The court of Del Rey Alfonso El Sabio (a.k.a: "El Sabio the Wise"), ruler of Spain from 1252 until 1284, was the center of a great output of intellectual and artistic activity. The twelve songs (or "Cantigas") on this recording are some of the fruits of that activity, and certainly must rank among the most beautiful melodies ever written for voice. These works, sung in the original Galician language in which they were written, are exquisitely performed by the legendary countertenor Russell Oberlin, possibly the greatest countertenor of our century, with Joseph Iadone, lute, under the direction of Saville Clark. Includes extensive liner notes by Saville Clark, Ernesto G. Da Cal, with translations from Galician by Murrey Hargrove with Aurelio M. Espinosa.