por What is romance?
He Romancein the field of poetic creation, is defined as the result of the grouping, generally brief, of verses whose metric account adds eight syllables (octosyllables), and is typical of the Spanish and Latin American poetic tradition.
In these, the phonetic correspondence is fulfilled in the last vowel of each syllable (rhyme) of those verses whose order agrees with numbers that are multiples of two, while the rest can do without the rhythmic coincidence (they remain “free”).
They were narrative poems, characteristic of the Spanish oral tradition, and from which, according to some scholars, epic poems would derive; They were elaborated to be declaimed or sung by the troubadours and minstrels, from town to town, for which the theme was very varied, since it depended a lot on the place where the minstrel was.
origin of romance
There is no certainty about the origin of the romance, since its oral quality makes dating difficult. However, there are at least three theories that attempt an explanation: the traditionalist, the individualist, and the neotraditionalist, which is currently the most accepted.
The traditionalist theory proposes that the origin of the romancero goes back to the Germanic tradition, where short poems were made that little by little were put together to form the songs of deed. According to this theory, the lyrical epic would derive from the lyrical form.
For its part, the individualist theory suggests that the origin was the mester of clergy, a poetic form made by clergymen and educated men who recounted historical events, and used minstrels to make them known.
As for the neotraditionalist theory, he proposes that the romance arose thanks to the fragmentation of the great epic poems, such as the Sing of My Cid. Thus, these fragmented poems were heard in the mouths of troubadours and minstrels in the streets and also in the palaces.
In this way, people learned the poems and passed from mouth to mouth, and this led to the content and form being modified, depending on the context.
In fact, the first romance of which there is written evidence dates from 1421, found in the notebook of a Mallorcan law student named Jaume Olessa.
Romance Rating
There are various parameters to classify romances. The most common are listed below:
According to the chronology
Depending on when the romance was created, it is classified as old or new.
old ballads
They are those poetic compositions by an anonymous author, fragmented from the old songs of deed. Their origin is not known with certainty, but it is customary to date them between the 14th and 15th centuries. They were transmitted orally, and their first written form was in the 16th century.
new ballads
They are those made from the 1500s onwards, up to the present, generally based on the old ballads. Its form is primarily written and the authorship is usually known (some recognized authors are Cervantes, Lope de Vega, Quevedo, Miguel de Unamuno, Antonio Machado, Federico García Lorca, etc.).
According to the internal structure
It refers to the way in which the events narrated are organized, there is usually an initial situation, a complication and a resolution. From here three structures arise:
romance scene
It is the romance that only takes the most dramatic scene of a story, but does not refer to its beginning or its end. Leave the ending open.
romance story
It is the romance that tells a complete story, with its beginning and its end. They are usually ancient legends.
Romance with refrain
This type of romance uses a refrain at the end of each verse. A famous example is the romance “Ay de mi Alhama”.
According to your matter
The compositions revolve around specific and well differentiated themes. Between them we have:
historical romance
It recounts historical or legendary themes related to medieval Spanish history. An example is the poem of the Cid Campeador.
epic or legendary romance
It is based on the exploits of historical (usually French) heroes, such as Charlemagne.
Sentimental or fictional romance
The theme is very varied. It is closely linked not only to reciprocated love, but also to the melancholy of rejection.
He is the type that has the most romances, and his themes include, in addition to love, fictitious and invented facts, myths and popular stories, and many are inspired by Spanish and Asian folklore.
Resources
In the romances there are different literary resources, we present only a few:
phonetic reiteration
Also called alliteration, it corresponds to the repetition of the same sound (a letter or syllable), in order to create pleasing melodies for hearing.
structural repetition
It alludes to the repeated appearance of the same class of words with a rhythmic objective: “Moor from the Morería”, “walker, there is no path”.
sensory representations
Through these, the exaltation of the five senses is pursued in the narrative: smell, sight, touch, hearing and taste. It abounds in descriptions and comparisons.
similes
They deal with the use of comparisons, or manifestations of similarity or difference between people, animals or things, related in some way.
Outstanding works
Below are some famous romances, both anonymous and by well-known authors.
Romance of love more powerful than death (fragment)
(Anonymous author)
«Count Child for love is,
He is a child and he went to sea;
he is going to give water to his horse
the morning of San Juan.
while the horse drinks
he sings sweet to sing;
all the birds in the sky
they stopped to listen
walker who walks
forget your walk,
navigator who sails
the ship goes back there.
The queen was working
the sleeping daughter is:
«Get up, Albaniña,
of your sweet home,
you will feel beautiful singing
the little mermaid of the sea
«It’s not the little mermaid, mother,
the one with such beautiful singing,
but it is the Count Child
that wants to end for me
Who could be worth it
in his so sad grief!
—If for your love it hurts,
oh, malhaya his singing!
and because I never enjoyed them
I will order him to kill.
«If he orders him to kill you, mother,
together they have to bury us.
He died at midnight
she to the roosters crow;
to her as the daughter of kings
they bury her on the altar,
to him as son of counts
a few steps back.
From her a white rose bush was born,
an albar thorn grew from it;
the one grows, the other grows,
the two are going to get together;
the twigs that are reached
strong hugs are given,
those that were not reached
They won’t stop sighing.»
Douro Romance
(Gerardo Diego)
Duero River, Duero River,
no one to accompany you down,
no one stops to hear
your eternal verse of water.
indifferent or cowardly,
the city turns its back.
He doesn’t want to see in your mirror
its toothless wall.
You, old Duero, smile
between your silver beards,
grinding with your romances
failed harvests.
And among the stone saints
and the magic poplars
you spend carrying on your waves
words of love, words
Who could like you
at the same time still and moving,
always sing the same verse,
but with different water.
Duero River, Duero River,
no one to be with you low,
no one wants to attend anymore
your eternal forgotten verse,
but the lovers
who ask for their souls
and sow in your foam
words of love, words.
fragment of fuenteovejuna
(Lope de Vega)
«To start the day
of this city, which already has
name of Ciudad Real,
gathered the gallant master
two thousand lucid infants
of his brave vassals,
and three hundred on horseback
of seculars and of friars…”.
Romance of Count Arnaldos
(Anonymous)
«Who would have such a fortune
on the waters of the sea,
as there was Count Arnaldos
Saint John’s morning
going to look for the game
for his falcon to feed,
saw a galley coming
who wants to reach land
the candles bring silk
twine gold rigging
anchors have silver
tables of fine coral
sailor who guides her
saying a song comes
that the sea calmed down
the winds subside
the birds that fly
to the mast they come to pose
the fish that walk at the bottom
up makes them walk.
There the infante Arnaldos spoke
well you will hear what he will say
‘By your life the sailor
tell me now that song
The sailor answered him
such an answer was given
‘I don’t say my song
but to whom he goes with me’”.
excerpt from the book ballads of banishment
(Miguel de Unamuno)
«When the dawn wakes me up
the memories of other dawns
they are reborn in my chest
those that were hopes
I want to forget the misery
that devastates you, poor Spain,
the fatal beggar
from the desert of your house.
For a moldy crust
you sell, brothers, the entrails
of blood cooked in siesta
that acts as your soul.
‘You have to live’, chorus
of the most holy desire,
your bitch life dream
in yawning always ends.
‘Tomorrow will be another day’
and the future passes you by
nor does death come to you
that you have not lived anything
When it comes to you
freedom ‘God help me!’ (…)”.
References
Harlan, C. (2018). Romance. (n/a): About Spanish. Retrieved from: aboutespanol.com
(2018). (n/a): Wikipedia. Retrieved from: es.wikipedia.org/wiki
Grouper, M. (2015). The love. (n/a): The old romance. Retrieved from: blogspot.com
Examples of Romance (2018). (n/a): Rhetoric. Recovered from: rhetoricas.com
The Spanish Ballads (s.). (n/a): Spanish corner. Recovered from: rinconcastellano.com.