Celebren, publiquen, entonen, y canten

Manuel de Zumaya was a leading composer in New Spain (colonial Mexico) in the early 18th century. This festive sacred work, a villancico, is written for a large choir of SAATTBB voices. The Spanish text is a joyous exhortation to celebrate, announce, intone, and sing God's praise, using energetic verbs to convey a sense of communal rejoicing and exultation. The music, with its rich vocal texture, would have been well-suited to the elaborate liturgical celebrations of the era in cathedrals and churches.