Esther M. Zimmer Lederberg
Galley Cannon

The music is Morisco music, found on Iberian Garden, Vol. 1 by Altramar. The piece is Muwashshah: Mā li-l-muwallah, 1113-1198.

This music takes place at the beautiful gardens along the Guadalquiver, near Cordoba. This is during the "convivencia" under Alfonso X (El Sabio - The Wise), the time before Granda fell: when Christians, Moslems and Jews lived at peace with each other. Muwashshah are songs in poetic form, with instrumental interludes in the form of Ibn Bājja (Avempace): 1470-1520. This is Morisco art.
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galley cannon
Galley Cannon
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The Galley forecastle and aftcastle when present, evolved. Orginally, the forecastle was a platform for soldiers. Before the use of cannons, mangonels or trebuchet catepults were used on the forecastle. As gunpowder became used, the catapults were replaced by guns or cannons. The sides of the galleys became armed with soldiers using "ballista" (crossbows), then small cannons. The forecastle was of Viking design, a raised tower. The raised tower was replaced by an increasingl elaborate "castle" with rails, the castle integrated into the gallera hull. Eventually, the castle on a galleyass took on a round shape, offering both protection from missles as well as a field of fire to the left, forward and to the right. Here, only one cannon is present, firing forward. There are no cannons able to fire to the left or right.

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