The Alabados of New Mexico

by Thomas Steele (Editor)

The sacred Spanish-language hymns known as alabados originated in colonial New Spain in the eighteenth century. The Alabados of New Mexico includes a selection of the most beloved and most often sung hymns, in English and Spanish, as well as a basic explanation of the alabado. Introductory material discusses the sources of alabados and the form's origin in late medieval spirituality. Thomas Steele defines terms and discusses the alabado as poetry, music, and oral tradition. The 126 bilingual alabados are organized by theme, including the Christ child and holy family, passion narratives, sacraments, and prayers, etc. Steele includes complete texts and extensive commentaries. He has devoted decades to collecting and studying New Mexico's alabados and his annotations are enriched by his access to many versions of each hymn.

415 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Jose Esquibel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing opus of Nuevomejicano religious expression and spirituality. An alabado is a religious/spiritual hymn or chant. Fr. Steele writes, " The typical alabado sung in New Mexico has an eight-syllable line," but some are shorter. Following an insightful background into the alabado structure and the elements of Nuevoimejicano spirituality as revealed in New Mexican alabados, Fr. Tom presents 126 alabados organized by seven categories. Each alabado is transcribed in Spanish and printed side by side with Fr. Tom's English translation.

Fr. Tom passed away on October 25, 2010 in Denver, Colorado, having spent many years in New Mexico where he was accepted as a member of the La Fraternidad Piadosa de Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno, more commonly known as the Penitentes, being a member of the Morada del Rito. I had the privilege to know Fr. Tom and engage in conversation about the history of New Mexico's religious art tradition and "santeros." We collaborated on research into the history and life of Francisco Xavier Romero, a native of Mexico City who settled in New Mexico in 1693 and was known as an artist as well as someone trained in medical practice.