The Cantigas de Santa Maria ('Canticles of Holy Mary') are 420 poems with musical notation, written during the reign of Alfonso X The Wise (1221–1284) and often attributed to him. It is one of the largest collections of monophonic songs from the Middle Ages and is characterized by the mention of the Virgin Mary in every song.The reissue in remastered multichannel sound of this 1993 landmark recording enables us to hear Jordi Savall and his ensembles at their best. Instrumental and vocal pieces alternate and paint a vivid picture of a repertoire, that contributed much to the birth of Western music.