Martin Codax

Cantigas de Amigo (Pierpont Morgan Library, New York, Vindel MS M979)

Martín Codax (or Martim Codax) was a medieval Galician troubadour, possibly from Vigo, Galicia, who probably lived in the latter part of the 13th century or possibly the beginning of the 14th century. No certain biographical information about him exists.

The body of work attributed to him is limited to seven cantigas d' amigo that appear in the lyrics of Portuguese-Galician songbooks and in the Vindel parchment; in all three manuscripts he is listed as the author of the compositions and the order of the seven songs is identical.

The discovery of this parchment was by sheer chance: the antiquarian bookseller Pedro Vindel in Madrid found it in his library at the beginning of the 20th century, lining a copy of Cicero's De Officiis.

Martín Codax's poems that appeared in the parchment are the following (untitled, they are listed by their first verse):

• Ondas do mar de Vigo
• Mandad'ey comigo
• Mia irmana fremosa treydes comigo
• Ay Deus, se sab'ora meu amigo
• Quantas sabedes amar amigo
• Eno sagrad' en Vigo
• Ay ondas que eu vin veer

In the Vindel parchment the musical notation of the poems survives alongside their texts, except for the sixth one. They are the only secular mediæval Galician verse for which the music is known.

See also

• Pergaminho Sharrer

External links

• Portal de Martin Codax en la Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes