Poetic Music of the Quintilla

Skipping back to the end of the 1500’s you’d find the Quintilla had become quite the popular form for lyric or folk poetry, song and even plays.

This short form is one of the oldest Spanish forms and is similar to the ballad in that they both can be folk songs, but the Quintilla’s rhyme scheme is limited to 2 rhymes. Using eight syllables per line, poets will lambada with drama and heart-felt emotions in this form. This five-line verse has several choices in how you place your rhyme scheme, so this gives the poet some leeway in his creation of this musical form. You may have as many or as few stanzas as you like as long as you stay with your original rhyme scheme.

The most common rhyme scheme, and the one with which I personally feel the most comfortable is ABABA.

A poet may also choose to use any one of the following rhyme patterns: ABBAB, ABAAB, AABBA.


"Northern Lights - A Quintilla" 

Sea of fire in the darkness
Gift of warmth surfing on the ice
Blazing through the northern coldness
Shining embers burn, churn and slice
Spark hope in one fluid caress.


Red Writing Hood


So waltz with romance and boogie with fear in your attempts to master the art and music of the Quintilla.


Quintilla LINKS:

http://ic.ucsc.edu/~kgruesz/ltam190f/poetics
http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/Strasse/9282/quintet.htm
http://ic.ucsc.edu/~kgruesz/ltam190f/poetics




For more poetical type info click here: "A Poet's Tool Box" 

***Featured in the 02/17/2005 edition of the Poetry newsletter***