ABSTRACT
Of particular note in Nunez Muley’s Memorial is his statement that the Moriscos performed on instruments that were different than those used by their nearest Muslim neighbors, the Moroccans. The sudden arrival of Arabic-speaking Moriscos who still dressed, sang, danced, and lived their daily lives in the traditional manner, may instead have injected new life into the withering Morisco communities of further north. Fear that the Moriscos would once again rebel, or that the Ottoman Turks might invade Spain with help from the Moriscos, had been around for decades. The royal correspondence concerning the musical traditions of the Moriscos represents a rather extraordinary moment in Spanish history, and it is not clear precisely why, in fact, the Queen was motivated personally to stop the prohibition. Ironically, in the midst of the expulsions, one last text offers a final glimpse of Morisco musical life.
