Villano
Francisco Guerau
This Villano is a Spanish dance from the seventeenth century, composed by Francisco Guerau (1649-1722?), a contemporary of Gaspar Sanz. He started his musical activities as a boy soprano in the Royal Chapel in Madrid. He "survived" the breaking of his voice and continued his career as singer, music teacher, director and composer.
In 1694 he published his collection for Spanish baroque guitar, called Poema Harmonico (harmonic poem), this piece is one of its entries. His music is clearly aimed at Spanish song- and dance forms, like Pasacallas, Canario, Jacaras and Villano.
A Villano originally was a native peasant dance from the Spanish countryside, Villano means "peasant". In Guerau's time the Villano became a stylized movement of a Spanish baroque suite, just like the Minuet in the French suites.
The piece is built on a simple theme which is varied in several ways by so called differencias. You have to add the typical baroque trills to your taste.