El gran Monarca

Mike Nesmith, singer-songwriter and one of The Monkees died yesterday. He was 78. In his honor, today’s Advent piece is the quartet singing “Ríu Ríu Chíu” a Capella. I’ve heard other versions, but I still keep coming back to theirs.

“Ríu Ríu Chíu” is a villancico, a Spanish poetic/musical form; it dates from the 16^th Century. “Ríu” means river in Catalan; the refrain could also refer to the sound of the kingfisher bird. The song speaks of Mary and the Christ child being protected from the wolf.

Here they come.