Periodic Reporting for period 1 - GOLDEN-ROM (The Golden Age of the Romancero: Echoes of traditional ballads in Medieval and Early Modern Spanish Literature)
Período documentado: 2021-06-01 hasta 2023-05-31
"The Golden Age of the Romancero: Echoes of Traditional Ballads in Medieval and Early Modern Spanish Literature" (acronym GOLDEN-Rom, No. 101029346) is a research project conducted at the Instituto de Estudos de Literatura e Tradição (IELT) of the Universidade Nova de Lisboa from 1 June 2021 to 31 May 2023. The project aimed to recover, catalogue, edit and study a collection of almost 1,500 references to romances in Spanish literature from the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries, compiled by one of the first European philologists, María Goyri.
Romances are traditional ballads born in the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages, which have been transmitted orally from generation to generation to the present day in Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Galician and Judeo-Spanish. This transnational and translinguistic heritage reached its peak of popularity during the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries, a period in which romances were sung daily in a wide variety of contexts. For this reason, late Medieval and Early Modern Iberian literatures are deeply influenced by the romancero and quotes and allusions to romances are frequently spread in literary works.
The study of these echoes is important to understand until what extent the romancero influenced Spanish literature, but also to document verses and versions of ballads different from those preserved in manuscripts and books from the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. Furthermore, the study of these references enables a profound analysis of the romancero in the society of that era, determining the extent to which it was part of everyday life, identifying the most popular themes and uncovering the contexts in which ballads were sung.
The importance of this project for society lies in the fact that nowadays we are witnesses of the extinction of the romancero from the collective memory, as the last generations of transmitters are disappearing. One way to preserve and revitalize this endangered heritage is studying its golden age and making it accessible to society, thereby raising awareness of the significant impact that the romancero has left on European literature over its more than six centuries of life.
Therefore, the objectives of this project were: 1) To develop an online database in which the echoes to romances collected by María Goyri and subsequent researchers are catalogued, 2) To conduct a comprehensive study on the influence of the romancero in Medieval and Early Modern Spanish literature, considering, for the first time, a corpus of almost 1,500 literary echoes, 3) To perform a comparative analysis of the use of the romancero by Spanish and Portuguese writers from the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries, contrasting María Goyri's inventory with the catalogue of Portuguese references to romances compiled by Carolina Michaëlis.
Romances are traditional ballads born in the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages, which have been transmitted orally from generation to generation to the present day in Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Galician and Judeo-Spanish. This transnational and translinguistic heritage reached its peak of popularity during the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries, a period in which romances were sung daily in a wide variety of contexts. For this reason, late Medieval and Early Modern Iberian literatures are deeply influenced by the romancero and quotes and allusions to romances are frequently spread in literary works.
The study of these echoes is important to understand until what extent the romancero influenced Spanish literature, but also to document verses and versions of ballads different from those preserved in manuscripts and books from the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. Furthermore, the study of these references enables a profound analysis of the romancero in the society of that era, determining the extent to which it was part of everyday life, identifying the most popular themes and uncovering the contexts in which ballads were sung.
The importance of this project for society lies in the fact that nowadays we are witnesses of the extinction of the romancero from the collective memory, as the last generations of transmitters are disappearing. One way to preserve and revitalize this endangered heritage is studying its golden age and making it accessible to society, thereby raising awareness of the significant impact that the romancero has left on European literature over its more than six centuries of life.
Therefore, the objectives of this project were: 1) To develop an online database in which the echoes to romances collected by María Goyri and subsequent researchers are catalogued, 2) To conduct a comprehensive study on the influence of the romancero in Medieval and Early Modern Spanish literature, considering, for the first time, a corpus of almost 1,500 literary echoes, 3) To perform a comparative analysis of the use of the romancero by Spanish and Portuguese writers from the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries, contrasting María Goyri's inventory with the catalogue of Portuguese references to romances compiled by Carolina Michaëlis.
The work performed can be classified into the following packages: 1) database development, 2) dissemination of results among the academic public, 3) outreach activities and 4) publications. The actions undertaken significantly exceed the scope initially outlined in the Grant Agreement.
A digital database was developed at http://goldenrom.eu. It hosts María Goyri's entire collection of quotes and allusions to romances catalogued in 1,468 records across 32 metadata fields with images of the primary sources and is equipped with both general and specific search engines. Furthermore, it is interconnected with other websites and databases related to the romancero.
There was a continuous effort to disseminate results within the academic community. The researcher delivered 6 presentations in international conferences in Portugal, the United Kingdom, Germany and Spain, all of them considered influential academic gatherings in the fields of Medieval and Golden Age Spanish literature, oral poetry and romancero studies. These actions did not only facilitate the presentation of the project's outcomes to specialists in the field and related areas but also led to the creation of new connections and the strengthening of existing relationships, which could lead to future collaborations. Additionally, 2 invited talks were delivered at seminars hosted by the IELT, targeting both academic audiences and master and PhD's students. Furthermore, the researcher participated as a guest speaker in a tribute session at an international conference.
One of the main concerns of the project was to perform several outreach activities to let the intangible heritage of the romancero known by a non-specialized audience. Consequently, four interviews were delivered on the radio programs and two informative blog posts were written. The researcher also conducted a workshop at a high school, targeting students of baccalaureate; and participated in the European Researchers' Night. Lastly, it was organized an exhibition comparing the biographies and academic trajectories of María Goyri and Carolina Michaëlis, the first two female philologists who studied the romancero.
Regarding publications, 5 articles were published in prestigious scientific journals, along with 1 book chapter in an internationally renowned publishing house. There are 3 additional papers in preparation and the data obtained from the project will also serve as a starting point for dozens of future publications.
A digital database was developed at http://goldenrom.eu. It hosts María Goyri's entire collection of quotes and allusions to romances catalogued in 1,468 records across 32 metadata fields with images of the primary sources and is equipped with both general and specific search engines. Furthermore, it is interconnected with other websites and databases related to the romancero.
There was a continuous effort to disseminate results within the academic community. The researcher delivered 6 presentations in international conferences in Portugal, the United Kingdom, Germany and Spain, all of them considered influential academic gatherings in the fields of Medieval and Golden Age Spanish literature, oral poetry and romancero studies. These actions did not only facilitate the presentation of the project's outcomes to specialists in the field and related areas but also led to the creation of new connections and the strengthening of existing relationships, which could lead to future collaborations. Additionally, 2 invited talks were delivered at seminars hosted by the IELT, targeting both academic audiences and master and PhD's students. Furthermore, the researcher participated as a guest speaker in a tribute session at an international conference.
One of the main concerns of the project was to perform several outreach activities to let the intangible heritage of the romancero known by a non-specialized audience. Consequently, four interviews were delivered on the radio programs and two informative blog posts were written. The researcher also conducted a workshop at a high school, targeting students of baccalaureate; and participated in the European Researchers' Night. Lastly, it was organized an exhibition comparing the biographies and academic trajectories of María Goyri and Carolina Michaëlis, the first two female philologists who studied the romancero.
Regarding publications, 5 articles were published in prestigious scientific journals, along with 1 book chapter in an internationally renowned publishing house. There are 3 additional papers in preparation and the data obtained from the project will also serve as a starting point for dozens of future publications.
GOLDEN-Rom represents a significant philological advancement. Through the database, the largest collection of references to romances in Spanish literature was made available to the scientific community, filling a gap that had lasted for decades. The database is meant to be a fundamental tool for understanding the origin and development of the romancero in ancient times and the deep influence it has had on Spanish literature. It will not only be useful for philologists, but also for musicologists, historians and folklorists interested in the culture and society of the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. This is due to the wealth of data and primary and secondary sources gathered concerning oral literature from the period.
This project also provides the first comprehensive study of the phenomenon of allusion to romances in Spanish literature. Applying a methodology of descriptive statistics, previously unanswered questions were addressed successfully, such as which ballads and verses were the most popular, how these intertextual references were employed and which literary genres and authors cited more romances. Additionally, a comparative analysis of the allusion to ballads in Spain and Portugal was conducted through a case study, uncovering common trends and divergences among countries of different languages. All of this contributes to consolidate the research line on the influence of the romancero in European literature, an area that was not extensively explored until now but promises to yield relevant results in the coming years.
Concerning social terms, GOLDEN-Rom has tried to foster interest and knowledge about the romancero, highlighting the immense richness of this endangered heritage and its importance to understand European culture. It has also contributed to highlight the substantial contributions of Carolina Michaëlis and María Goyri to philology. Lastly, this project serves as a tribute to María Goyri, as it has recovered, completed, and published one of her most ambitious works that she could not finish during her lifetime. This is particularly meaningful at the present time, since this year, 2023, is the 150th anniversary of her birth.
This project also provides the first comprehensive study of the phenomenon of allusion to romances in Spanish literature. Applying a methodology of descriptive statistics, previously unanswered questions were addressed successfully, such as which ballads and verses were the most popular, how these intertextual references were employed and which literary genres and authors cited more romances. Additionally, a comparative analysis of the allusion to ballads in Spain and Portugal was conducted through a case study, uncovering common trends and divergences among countries of different languages. All of this contributes to consolidate the research line on the influence of the romancero in European literature, an area that was not extensively explored until now but promises to yield relevant results in the coming years.
Concerning social terms, GOLDEN-Rom has tried to foster interest and knowledge about the romancero, highlighting the immense richness of this endangered heritage and its importance to understand European culture. It has also contributed to highlight the substantial contributions of Carolina Michaëlis and María Goyri to philology. Lastly, this project serves as a tribute to María Goyri, as it has recovered, completed, and published one of her most ambitious works that she could not finish during her lifetime. This is particularly meaningful at the present time, since this year, 2023, is the 150th anniversary of her birth.