Credits
Susan, vocals;
Tina, bass viol;
Howard, lute
Source:
Cancionero de Uppsala
| Ladino | English |
| Yo me soy la morenica, | I am the little dark one, |
| Yo me soy la morena. | I am the dark woman. |
| Lo moreno bien mirado | The dark, handsome man |
| Fué la culpa del pecado; | Was guilty of sin, |
| Que en mi nunca fué hallado, | But sin was never found in me |
| Ni jamás se hallara. | And never will be. |
| Soy la sin espina rosa | I am the rose without the thorns |
| Que Salomon canta y glosa…. | Of which Solomon sings, and says |
| Nigra sum sed Formosa | I am black but beautiful; |
| Y por mí se cantara. | For me they will sing. |
| Yo soy la mata inflamada, | I am the burning bush, |
| Ardiendo ser quemada; | Blazing without being consumed. |
| Ni de aquel fuego tocada | Untouched by the fire |
| Que a los otros tocara. | That will scorch all the others. |
Description
The only non-Sephardic song on our recording, found in the 16th century Spanish collection known as the Cancionero de Uppsala, the song has lyrics inspired by the Song of Solomon. The cancionero was published in Venice in 1556, but was eventually lost (presumably as Renaissance music fell out of fashion), only to be rediscovered in a library in Uppsala, Sweden, in 1907. The book contains fifty-four songs (canciones) and sixteen instrumental pieces. There are a fair number of Spanish Renaissance and Sephardic songs that feature morenas or morenicas, dark-skinned, beautiful girls or young women, some of whom are certainly Moorish.
