Riu, Riu, Chiu
The Christmas villancico printed in Venice in 1556 in the songbook now called the Cancionero de Upsala, or the Cancionero del Duque de Calabria, for 2 to 4 singers in old Spanish, on the book's own four voices. The soprano sings the opening call and two verses alone, and everyone answers "Riu, riu, chiu, la guarda ribera" in harmony. Light and quick, in E-flat minor.
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The parts
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The first verse
Words: anonymous, from Villancicos de diversos autores (Venice, 1556)Tune: anonymous, from Villancicos de diversos autores (Venice, 1556); attributed by some to Mateo Flecha the Elder or Bartomeu Càrceres
Riu riu chiu la guarda riberaDios guardó el lobo de nuestra corderaDios guarda el lobo de nuestra cordera
About Riu, Riu, Chiu
Riu, Riu, Chiu is a Spanish Christmas villancico from Villancicos de diversos autores, a book printed in Venice in 1556 that names no composer for it. Rafael Mitjana came across the book in Uppsala University's library and believed it the only known copy; it is now called the Cancionero de Upsala, or the Cancionero del Duque de Calabria. The refrain sings that God kept the wolf from "nuestra cordera", our ewe-lamb, and verse 2 sees a thousand young lads, the angels, singing of glory in heaven and peace on earth. In the 1556 print the verses are the bass's alone: "solo las coblas". Our arrangement is the print's own four voices, a semitone higher, in E-flat minor, with the bass's solo call and verses sung by the soprano an octave up, the leading note raised at the cadences and a few closing notes changed so the last chords keep their third. This is the call and two verses, each followed by the refrain everyone sings, in old Spanish, for 2 to 4 singers.
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