The tono humano (secular song) was one of the main genres of 17th Century Spanish and Portuguese music.
At this point tonos were generally strophic songs (coplas) with a refrain (estribillo).
[2][3] However by the end of the 17th century some tonos had begun to include recitative and aria sections, as the cantada, Spanish form of the cantata became known around 1700.
The best copies were in the Royal Palace in Madrid and in the nearby Buen Retiro, both of which were lost in fires.
[5][6][7] The Libro de tonos humanos Madrid 1656 (Biblioteca Nacional, M-1262) is the most substantial Iberian cancionero of the 17th Century with over 200 songs, almost all romances with estribillo in 4 voices.