Di perra mora

This anonymous Spanish villancico for SATB voices is a secular example of the genre. The text expresses a lover's lament, questioning why his beloved, a 'dark bitch' and 'killer,' treats him so harshly when he belongs to her. The composer’s identity is unknown, but the style belongs to a tradition of vibrant, often poignant, secular part-music from the Renaissance. The setting is full of dramatic contrasts, reflecting the emotional intensity of the lyrics, and requires confident ensemble work to bring out the sharp rhetorical questions and passionate pleas.