A Mexican Christmas

Our villancico band contributes a good number of villancicos that reflect the blend of Spanish and African elements during Colonial times in Mexico. The guineo, a word used in this context in connection to Africa, its people, and their way of speaking, is a constant throughout the villancico band’s offerings. The complete body of pieces we perform contains references to dances, instruments, and costumes, which attest to their celebratory character. They are preserved in the Mexican archives and are the kind of pieces that would have certainly been heard in the Mexico City streets during the 17th century.

Andrés ¿Do queda el ganado?, a guineo by Gaspar Fernández, opens with a dialogue in which a shepherd called Andrés tries to explain why he lost the cattle. Dialogue, a theatrical feature, was often used in villancicos, probably as an entertaining element. A prolific composer, Fernández worked for 23 years as chapel master of the Puebla Cathedral in the early 17th century. Serenísima una noche is identified as a baile by its composer, the Iberian Fray Jerónimo González. The word baile, rather than danza for “dance,” suggests a popular character. The first section, a romance (ballad), depicts a story by the manger; the second part, the baile proper, is indicated to be played very fast, almost “like flying” (muy volado.)

Al establo más dichoso, by Juan Gutiérrez de Padilla, is an ensaladilla (little salad) with several sections that feature different characters, from shepherds to a mule skinner, African people, and even angels who join them in singing “Glory in the Highest” in Spanish. Padilla, who succeeded Fernández at the Puebla Cathedral, has been recognized as one of the most important composers of New Spain.

Si al nacer, o miniño, also by de Padilla, is set in the Galician language. Its contemplative tone is underlined by the use of a small ensemble joined only at the end by the choir in a delicate, yet rhythmic, response. With Dame albriçias, mano Antón we return to a dialogue between African characters, celebrating the news that Jesus was born in Guinea.

Our two ensembles join to close our program with Convidando está la noche by the Mexican-born composer Juan García de Zéspedes. He joined the Puebla Cathedral as a choirboy and was then promoted through different positions until he succeeded de Padilla as chapel master in the late 17th century. The Convent and Villancico ensembles join forces for this piece, whose sections are labeled by the composer as juguete (toy) and guaracha. The former, with a straightforward homophonic texture, sets the tone for the lively guaracha, a term used nowadays to identify a popular Latin American upbeat dance.

While voices in the convent and in the street both contribute to these villancicos, instruments were an important part of the aural tapestry. The “nuns” are accompanied by organ, harp, and bajón (bassoon). The “villanciqueros” offerings feature instruments played in Mexican traditional music, including the jawbone as well several descendants of the Spanish guitar, including jaranas (jaranas mosquito & tercera), requinto, huapanguera guitar, and leona.

— Francy Acosta and José Luis Posada