Figure 4. Villancico

The villancico was a sacred piece in the vernacular as opposed to Latin and was nearly always in a secular and popular vein (unlike the more formal style of Responsories). On a major feast day such as Christmas, Corpus Christi, the Assumption, the Ascension, the Apparition of the Virgin of Guadalupe, St. Joseph’s Day, St. Peter’s Day, or San Ildefonso’s Day, the eight Latin Responsories of a Matins service can be replaced with eight villancicos in the vernacular (such as Castillian, Gallician, Catalan, Portuguese, Nahuatl, or even Gypsy or pseudo-African dialects) and in radically varied styles. The collected set of eight provides a sort of panorama of folk styles and street-life in the Mexican landscape. They usually require choir or ensemble resources with a simple basso continuo line that is probably realized by instruments from the street such as harp, baroque guitar, and hand percussion. Structurally, too, the villancicos adhere to the folkloric: a chorus (or estribillo) alternates back and forth with short verses or coplas.