Dictionary of Music - Birding America

vina 461vihuela de arco (vē wā′lä dā är′kô) Spanish.under VIOL.Seea cantata, for soloists, chorus, and instrumentalaccompaniment.Villa-Lobos (vēl′läh lō′bôs), Heitor (ā′too r),1887–1959. A Brazilian composer who, owing tothe huge number of his works, his devotion to hiscountry’s folk music, and his reform of Brazilianmusic education, became his country’s leading composerof the first half of the twentieth century. Manyof his more than two thousand compositions are second-rate,but a few are outstanding. In general theyreflect the influence of French impressionism andother contemporary French styles (introduced toVilla-Lobos by Darius Milhaud, who lived in Brazilfor two years), the styles of Brazilian popular andfolk music (itself influenced by African, Portuguese,and native Indian sources), and jazz. Among Villa-Lobos’s most interesting works are some of his fourteenChôros, which use the basic rhythmic andmelodic elements of native Brazilian music. He alsoattempted, with some success, to link Brazilianrhythms with baroque counterpoint in his Bachianasbrazileiras, of which the best known is no. 5, forsoprano voice and eight cellos. He also wrote a greatdeal of piano music, including three suites calledProle do bébé (“Baby’s Family”), and seventeenstring quartets.villancico (vēl′′yän thē′kō) Spanish. 1 Today, aChristmas carol. 2 In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries,a type of Spanish poem that was often set tomusic. It consists of several stanzas and a refrain,which is sung before the first stanza and repeatedafter each subsequent stanza. In general form thevillancico is very similar to the Italian FROTTOLAand French VIRELAI. In the fifteenth century, villancicoswere usually given polyphonic settings (withseveral voice-parts) and had purely secular texts (seealso CANCIONERO, def. 1); in the sixteenth centurythey were sometimes treated as solo songs withinstrumental accompaniment, usually provided bythe vihuela, and, by the end of the century, often hadsacred or devotional texts. Outstanding composersof villancicos were Juan del Encina (1468–1529),Cristóbal de Morales (c. 1500–1553), and JuanVásquez (c. 1510–c. 1561). 3 In the seventeenth andeighteenth centuries, a choral composition similar tovillanella (vē lä nel′ä) pl. villanelle (vē lä nel′e)Italian. Also, villanescha (vē lä nes′kä), pl. villanesche.A type of song that was popular in Italyduring the sixteenth century. Less serious than themadrigal, with which it existed side by side, the villanellawas also less complicated musically andoften had a humorous text in strophic form.Although the music was for several voice-parts, generallythree, they usually moved together, in chords,rather than weaving an elaborate polyphony as in themadrigal (see MADRIGAL, def. 2). The villanellaprobably originated in the city of Naples, and a commonname for it was villanella alla napoletana.Composers of villanelle include Orlando di Lasso,Adrian Willaert, Luca Marenzio, and AndreaGabrieli.vina (vē nä′) Sanskrit. One of the most importantinstruments of ancient and modern India. A stringedinstrument, it is usually classified as a kind of zither(see ZITHER, def. 2), though it also bears someresemblance to a lute. In its simplest form, the vinaconsists of a long stick of bamboo or wood, overwhich are stretched seven metal strings; attached tothe underside of the stick are one or two hollowgourds (vessels), which act as resonators (reinforcethe vibration of the strings). In more elaborateforms, however, one of the gourds has become thebody of the instrument and the stick has become itsneck; the second resonator, if present, is largely decorative(see the accompanying illustration). Onlyfour of the strings are used to play the melody; theother three serve as drones (sound a single pitcheach, more or less continuously). The melodystrings are stopped (held down) against high brassfig. 260 p/u from p. 483