Tune of the Day: Danza del villano
This very nice piece for two flutes and piano was kindly contributed to our collection by Spanish composer Pablo Toribio.
The “Dance of the Villain” is part of a set of compositions for two flutes and piano titled La Princesa de la Media Luna (“The Princess of the Half Moon”). Since these compositions are based on a medieval legend that takes place in the so-called Montes Torozos (Valladolid, Spain), old Hispanic harmonies have been used. In the first part of this piece (tempo a piacere) the harmonic scheme known as “La Folia” (I-V-I-VII-III-VII-I-V) is used, which was an old compositional resource used in Spain. The second part (presto tempo) constitutes a musical metaphor of a kind of paloteo, a dance with sticks very common in the villages located in Montes Torozos. The clicking of sticks is symbolized by a rhythmic-imitative game played by the flutes. We suggest that, at this point, the flutes do not remain too close together to create a “stereo” effect.