This songbook has always traditionally been related to the Valencian court of the Duke and Duchess of Calabria, Ferdinand of Aragon and Germaine de Foix. But this does not mean that the collection existed as such during Ferdinand's lifetime (he died five years before it came to light). The vast majority of the songs, if not all, were however among their favourites, as they generally were for members of the local nobility. None of them have lost value, and in general they reflect the good taste and refinement of a court whose music chapel became famous throughout Europe.

However, little or none of this refinement is reflected by In Canto's performances. In regard to the villancicos, the main defect lies in distressingly quick tempos. This chamber repertory needs to be savoured note by note, word by word, and sung to the sound of the vihuela at most, not a vihuela and a viola da gamba, which together blur the texture. In the instrumental duets, performed by two recorders, the lack of brilliance, together with the poor musical edition employed, make listening to this disc a somewhat unsatisfying experience. MARICARMEN GÓMEZ