Early Modern Spain examines the role of music in sixteenth and seventeenth century literature and its influence on the broader Empire. This Transatlantic approach provides upper level students and researchers with an understanding of how musical ideas emanated from Spain to the Indies, but also the resonance and response from colonial subjects.

Engaging with sources such as songbooks, literary tales, chronicles, opera libretti, and poetry, this book show how music influenced early modern Spanish culture, providing students and researchers with an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the history of early modern Spain and its culture.

The questions of who played music, what types of music they played, and who was (not) listening are central concerns are evaluated to show educated readers how early modern Iberians saw the power of music at work in their society.