Di, perra mora- Rediscovering Spain
Composer: Anonymous (Pedro Guerrero?)
The word “villancico”, derived from “villanesca”, refers to pieces with a “villano” – that is, popular – setting, like this typical secular work from the 16th-century Cancionero de Medinaceli. Possibly composed by Pedro Guerrero, it tells a typical frontier story of the Spanish Renaissance: the sorrows of a Christian in love with a Moorish woman. These works were performed with a free choice of voices and instruments; here we hear an instrumental version, recorded at the Espacio Turina in Seville in 2020 (Rediscovering Spain).
Lyrics
Di, perra mora,
di, matadora,
¿Por qué me matas,
y, siendo tuyo,
tan mal me tratas?
Tell me, cruel Moorish girl,
tell me, my slayer,
why do you kill me,
and, though I am yours,
treat me so cruelly?
Credits
ACCADEMIA DEL PIACERE
Fahmi Alqhai, viola da gamba & direction
Rami Alqhai, viola da gamba
Johanna Rose, viola da gamba
Francisco Javier Núñez, harpsichord
Agustín Diassera, percussion
