The choral books from the National Library are one of the greatest treasures of this bibliographic collection. With centuries of history, these musical texts have now been deciphered, which has allowed the music that was played in the temples and convents of New Spain to be recreated
by México Desconocido
The National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) is in charge of the custody of the choral books of the National Library. This facility is the most important bibliographic collection in our country. Of all the treasures it guards, these volumes of sacred music are among the most valuable, due to their history and antiquity. Therefore, it has been very relevant that a specialized group has carried out an authentic work of deciphering and sound reinterpretation of these books. They have managed to faithfully recreate the music that resonated in temples and convents of what was once New Spain.
The Ernesto de la Torre Villar Room (“Mexican Room”) of the National Library
The National Library of Mexico is an integral part of the UNAM. Located within the University Cultural Center (CCU), in the capital of the Republic, the highest house of studies is in charge of safeguarding and managing the most important bibliographic collection in the country. Among the different collections found in this very important facility, there is the Ernesto de la Torre Villar Room, colloquially known as the “Mexican Room”, where the choral books are found.
In this space, around 2,500 copies are kept, which belong to the Old Collection. Most of them were printed in New Spain, between the years 1554 and 1821. The room was designed by the architect Orso Núñez and was inaugurated in 1993, within the Annex Building of the National Library.
The function of the space is primarily to protect New Spain books. The room can be visited free of charge through guided tours. On these tours, in addition to seeing the “Mexican Room” first-hand, you can also see some of the ancient books kept in the premises.
The choral books of the National Library
There are fifteen viceregal choral books and they are kept in the “Mexican Room.” They were made in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries in New Spain and in Seville, Spain. They are truly enormous volumes, since each of their sides measures almost a meter, with weights that range from 20 to 40 kilos. Their pages are made of parchment, with religious illustrations in color that sparkle metallically in the light. The capital letters that began the texts are covered with beautiful flourishes.
These choral books were created in convents and monasteries. In these religious enclosures there were rooms called scriptorium. There, several friars or monks who were specialists in music, calligraphy, bookbinding and illustration, handcrafted the aforementioned volumes. For this reason, they are authentic works of art.
The resurrection of New Spain choral music
The Institute of Bibliographic Research (IIB) of the UNAM and the Melos Gloriae choir were in charge of the meticulous project of reading and interpreting the ways of writing music in that remote era. Thanks to this, it was possible to recreate the sacred sounds of the New Spain convents and temples, captured in the choral books of the National Library.
The director of the choir, Ariadna Cisneros, and the researcher of the IIB, Silvia Salgado Ruelas, were responsible for directing the project. The specialists have commented that unlike our time, these musical books did not have a time signature, nor the treble or bass clef, nor half, quarter or whole notes. What they contained was a score with tetragrams (instead of staves), with large squares representing sounds. To interpret these compositions, musicians and specialists had to study and decipher knowledge from the past.
