Tirant lo Blanc (OM)

Tirant lo Blanc is one of the great novels of medieval literature and one of the titles which lead the way into literary modernity in Europe. Written by Joanot Martorell, with the collaboration of Martí Joan de Galba, and published in 1490, it was soon translated into Spanish (Tirante el Blanco) and Italian.
It is an extensive work, which starts off telling the adventures of Guillem de Vàroic, who imposes the rules of chivalry onto Tirant. The hero is ordained as a knight after a series of fights against kings, dukes and giants. From England, he goes to France, Sicily and Rhodes - under the siege of the Genovese and the Sultan of Cairo, who the hero defeats. In Constantinople, he falls in love with Carmesina, the female main character of the novel, and daughter of the Emperor.

Such an interesting literary proposal, praised in the Quixote by M. de Cervantes, seemed quite a promising starting point to write a knightly music poem with a modern sound, which could be associated with all our hero’s political, military, knightly and courtesan adventures, not to forget his human, noble and sentimental attitudes, or his love passion and commitment to his beloved Carmesina.