Retazos del Methode nouvelle (1737) de Monsieur David en “El cantor instruido” (1754) de Manuel Cavaza

Abstract

“El cantor instruido y maestro aliviado” (E-Mbhmv, MSS 597) is a treatise on singing, written in 1754 by the oboist of the Spanish Royal Chapel, Manuel Cavaza (ca. 1717–1790). Earlier scholarship has drawn attention principally to its focus on how to sing in the “modern” Italian style, while the influence of French musical theory on this text has not yet been sufficiently investigated. The present article explores the portions of the treatise that are based on the Methode nouvelle (1737) by “Monsieur David,” a work devoted to the elementary principles of music. A comparative study of both treatises reveals the assimilation and adoption of French theoretical elements within Spanish music theory. Specifically, it illuminates an instance of syncretism in the solfeggio traditions of eighteenth-century Madrid.