Rarely can such a deed so devoid of immediate musical resonance have inspired such a wealth of musical tributes as has Columbus's discovery of the New World in this quincentenary year. This disc joins the throng with an attractive collection of vocal and instrumental pieces from the Cancionero de Palacio or ''Palace Songbook'', a volume of around 500 songs, dating from around 1500, which may or may not (but probably does) tell us something of the repertory of the court of Columbus's sponsors Ferdinand and Isabella.
In terms of the number of works, the predominant composer both in the Songbook and on this recording—even though he never actually served at court—is Juan del Encina, and his is the musical personality which emerges most vividly from this disc too. Nine of his songs are offered here, ranging from the humour of Antonilla es desposada, to the rejected lover's sad plea for solitude contained in Hermitano quiero ser, to a rousing account of the Reconquest of Granada in Una sanosa porfia. In addition to these, there are further vocal items by Anon, Badajoz and Juan de Anchieta (the touchingly confessional Con amores, la mi madre), intertwined with instrumental numbers by a variety of composers, though principally Joan Ambrosio Dalza.
Margaret Philpot has a light, not in the least contralto-ish voice, secure of intonation and clear in its articulation of both the words and the music (though there are occasions when she struggles to reach low notes comfortably). She is at her best in the more downcast numbers, where her dignified, melancholy tones add to their haunting effect; but her unwillingness to vary her vocal colouring or delivery within a song leads at times to a lack of characterization, something that is especially regrettable in multi-verse and dialogue songs such as the bantering Ollademe, gentil dona. Her accompanists are lively but not over-insistent, their vihuelas and lutes giving the music a polite rhythmic push without sacrificing anything in delicate lyricism. Christopher Wilson's lute solos are thoughtful and refined, seeking not the sensational—a description that can be said to fit this disc as a whole.'