This year Xacobeo 2022, the Museum of Pilgrimages and Santiago is honoured to present a revealing exhibition: Chacona. The Song of Santiago. An exhibition that presents the relationship of this musical form with the city of Compostela, the cathedral and the Camino. The discovery shown for the first time in this exhibition is the greatest heritage discovery in the field of St. James' Way in the last 100 years.

Chacona. La canción de Santiago, a project curated by Fernando Reyes, is a highly relevant and innovative exhibition due to the historical discovery it presents. Through an exhibition discourse that follows a narrative line from the origin of the chaconne in Compostela and its evolution over the centuries, the visitor will be able to enjoy a large selection of works. The content is made up of more than a hundred pieces, including original works of art, engravings, document collections, reproductions, musical instruments, music books or scores, and, fundamentally, music, which will accompany us throughout the tour. The Abelló Collection, the Museo de Historia de Madrid, the Museo de la Catedral de Santiago, the Museo do Pobo Galego, the Museo de la Casa de la Troya and the Fernando Reyes Collection, among others, will be collaborating in the exhibition.

The chaconne is a cultural element that has entered into the hearts of millions of people from all walks of life. From queens, kings to beggars; in theatres, houses or temples for more than two hundred years. The chaconne is one of the many and greatest contributions of Santiago and Galicia to universal culture. All composers between 1600 and the end of the 18th century composed chaconnes or included them in their works. No matter how hard we look, we will not find a renowned composer of those times who had not composed one or more chaconas or integrated it in one of his works.

The presentation of Chacona. La canción de Santiago at the Museo de las Peregrinaciones y de Santiago is a great museological milestone, with the revaluation of heritage music as a museum element and the return of this musical form, which has been so successful throughout history, to its birthplace, Compostela.

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