miracles from which Alfonso X hopes to promote morality in his kingdoms of Castile and Leon, which later become what we know as Spain.

Let’s turn to the works of Jota Martinez, a multi-instrumentalist and singer. I first encountered Martinez’s music when he worked with Eduardo Paniagua in an album of Cantigas de Santa Maria performed on the Viola de Rueda, also know as the Zanfona, but you may know it as the hurdy-gurdy. Here Martinez performs with his group, Ensemble Alfonsi, dedicated to reviving the music of King Alfonso X’s court, much like the goal of Maestro Paniagua. We now hear CSM#1 Des Oge Mais Quer-eu Trobar performed by Ensemble Alfonsi led by Jota Martinez. (7:02)

That was Ensemble Alfonsi led by Jota Martinez, who tells us that he began the task of documenting and reconstructing the musical instruments represented in the “Alfonsian” works. Martinez continues with, “After 15 years, we assembled the only collection of Medieval instruments represented in the Cantigas de Santa Maria into the, “Alphonsian Musical Insrumentarium.” That link can be found under the tab, Instrumentarium at http://www.jotamartinez.com/instrumentarium.html You can find this transcript, along with photos, and links in my blog, Peopleandcultures.blog.

You’re listening to Las Canatigas de Santa Maria, a musical biography of Medieval King Alfonso X and his devotion to the Virgin Mary. In this, we come to understand the miracles of the Virgin Mary as seen through the eyes and ears of Alfonso X, who ruled what is now Spain during the 13^th Century.

I spoke with Dr. J. K. Knauss, a leading Alfonsine scholar. Dr. Knauss lives in Spain and continues her research to uncover more of the mysteries left to us from the reign of King Alfonso X, these 803 years later. My dive into The Learned King comes from Knauss’ books, Law and Order in Medieval Spain, Violence in Las Cantigas de Santa Maria, and Our Lady’s Troubadour, and from her historical fiction such as Seven Noble Knights. I asked J. K. Knauss how she discovered King Alfonso X.

(Play her answer here), then play:

CSM#166 Como Poden performed by Hesperus (3:37).

Follow with: CSM#159 Non Sofre Santa Maria – Esther Lamandier

That was Esther Lamandier, French soprano and multi-instrumentalist known for her unique voice along with the instruments she plays: harp, organetto, a portable organ, and the vielle, the medieval fiddle, the ancestor of the present-day violin. You can see pictures of the varying instruments of this music, and you can read the transcript of my words here today.

Before that, we heard Hesperus, led by the late Scott Reiss and Tina Chancey, who continues to play concerts in the Washington, D.C. area. Their music blends Medieval, Appalachian, and world music. One of my favorite albums is aptly called, “Crossing Over.” that was CSM #166, Como Poden per sas culpas: A Lame Man Healed at Salas.

You’re listening to Las Cantigas de Santa Maria, a musical biography of Medieval King Alfonso X. I’m Debra Bolton. We now pause for this station break:

Time: 26:20

Break: 2:00 music bed

(Hour 1: Segment 2)

You’re listening to Las Cantigas de Santa Maria, the story of 13^th century monarch, Alfonso X and his devotion to St. Mary. I’m your host and producer of this special, and my name is Debra Bolton

King Alfonso ruled his Kingdom of Castile-Leon, now Spain, from 1252 until his death. Scholars and Alfonsine devotees continue to celebrate the Learned King’s birthday on November 23 of each year, this being the 803rd year since his birth in 1221.

Let’s discuss, for a moment, the language of King Alfonso X.

In a past interview with Alfonsine scholar, Dr. J. K. Knauss, she noted that the great legacy of El Sabio is that he lived up to his name, “the wise” because he was obsessed with writing everything down. Whether it was mathematics, astronomy, the virtue of playing board games and other leisurely activities to balance hard works, laws to govern his subjects, and teaching morality, he not only wrote continually, but he chose not to write in Latin, the language of Kingdoms of the day. What made his legacy so strong is that he wrote in Galician-Portuguese, the embryonic Castilian, the present-day Spanish. The Learned King is considered the “Father of Castilian.” Was he that much of a visionary? It would seem so since Spanish only trails Chinese as the most common language worldwide, flanked by English, Arabic, Hindi, Bengali, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, and Lahnda, aka, “Western Punjabi” according to The World Economic Forum.

Let’s continue with music performed by Musica Antigua, under the direction of Maestro Eduardo Paniagua, architect, musician, and musicologist. This album features the hurdy-gurdy, also known as the Viola de Rueda, hence the rosined wheel that rubs on the strings to make that pulsating drone sound sometimes called the “barking dog.” We will hear two pieces that highlight that unique sound of the hurdy-gurdy, and instrumental CSM#61 (2:55) and CSM # 327 (4:49), Las Piernas (Cuts 3 and 4)

That was CSM #s 61 and #327, The story or miracle tells about a priest who made underpants from cloththat sat on the alter in church dedicated to the Virgin outside the town of Odemira. The priest admired the cloth and coveted it. He stole it and took it to his house. He had a pair of underpants fashioned from it. While lying down, his heels began to press into his thighs. The pain was excruciating, and, confessing his sin, he called on the Virgin.

He repented and had a large linen cloth placed on the altar.

He was taken to the church and everyone prayed for him to the Virgin. She cured him and they praised her name. So the mircle goes.

You’re listening to this holiday special, Las Cantigas de Santa Maria, a musical biography of Medieval King, Alfonso X. I’m Debra Bolton

To get a feel for the language of the time, I turned to Alfonsine biographer, Dr. J. K. Knauss. Here she recites the poem that is CSM#207, the statue that thanks a merciful knight who goes to the church to seek forgiveness for a man who has murdered his own son. Here is Dr. Knauss reciting in the language of the time, which may be partially recognizable to those who speak Castilian. That will be followed by the Martin Best Ensemble performing CSM#207

Play her reading here followed by The Martin Best Ensemble’s “Se ome fezer de grado” CSM#207

Followed by Los Tropas de Extremadura, music before the time of Muslim ejection from Castile-Leon. Poems and songs performed by Eduardo Paniagua (5:07) (Inserted photo is of Dr. J. K. Knauss).

That was Los Tropas de Extremadura, music before the time of Muslim ejection from Castile-Leon. Poems and songs performed by Eduardo Paniagua. Before we heard the Martin Best Ensemble’s interpretation of CSM#207 preceded by Dr. Knauss’ recitation of the poem in Galician-Portuguese. We’re coming to the top of the hour. Be sure to stay tuned for the second of this two-hour presentation of Las Cantigas de Santa Maria with your host, Debra Bolton. Let’s turn to this fantasia on Cantigas de Santa Maria based on CSM# 11, the Drowned Sacristan, who was brought back to life through the Virgin’s miracle. That will be followed by a traditional Galician tune. These are performed by Ensemble Alcatraz from their CD Cantigas de Amigo, songs for a friend. This will take us to the top of the hour. Please join us for hour two of Las Cantigas de Santa Maria, I’m Debra Bolton. Thank you for listening.

We just heard Ensemble Alcatraz with a Traditional Galician Tune preceded by a Fantasia on CSM#11. We pause now for a station break. I’m your host Debra Bolton thanking you for supporting your public radio station.

Music bed: 2:00

HR 2 Segment 1

Welcome to the second and final hour of this holiday special Las Cantigas de Santa Maria, the holy canticles of the Virgin Mary and musical biography of Alfonso X, the King of Castile-Leon, now Spain. I’m your host, Debra Bolton.

Alfonso X ruled from 1252 to 1284. To put the world into perspective at the time, the English language continued to change from its Germanic-rooted Olde English of the Beowulf poet (circa 9^th or 10^th century) after the Norman invasion of 1066. In the next century, we hear the English of Geoffrey Chaucer of Canterbury Tales fame and the Gawain Poet. Europeans now use Arabic numerals in favor of Roman Numerals. In the Mongol Empire, Mongke, officially, marks the worship of his grandfather, Genghis Khan while Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity flourish. The Inca Empire of Peru is thriving. England begins the process of segregation of Jewish peoples, and other countries begin to follow suit. However, Poland became a place of refuge for exiled and homeless Jewish Peoples. The Mexica people, also known as Aztecs, are building their great capital city Tenochtitlan on Lake Texcoco, what is now Mexico City. King Alfonso X’s bid to be King of the Holy Roman Empire but fails as Pope Alexander IV (4^th) denies Alfonso’s rights to the throne in favor of Count Rudolf, bringing prominence to the Habsburg family. Count Rudolf was considered mediocre by many, as Alfonso was too ambitious and certainly too bright for that particular Pope of the time.

Earlier, I’d mentioned that every tenth song of the Cantigas de Santa Maria, is a song of courtly love to reflect Alfonso’s devotion to the Virgin Mary. Here we now listen to Jordi Savall’s interpretation of CSM#400, with the assistance of Maestro Savall’s Hesperion XX (20) and La Capella Reial de Catalunya and Pero cantigas de Loor.

Play CSM#400 Pero cantigas de loor (3:49).

Los Judios Y La Mordedura de un Perro. Los Destierros (3:28).

We just heard a piece from the Album, Spain of the King, his troubadours and armies with a tune called, if google translate is correct, The Jews and the dog that bites the exiles. It seems that King Alfonso, though he practiced pluralism, Jewish, Muslim, and Christians co-existing, he also practiced some segregation in certain parts of his Kingdoms, too, according to John Esten Keller, Alfonsine biographer. We began with CSM#400, a cantiga de loor, song of love.

You’re listening to this musical biography of Medieval King Alfonso the Wise. Thank you for supporting this public radio station. I’m Debra Bolton.

When I spoke to Alfonsine scholar Dr. J.K. Knauss, who lives in Spain and focuses on writing books, non-fiction and historical fiction, she told me that the higher the number in the CSM collection of more than 420 poems, the more local the miracle is happening. In CSM#321, a girl who lived in Cordoba suffered from a disease of the throat called, scrofula. Her illness lingered for three years, and her mother paid lots of money for the cure. A man advised the woman to take her daughter to the king for healing. The king denied that he could cure the girl. He told the mother to take the girl to the statue of the Virgin dressed in a purple robe. They should wash the statue with water after mass and let the girl drink the liquid from the alter chalice for five days in a row, the number of letters in the name Maria. The mother did as instructed and the little girl was healed.

Now we hear CSM#321 performed by Synfonye (8:07)

Ensemble Alfonsi – CSM#339 Milagro en el Mar de Alicante (4:05) The Fish that Plugged the Hole in the Ship.

We just heard Ensemble Alfonsi with CSM #339, the Fish that Plugged the hole in the Ship. Before that, CSM #321, performed by Synfonye.

If you would like to read this transcript or see pictures of the instruments used in these songs and tunes, please check out my blog, peopleandcultures.blog. The instruments are quite lovely, and I think you will enjoy seeing them.

In case you’re wondering about Galician-Portuguese, the language that is now known as Castilian, here’s a short phonics lesson, “Cs” and “Zs” were pronounced with a “TH” sound or a lisp. Most of those pronunciations hold true today in the Iberian Peninsula. When Castilian came to the Americas beginning in1492, the thousands of Indigenous languages were erased, in most cases, as each of those countries were colonized by Columbus and those who followed him from Spain, a European Country. Spain made it to what is now New Mexico about 25 years before the Plymouth rock landing. Spain continued south and the English settlers moved west, illustrating why we speak English in the United States and much of Canada.

You’re listening to Las Cantigas de Santa Maria, a musical biography of Spain’s King Alfonso X and his praise to the Virgin Mary. I’m your host, Debra Bolton. Thank you for joining me today. Let’s pause now for a station break. In the next segment, we will enjoy more of the songs, poems, and tunes of the 13^th Century as interpreted here in the 21^st Century.

END OF SEGMENT ONE

Music bed for 2-minute break:

(Pictured above: Bowed Psaltry)

You’re listening to Las Cantigas de Santa Maria, a musical biography of King Alfonso X, El Sabio, the wise. I’m your host, Debra Bolton.

Let’s begin this segment with Maestro Jordi Savall, the music scholar, historian, and viola de gambist extraordinaire! I’ve had the great honor of attending three of his performances in Kansas City. Well into his 80s, Savall still gathers musicians from around the globe to see his vision of bringing to the fore music through the centuries from composers, obscure and famous. Here, we have his arrangement of and CSM tune. Ducia ( 2:05) Followed by a Galician tune, Santiago de Murcia (Murthia). (1:35) and

Instrumental interlude from Waverly Consort’s Las Cantigas de Santa Maria (6:43) (Pictured below, with the late Michael Jaffe)

We just heard a rousing instrumental from the Waverly Consort from their CD Las Cantigas de Santa Maria. They’ve performed the songs in English, and hopefully we have time to listen to the prologue as our final piece today. Before that, we heard two Galician tunes, Santiago de Murcia, CSM 123, by Jordi Savall and from the Folias Gallegas Grant Herreid and Piffaro.

You’re listening to Las Cantigas de Santa Maria, a musical biography of King Alfonso X, El Sabio, the wise. I’m your host, Debra Bolton.

Let’s explore the music of the Iberian Peninsula during Alfonso’s time with music of the Jewish and Muslim peoples. First, we turn to the music of Jewish People of the region known as the Sephardim, who populated Spain, North Africa, Turkey, differing from the Ashkenazi Jewish of Eastern Europe.

King Alfonso welcomed Christians, Jewish, and Muslims musician into his Court. He respected Muslims, the keepers of classical knowledge and for their sophisticated, cultured and their technological advances. They were poets, artists, artisans, mathematicians, merchants, and ship builders. the Jewish were known as astronomers, writers, economists, scholars, and architects.

Now, we hear Music of the Sephardim of the time with two pieces performed by Voice of the Turtle followed by a series of short pieces of music of 13^th century Muslims performed by Camerata Mediterranea.

Voice of the Turtle: Toto bueno tengo (2:53) and Yo Hanino, tu hanina (3:50).

Camerata Mediterranea: Cuts 11, 15, 17, and 18.

You’re listening to Las Cantigas de Santa Maria, a musical biography of 13^th Century monarch, Alfonso the Wise. Be sure to check out my blog, peopleandcultures.blog for a transcript of this presentation and pictures of the many instruments played in these musical pieces.

King Alfonso employed artists to create two and three-dimensional works of art to correspond to the poems and songs, which would have made the Learned King an early pioneer in multi-media. Now, here we are putting it all in digital form! Scholars say the works of art, the songs and the poems were Alfonso’s way of teaching morality to the subjects of his kingdom on many levels. While those in his court were, themselves, learned and well-educated people, there were many in his kingdom who, perhaps, could not read or write. Hence the need for the lessons in more than written forms.

As we think of the language of Galician-Portuguese morphing into Castilian, and many now call the language “Spanish” coming from Spain, originally. During the expulsion of Jewish and Muslims in 1492, we can see some of the suffixes that may be telling of their origins. Christian suffixes were –ez, -es, and –os. When colonizing other lands, ironsmiths were quite important. Think of the many people you know with the surname of “Smith.” Hierro means iron in Castilian. The surname Hernandez denotes the Christian ironsmiths, and the surname Herrera were the Sephardic Jewish ironsmiths, and the Gallegos hailed from Galicia. We don’t think that the double-l was pronounced with the “y” sound at the time.

Thanks to the authors who continue to educate me. My references come from the writings of Dr. J.K. Knauss. In addition, I refer to the writing of Professor Joseph F. O’Callahan, Mr. Andrew Casson, Maestro Jordi Savall, Maestro Eduardo Paniagua, John Esten Keller, Robert I. Burn, Editor of “The Emperor of Culture” and from Oxford Univesity’s CSM database.

Knauss describes the importance of the Cantigas de Santa Maria saying, “The most appropriate single adjective for the corpus of cultural work produced under Alfonso X is ‘encyclopedic.’” He wrote books of history, astronomy/astrology, law, poetry, board games, and music. Even his written leisure activities continue to survive the vagaries of time, bearing the King’s name as patron or author.”

Now we take you to the beginning as I end this musical biography of Alfonso the Wise with this English version of the prologue where the Learned King declares himself Mary’s troubadour. We hear this performed by the Waverly Consort. Thank you for listening.

Prologue 1: (2:35)

Prologue 2 (2:35)

Instruments of the time:

Shawm – 12^th c conical bored double reed instrument of Middle Eastern origin, a precursor of the oboe. Like the oboe, it is conically bored; but its bore, bell, and finger holes are wider, and it has a wooden disk (called a pirouette, on European shawms) that supports the lips

Recorder – Yes. That woodwind instrument that many of us learned in grade school. We hear this in the CSM, usually, on a wider variety of wood recorders.

Organetto – a small portable organ, which you heard performed by Esther Lamandier

Oud – Literally, wood in Arabic, short-necked, pear-shaped with 11 – 13 strings grouped in 5, 6, or 7 courses. A few of the oud players that stand oud are Driss El Maloumi, a group called 3MA and Haik Egitim Merkezi Yalova, both Maloumi and Yalova perform with Jordi Savall’s Hesperion groups. The Oud is considered the most important instrument in Middle Eastern Music.

Qanun (a.k.a., kanun, ganoun, kanoon) an Arabic stringed instrument, introduced to Europe in the 12^th Century. It’s played on the lap with picks that surround both index fingers, and the player can change the pitch of the strings with brass levers.

Hurdy Gurdy, a.k.a. Viola de Rueda, and the Zanfona. Here we hear this instrument in Musica Antigua.

Vielle – the Medieval fiddle with five strings and six tied frets.

Rebec – A three-string “fiddle” often held between the legs as it’s played.

Viola de Gamba – (a.k.a., Viol or gamba), a six-stringed instrument, said to be a precursor of the four-stringed cello. The Gamba, usually, is much larger and has frets, like a guitar.

Gaita – Galician bag pipe, also common in Portugal.

Duduk – Double reed Armenian flute, featuring those mournful, lamenting tones.

You’re listening to a musical journey of 13^th Century Spain’s King Alfonso the X and his devotion to the Virgin Mary, on this public radio station. I’m your host, Debra Bolton, and I appreciate that you’re here with me today. You can see this transcript and photos of the instruments if you go to my blog: https://wordpress.com/post/peopleandcultures.blog/2898 

The language of the time, Galician-Portuguese, finds scholars today who argue that Galician and Portuguese are dialects of the same language. It tends to remind one more of Portuguese than of Castilian, the root language of modern-day Spanish. Portugal situated directly south of Galicia, the home of the (K)Celts and the Sephardim of the Iberian Peninsula. Stay with us…

Quarta Espanpie by Ferdinando de Martino Ensemble Comtessa Carmina Gemina: 2:43

End of Hour 2, Segment 1

2:00 minute break.

We continue with Las Cantigas de Santa Maria, the musical biography of Medieval King of Castile-Leon, Alfonso X, the wise and learned. I’m your host, Debra Bolton.

For more perspective of the time, King Henry III ruled England about the same time Alfonso X ruled Castile-Leon, the greater part of what is now known as Spain. While El Sabio ruled his lands with Christians, Muslims, and Jewish peoples living and studying side-by-side with some appreciation and great tolerance, it would not be until 208 years later that Isabella and Ferdinand would expel all non-Christians and the time Christopher Columbus would set sail for Asia but landed in the Americas, which changed extensively the lives that he touched. Before that, well-civilized Indigenous tribes had not yet had contact with European colonizers. The surnames that most people connect with Latin American countries were the surnames of their Spanish conquerors. During and after the inquisition, many non-Christians, Jewish and Muslim people, added the suffixes of –ez, -es, or –os, meaning “son of,” to their surnames. For example, the Muslim man, Alvar, became Alvarez. The Jewish man, Martin became Martinez. Consistent with most surnames, there remained a connection to the family trade or place of origins. The Herrera were Sehphardic Jewish iron-smiths of Galicia. Those hailing from Galicia, or Galego, were the Galegos. In the present day, an extra “L” was added to make it “Gallegos” with the double-L being pronounced as “ya.”

Santa Maria by Irfan 4:45

CSM #156 by Rocio de Trutos 2:37

You’re listening to Las Cantigas de Santa Maria on this public radio station. I’m your host, Debra Bolton, and I appreciate that you’re here with me today.

We just heard two pieces, Santa Maria by Irfan, a Bulgarian group focused on electro-acoustic music from a variety of genres and musical centuries. Also, we heard Soprano Rocio de Trutos known best for her Bach Cantatas. You’ve been listening to Las Cantigas de Santa Maria, the holy canticles of the Virgin Mary and the musical biography of Medieval King Alfonso X of Spain in music, poetry, and art. I’m the producer and your host, Debra Bolton.

El Sabio, King Alfonso the X ascended the throne of Castile-Leon, now Spain, in 1252 and immediately devoted himself to the creation of new laws, the Siete Partidas (seven parts) and the Fuero Real (Royal Municipal Code), both of which continue to be in effect here in the 21^st Century.

Scholars posit that the CSM continue to be a testament by which the king wished to be remembered after his death. That means that we, also, are part of the intended audience. Knauss continues that the learned king, likely, did not fathom this kind of dissemination, now in this digital age. She says, “With these technologies, it grants scholars who study the CSM a place in his highly exclusive circle of apprentices.”

I began exploring the history of the CSM, because I found the tunes, songs, poems, and art pieces so wonderfully tuneful and passionate with their multimedia approaches. I hope you’ve found this music and its stories interesting. For more information, please visit my blog: https://wordpress.com/post/peopleandcultures.blog/2898

And, if you’d like to hear the show, encourage your local public radio station to run it, and it can be found at the Public Radio Exchange, PRX.

Rosas das Rosas – The New York Consort for Poetry and Music 3:24

CSM #383 Jordi Savall and Hesperion XX 8:14

Rose of Rose CSM Waverly Consort 3:27

Thank you for listening to Cantigas de Santa Maria, I’m Debra Bolton.

The Musical Biography of King Alfonso X, 13th Century Spain

The Following is a transcript of an annual program that I produce for public radio stations who will “purchase” it. At this writing, I do know that High Plains Public Radio, of the Central High Plains will run it on Christmas Day, usually at 9:00 a.m. Central Time. I will update this site as I learn of any station running it.

Hello. I’m Debra Bolton. Welcome to Las Cantigas de Santa Maria (The Holy Canticles of St. Mary), Songs and poems in praise of Holy Mary – and the poetic/musical biography of Alfonso, “the wise”, The King of Castile-Leon, now Spain, and who lived from 1221 to 1284, and for whom we celebrate his 800^th birthday this year. I appreciate your joining me today. We begin this musical journey with The Learned King declaring himself Mary’s Troubadour who will take her teaching to his Kingdom and beyond. Let’s hear…Counter Tenor, Russell Oberlin performing the prologue. Please note, that at the time, the use of counter tenors aka “castrados” would have been the norm, since females were not allowed to perform in a king’s court. :

Prologue: Russell Oberlin, CSM #60 2:37

Camerata Mediterranea CSM52 and instrumental Prelude – 4:05

That was Counter tenor, Russell Oberlin, taking the part of the Learned King as he declares himself the Virgin Mary’s Troubadour and asks the “noble lady” to bestow the inheritance of eternal life and grant Alfonso’s kingdom a place in eternity.

Also, you heard Camarata Mediterranea with an instrumental to highlight El Sabio’s wise welcome to Christian, Muslim, and Jewish musicians in his court, which blended European and Arabic performance and music techniques.

Interesting to note, of the 420 Marian poems written by King Alfonso X and his assistant scribes, about every 10^th poem is a song of love for the Virgin, and since this is not an “official” prologue, since the prologue has the even number #60, it would also be considered a “cantiga de loor” song of love for Mary.

King Alfonso ruled his Kingdom of Castile-Leon, now Spain, from 1252 until his death. Scholars and Alfonsine devotees celebrate the Learned King’s 800^th birthday this past November 23. Alfonsine scholar, Dr. J.K. Knauss, who has written widely on the Learned King, spoke to me about the celebrations across Spain in honor of the King’s birth. Knauss recently released her fourth book about the King. In Our Lady’s Troubadour, Knauss took the poems and corresponding works of art, and put them into narrative stories. Here, Knauss introduces CSM#42 before we hear the piece performed by an early music ensemble called, Sonus.

Insert Knauss’ introduction:

CSM#42 – A Virgen mut groriosa, Sonus 2:38

That was Sonus with CSM#42, the story of Mary as a jealous queen that rebukes those she loves if they refuse her.

Now we turn to the interpretation of CSM#116: A merchant went to Salamanca to trade at the fair. It was his custom to serve the Virgin faithfully and to fast rigorously. On the eve of her feasts, he would not even eat vegetables or fish.

He always used to offer candles at churches dedicated to the Virgin. In Salamanca, he had his servant fetch two large candles that he had brought from Toledo. He had them lit and guarded so that they would not go out. The Virgin let them go out, but then caused them to burn once again.

We hear this performed by Eduardo Paniagua and his Musica Antigua. Paniagua, a musicologist and an early music instrumentalist, devotes much of his time to researching, performing, and recording the vast catalogue of Las Cantigas de Santa Maria, poems and songs in praise of Holy Mary.

That was CSM#116, “The Candles that Miraculously Came Alight” from Musica Antigua on their album, Cantigas de Toledo, where King Alfonso was born these 800 years ago. 6:20

You’re listening to Las Cantigas de Santa Maria, a musical biography of Spain’s King Alfonso X and his praise to the Virgin Mary. I’m your host, Debra Bolton

END OF SEGMENT ONE

(Excerpt of The Prologue from Joseph O’Callaghan’s)

Throughout the life of King Alfonso X, he devoted himself to learning and being surrounded by the learned. He believed a learned King and court with great knowledge of the natural world, mathematics, architecture, human behavior, and great discernment could only benefit the people of his kingdom. Being a pluralist, he employed Christian, Jewish, and Muslim in his court to advance learning.

In a recent interview with Alfonsine scholar, Dr. J. K. Knauss, she noted that the great legacy of El Sabio is that he lived up to his name, “the wise” because he was obsessed with writing everything down. Whether is was about mathematics, astronomy, the virtue of playing board games and other leisurely activities to balance hard works, laws to govern his subjects, and teaching morality, he not only wrote continually, but he chose not to write in Latin, the language of Kingdoms of the day. What made his legacy so strong is that he wrote in Castilian, the present-day Spanish. King Alfonso X is considered the “Father of Castilian.” Was he that much of a visionary? It would seem so since Spanish only trails Chinese as the most common language worldwide, flanked by English, Arabic, Hindi, Bengali, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, and Lahnda, aka, “Western Punjabi” according to The World Economic Forum.

Let’s turn to the marvelous miracles of Mary found in CSM#11, the Drowned Sacristan. Every night a sinful monk left his monastery to take his pleasure with his mistress. Before he left he would say the Ave Maria.

One night he fell into a river and drowned. Devils and angels argued over his soul. The devils’ case was more convincing, and the angels were about to give in when the Virgin made them recover the monk’s soul. They returned the soul to his body and revived him. The other monks found him alive in the cold water.

We hear CSM#11 interpreted by Ensemble Alcatraz, a San Francisco, CA group dedicated to the research and performance, throughout the world, of the music of Spain, Portugal, and France. This is from their CD Cantigas de Amigo, CSM#11 8:35

That was Ensemble Alcatraz performing Cantigas de Santa Maria #11,

You’re listening to Las Cantigas de Santa Maria, the holy canticles of the Virgin Mary in music, poetry, and art. My name is Debra Bolton. I am your host for this special music. If you go out to my website https://peopleandcultures.blog/2020/10/11/cantigas-de-santa-maria-a-musical-exploration-of-medieval-king-alfonso-x-of-spain/, you will find examples of some of the art that corresponds with the songs and poetry.

King Alfonso employed artists to create two and three-dimensional works of art to correspond to the poems and songs, which would have made the Learned King an early pioneer in multi-media. Now, here we are putting it all in digital form! Some scholars point of the works of art, the songs and the poems as Alfonso’s way to teach morality to the subjects of his kingdom on many levels. While those in his court were, themselves, learned and well-educated people, there were many in his kingdom who, perhaps, could not read or write. Hence the need for the lessons on morality in more than written forms.

The poems and songs employ the language of the time, which is Galician-Portuguese, Medieval Galician, or as some linguists and historians simply call the language, Romance, the root language of Castilian, the language of Spain.

Alfonso X ruled from 1252 to 1284. To put the world into perspective at the time, the English language continued to change from its Germanic-rooted Olde English of the Beowulf poet (circa 9^th or 10^th century) after the Norman invasion of 1066. In the next century, we hear the English of Geoffrey Chaucer and the Gawain Poet. Europeans now use Arabic numerals in favor of Roman Numerals. In the Mongol Empire, Mongke, officially, marks the worship of his grandfather, Genghis Khan while Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity flourish. The Inca Empire of Peru is thriving. England begins the process of segregation of Jewish peoples, and other countries begin to follow suit. The Mexica people, also known as Aztecs, are building their great city on a lake in what is now Mexico City. King Alfonso X’s bid to be King of the Holy Roman Empire fails in favor of Count Rudolf, bringing prominence to the Habsburg family, Rudolf was considered mediocre as Alfonso was too ambitious and certainly too bright for the Pope of the time.

When we think about world events of King Alfonso’s time, between the 12 and 14^th centuries, there was a sect of Christians called the Cathar, a

fundamentalists sect who believed there were two gods: A good one who presided over the spiritual world, and an evil one who ruled the physical world. Cathars viewed even sex within marriage and reproduction as evil, and so lived strict lives of abstention. Here I present the spoken text of the Papal Bull legislating torture of those practicing Catharism, called “Ad Exstirpanda.” As a side note, that papal bull also supported colonizing so called, “Non-Christian” countries and enslaving Indigenous peoples, which carried over to the Doctrine of Discovery launching Columbus to the Americas 200 years later.

At odds with the Catholic church, The Cathar believed in female deities and believed that Mary Magdalene and Jesus were married. The text is presented in Latin, as the Cathar of the time were in France and Italy.

Ad exstirpanda” performed by Jordi Savall and Hesperion XXI followed by what sounds like a lament, Veri dulcis in tempore” translated “A true Sweet season” of the time from the CD “The Forgotten Kingdom.

Recitation: 3:14

Veri dulcis in tempore: 3:57

That was Jordi Savall and his Hesperion XXI performing music of the forgotten Kingdom of the Cathar in France and Italy.

After 1492, in addition to colonizing the lands and its people, Spain, also, colonized the languages of the Americas and the Caribbean. Since the so called, “first contact,” we saw Castilian overwhelming, and often erasing, many Native languages of the islands and the continents, thanks to the Doctrine of Discovery establishing a so called, “spiritual, political, and legal” justification for colonization and seizure of land NOT inhabited by Christians. Again, the Spanish we hear today differs widely from that of the CSM and Alfonso X’s time. However, you don’t need to understand Galician-Portuguese to enjoy this music, known for its complex musical structures and its use of what we now call, ancient instruments.

Coming up in the next hour of Cantigas de Santa Maria, we will hear more songs and tunes about miracles of the Virgin Mary as we continue this musical biography of King Alfonso X, the wise, of 13^th Century Spain

Go to an instrumental played by the Waverly Consort, Cut #15, to play to the end. 6:43

Hour Two

Hello, I’m Debra Bolton. Welcome to the second hour of Las Cantigas de Santa Maria (The Holy Canticles of St. Mary), Songs and poems in praise of Holy Mary – and the poetic/musical biography of Alfonso, “the wise”, The Kind of Castile-Leon, now Spain, and who lived from 1221 to 1284, and for whom we celebrate his 800^th birthday this year. I appreciate your joining me today.

Let’s begin this hour with two miracles performed by the Virgin, as written by King Alfonso X.

“The Girl Who Ate Spiders, CSM #201:

A beautiful noble woman promised to guard her virginity.

The devil tempted her to take a lover, and she lived with her godfather and became pregnant by him. When the baby was born she killed it. She became pregnant a second time and killed her newborn baby yet again. Then she did this a third time. Overcome with despair, and hating herself, she tried to commit suicide. She stabbed herself in the breast, but the knife missed its mark.

Then she swallowed a spider, but it was not big or poisonous enough to kill her. She ate another bigger spider and her body swelled so much she was near death. As she lay dying, she repented and asked the Virgin to forgive her sins.

The Virgin appeared to her and stroked her body, making her more beautiful and fit than she had ever been. The woman entered an order and lived virtuously from that time forth.

Performed by the Martin Best Ensemble (Cut#7) 2:58

You’re listening to this holiday special, Las Cantigas de Santa Maria, a musical biography of 13^th Century King of Spain, Alfonso, the wise. I am Debra Bolton, your host.

As we continue in this exploration of this very small part of King Alfonso X’s tribute to the Virgin Mary, my references come from the writings of Dr. J.K. Knauss, whose books continue to inspire me. On November 18, 2021, Dr. Knauss released a book which put the Cantigas de Santa Maria in narrative form. We did hear Dr. Knauss introduce CSM#42 in the previous hour, from her book, Our Lady’s Troubadour. I now will explore Dr. Knauss’ book, Violence in the Cantigas de Santa Maria. In addition, I refer to the writing of Professor Joseph F. O’Callahan, Mr. Andrew Casson, Maestro Jordi Savall, Maestro Eduardo Paniagua, John Esten Keller, Robert I. Burn, Editor of “The Emperor of Culture” and from Oxford Univesity’s CSM database.

From the book, Violence in the Cantigas de Santa Maria, Dr. Knauss establishes an important beginning that does not have violence to set a calm tone. That would be CSM#97 about a slandered man who was exonerated. However, we move into the violence rather quickly in CSM#233. Knauss mentions this cantiga in her book about violence and in her recent book, Our Lady’s Troubadour, where she writes a wonderfully accessible narrative called, “No-Man’s-Land, ” which regales the story of the good knight, Jacinto (Ha-theen-toe), who while traveling with his men, encounter with Moors, who were so impressed with Jacinto’s faith to the Virgin Mary. The Moors spoke, “We see that you are not of this world, but we don’t think your intensions are evil.” “We honor you because you have been sent by Mary, mother of Jesus. Jacinto held his hand out to the Moorish leader, and they embraced as they forgave one another for their conflicts with one another.

Here we have CSM#233 performed by Elizabeth Pinard. I had a difficult time finding this piece, so I turned to YouTube, and found this incredible interpretation by Ms. Pinard, a Brazilian singer with the most incredible vocal range. Listen for her low notes, and when the choir comes in, Ms. Pinard vocalizes in ethereal high ranges. Go to Youtube and enter “Elizabeth Pinard – Cantiga de Santa Maria 233”

9:11

Let’s take a moment to talk about some of the instruments that you’re hearing on this musical journey of 13^th Century Spain, then called, Castile-Leon.

Recorder – Yes. That woodwind instrument that many of us learned in grade school. We hear this in the CSM, usually, on a wider variety of wood recorders.

Organetto – a small portable organ, which you heard performed by Esther Lamandier

Hurdy Gurdy, a.k.a. Viola de Rueda, and the Zanfona. Here we hear this instrument in Musica Antigua and by a group called, BIDAIA, featuring Caroline Phillips.

Vielle – the Medieval fiddle with five strings and six tied frets.

Rebec – A three-string “fiddle” often held between the legs as it’s played.

Viola de Gamba – (a.k.a., Viol or gamba), a six-stringed instrument, said to be a precursor of the four-stringed cello. The Gamba, usually, is much larger and has frets, like a guitar.

Gaita – Galician bag pipe, also common in Portugal. We’ll hear the Gaita in the next hour of this musical journey.

Duduk – Double reed Armenian flute, featuring those mournful, lamenting tones.

The language of the time, Galician-Portuguese, finds scholars today who argue that Galician and Portuguese are dialects of the same language. It tends to remind one more of Portuguese than of Castilian, the root language of modern-day Spanish. Portugal situated directly south of Galicia, was home to the Celts and the Sephardim of the Iberian Peninsula. Stay with us…

Segment Two Hour Two

Begin with Prologue by Waverly Consort, Cuts 1 and 2: (3:45)

We continue with Las Cantigas de Santa Maria, the musical biography of Medieval King of Castile-Leon, Alfonso X, the wise and learned. I’m your host, Debra Bolton.

We just heard an English interpretation of the prologue, where the wise King announces himself in the role as the Virgin Mary’s troubadourn. The Waverly Consort, founded by Kay and the late Michael Jaffe performed that piece.

J. K. Knauss describes the importance of the Cantigas de Santa Maria saying, “The most appropriate single adjective for the corpus of cultural work produced under Alfonso X is ‘encyclopedic.’” He wrote books of history, astronomy/astrology, law, poetry, board games, and music. Even his written leisure activities continue to survive the vagaries of time, bearing the King’s name as patron or author.”

For more perspective of the time, King Henry III ruled England about the same time Alfonso X ruled Castile-Leon, the greater part of what is now known as Spain. While El Sabio ruled his lands with Christians, Muslims, and Jewish peoples living and studying side-by-side with some appreciation and great tolerance, it would not be until 208 years later that Isabella and Ferdinand would expel all non-Christians and the time Christopher Columbus would set sail for Asia but landed in the Americas, which changed extensively the lives that he touched. Before that, well-civilized Indigenous tribes had not yet had contact with European colonialists. The surnames that most people connect with Latin American countries were the surnames of their Spanish conquerors. During and after the inquisition, many non-Christians, Jewish and Muslim people, added the suffixes of –ez, -es, or -os to their surnames. For example, the Muslim man, Alvar, became Alvarez. The Jewish man, Martin became Martinez. Consistent with most surnames, there remained a connection to the family trade or place of origins. The Herrera were Jewish iron-smiths. Those hailing from Galicia, or Galego, were the Galegos. In the present day, an extra “L” was added to make it “Gallegos.”

The next piece takes us to Italy, of the time, with a song, in Latin, praising the Virgin Mary. This piece, Verbum Caro Factum Est, “Word was made flesh” is performed by the Waverly Consort. I offer this to illustrate that there were other parts of Medieval, Romance Europe also praising the Virgin Mary. Again, not in the tradition of Alfonso X, who wrote about people’s interior and exterior lives, from every social class from Spain to other parts of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East and their relationships to the Virgin in everyday life, according to Knauss.

Verbum Caro Factum Est Waverly Consort ( 4:40) (Verbum Caro Factum Est)

CSM #41/119 Capella Ministeres (4:22)

That was Capella Ministrers, CSM 41/119. CSM#41, the story of a money changer named, Garin. The devil scared him. Garin went mad, and then the Virgen not only restored his senses, she gave him paradise. The story of CSM#119, tells the story of a judge who lived a life of ease. He ate well and collected generous supports, though he did not fulfill his duties and only arrested those who were destitute. The Virgin came to the judge’s rescue when a band of brigands kidnapped him. In the process of killing the judge, Mary intervened. She made the judge confess every one of his sins. He died the next day and angels carried away his soul.

Performed here by Capella Ministrers, CSM 41/119. 4:22

That was Capella Ministrers performing CSM 41 and 119 here on Cantigas de Santa Maria, the musical biography of Spain’s 13^th Century Monarch.

You’re listening to Las Cantigas de Santa Maria, a musical biography of King Alfonso X, I’m your host, Debra Bolton.

Cantigas de Santa Maria: Songs and Images

Alfonsine scholar, Dr. J. K. Knauss describes the importance of the Cantigas de Santa Maria saying, “The most appropriate single adjective for the corpus of cultural work produced under Alfonso X is ‘encyclopedic.’” He wrote books of history, astronomy/astrology, law, poetry and music. Even his written leisure activities continue to survive the vagaries of time, bearing the King’s name as patron or author.”

Now, I’d like to turn to interpretations of the CSM that have a more contemporary feel. Andre Bocelli, a mostly self-taught tenor, provides this wonderful rendition of CSM #57. I think the addition of Spanish guitar and a children’s choir give this interpretation a light and jovial feeling to the subject, “The Robbed Pilgrims to Montserrat.” From Bocelli’s album, “Believe” recorded last year. It features duets with Allison Krauss and opera singer, Cecilia Bartoli, on the Decca label.

Mui Grandes Noit’ e Dia (CSM #57) (4:06)

#CSM 422 Robin Rolfhamre (5:48)

That was Swedish Lutenist, Robin Rolfhamre with CSM 422, The Litany of the Day of Judgement. Mostly, Dr. Rolfhamre focuses on the early music of the 15^th century. His interpretations here features the lute.

You’ve been listening to Las Cantigas de Santa Maria, the holy canticles of the Virgin Mary and the musical biography of Medieval King Alfonso X of Spain in music, poetry, and art. I’m the producer and your host, Debra Bolton. I began exploring the history of the CSM, because I found the tunes, songs, poems, and art pieces so wonderfully extraordinary with their passion and multimedia approaches. I hope you’ve found this music and its stories interesting. For more information, please visit my blog: https://peopleandcultures.blog/?p=1369

And, if you’d like to hear the show, encourage your local public radio station to run it, and it can be found at https://exchange.prx.org/pieces/396349

To take us out, here’s an ensemble called, Calliope with CSM medley. Thank you for listening to Cantigas de Santa Maria, I’m Debra Bolton. (5:51)

Emotional Pain in Crises and Self-Care

One would have to live under a rock in order not to acknowledge the global pain and suffering at the moment. Since early March we hear the daily COVID-19 reports from countless sources. Some we believe and send us into the realms of disbelief.

My featured image, this week, shows the baby bunny, a kit, living in my backyard. His favorite nourishment appears to be crisp, dandelion greens and dandelion stalks. Since both our dogs died last year, I am delighted that this little creature stays in our yard. Watching him (I really cannot identify his gender) gorge himself on clover and dandelions while viewing the world around him, reminds me to engage in a quiet pace, enjoy my surroundings, eat my food contemplatively (Okay, I’m anthropomorphizing said bunny!), and be aware of my surroundings with its joys and its, possible, dangers. Good advice from the bunny, considering world events of late.

My goal, here, does not center on my judgement of the current world and U.S. events. I assure you, I have the full range of emotions around the effect of COVID-19 and senseless killings. You don’t need to read those. Rather, I hope to offer comments regarding self care and how we may focus on ourselves in a healthful way. I’m sure you’ve read lots of information on mindfulness. Here, I offer another resource. A couple of friends wrote an Extension publication called, Everyday Mindfulness. It comes complete with the “Fact Sheet,” which the actual publication, and with a leader’s guide, in case you want to teach it. If you want more information on how to gain free access to the publication, just let me know in a comment.

First, let us look at what mindfulness can be:

» Living in the present moment/awareness of the present moment — paying close attention to thoughts, physical sensations, and our surroundings (Like the bunny in my backyard!).
» Observing personal experiences of mindfulness, being completely focused on a project
reading a book, doing a hobby, or playing a sport. This heightened awareness is mindfulness.
» Taking a few deep breaths — becoming fully aware of the present moment.
» Having nonjudgmental awareness in which each thought, feeling, and sensation is acknowledged and accepted in their present state. This steady and non-reactive attention usually differs from the way we routinely operate in the world.
» Paying attention, precisely, to the present moment without judgment

Sometimes, delighting in the little things can help us to be more focused, though we can benefit from setting aside specific time for expressing anger and other emotions. When we “schedule” such time for judgement, anger, sadness, and guilt, we can focus our energies for the difficult times. The next step would be to schedule time for joy, celebration, and the plan-of-action for addressing the events that bring on anger, sadness, guilt, and judgement. When we call ourselves to action, we address the helplessness that often accompanies injustices and inequities.

This photo is meant to help us imagine a peaceful scene to promote mindfulness. It’s three of my four grandchildren enjoying Canada geese swimming while an elder feeds them.

Back to mindfulness. We follow seven principles. They take practice, but it’s worth the effort in your journey toward self-care:

Non-judging: Be a neutral observer to each experience.
Patience: Allow each experience to emerge at its own pace.
Beginner’s mind: Avoid bringing in what you know to the current moment and try
experiencing it as if it is the first time.
Trust: Believe in your intuition and your ability to see things in a new way.
Non-striving: Avoid the need for winning or losing or striving for a purpose — it is about “being” and “non-doing.”
Acceptance: See things as they are in the present moment.
Letting go: Take the time to detach from your usual feelings and thoughts.

You may ask, “How can we do this when the world is hurting and in crisis? My answer: We can better serve others and be the best for the world once we have addressed our own physical and emotional needs.” It is not selfish. It is good practice.

I snapped this shot on one of my walks not far from my house. In a world of pain, suffering, and ugliness, somedays, I have to focus on beauty. Thank you for reading.

Good Times with Friends and Food

In my undergrad years, I was a literature major. One of my favorite things to do was to bake or cook the foods in my favorite books. I like to cook. I like to read. I like to entertain. One time I had invited a friend to my house for dinner. She said, “I don’t know. What are you reading?” At the time, I was reading Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, and I had been baking buttermilk biscuits, ham, greens, and red-eye gravy.

Lately, I’ve been experimenting with recreating dishes from cooking magazines. Last week, I prepared a wonderful curry, which included garbanzo beans and fried Halloumi cheese. I had invited colleagues to enjoy the meal, and it was a hit! I did not remember, however, to take pictures, so perhaps another time.

Well, I take inspiration from interesting films as well. Netflix has a wonderful Japanese serial called, Midnight Diner. The series, with English subtitles, centers on “Master” who opens his diner at midnight for people rushing home at the end of their days. “Master” prepares for his customers whatever they choose, as long as he has the ingredients. Each episode has a story that plays out at the diner as the focused character requests a specific food of his/her/their past. And, we, the viewers, get to watch while he prepares. In the opening credits, “Master” prepares Tan-men. I have not prepared this dish in a satisfactory way at this point.

Recently, we began viewing the second season of “Midnight Diner.” The title, “Chicken Rice” is a story of an adult being reunited with his mother after 37 years. He heard about the Master’s diner where customers order their heart’s desire. When the Master was preparing the “chicken rice,” the addition of the red sauce intrigued me. I looked it up, and there is a website that offers the recipes for the “Midnight Diner” series. Here’s the recipe for chicken rice. I made it for breakfast, and it tasted quite delicious. Take note, the surprise ingredient is ketchup! Actually, the next time I prepare this dish, dinner is the better time of day for it. In the series, most things are consumed with beer – not my sort of breakfast beverage.

Here’s the recipe for chicken rice, as I had prepared it this morning:

Prepare rice (White or brown) in your usual method
De-bone and cube two chicken thighs (for three servings). Sprinkle the meat with salt and pepper.
Dice a quarter of an onion and, approximately six mushrooms
While the chicken absorbs the seasoning, prepare the sauce
The sauce requires
1. 3 tablespoons (45g) ketchup (I used a siracha-infused ketchup)
2. 3 tablespoons (45g) tomato paste
3. 2 tablespoons (30g) water
Mix all and set aside
Cook the chicken until it looses its pink color. Add onions and mushrooms. Cook until chicken is well-cooked and some browning has occurred.
Add three to four tablespoons (30 to 45 g) of the tomato mixture until well mixed.
Add 2.5 cups (about 400g) cooked rice, and combine thoroughly with 3 tbs. (45g) frozen peas.
The recipe says put the mixture in an “omurice” form, which looks a bit like an American football. I put mine in a bowl as the form before inverting it on the dish.

The recipe suggested that five or six peas be arranged on top, and that you eat it with a spoon larger than a teaspoon – a soup spoon.

Now, I thought ketchup mixed in rice would be a curious flavor, but it works greatly! Here is the chicken rice in the pan.

Two weeks ago, we traveled to see our friends, Phil and Paula, who live about two hours away. We spent a wonderful weekend enjoying an opening art exhibit of Preston Singletary, a glass artist who is Alaskan Native (Tlingit). We had wonderful food at the special dinner for museum members, and we perused through the exhibition of his extraordinary glass works. Look it up on the internet. You will see. I did not take pictures, because I felt it inappropriate. This is the poster.

That weekend also included food prepared by Paula, Phil, and I made my apple cabbage slaw. Phil made chicken. Paula made deviled eggs. We made a cheeseboard. Here are our dishes.

We watched a football game (Superbowl), and our team won! It was a good evening – not because of the ball game, but because we were with friends that we love.

Thank you for reading my blog.

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