Ríu Ríu Chíu, sometimes shortened to Ríu Ríu or Ríu Chíu, is a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

villancico The ''villancico'' (Spanish, ) or vilancete (Portuguese, ) was a common poetic and musical form of the Iberian Peninsula and Latin America popular from the late 15th to 18th centuries. Important composers of villancicos were Juan del Encina, Pedro ...

that has attained some contemporary fame as a

Christmas carol A Christmas carol is a carol (a song or hymn) on the theme of Christmas, traditionally sung at Christmas itself or during the surrounding Christmas holiday season. The term noel has sometimes been used, especially for carols of French ori ...

Origins

The villancico is attributed by some sources to

Mateo Flecha Mateo Flecha (Catalan: Mateu Fletxa) (1481–1553) was a Catalan composer born in Kingdom of Aragon, in the region of Prades. He is sometimes known as "El Viejo" (the elder) to distinguish him from his nephew, Mateo Flecha el Joven, Mateo Flecha "E ...

the Elder, who died in 1553; it has also been described as

anonymous Anonymous may refer to: * Anonymity, the state of an individual's identity, or personally identifiable information, being publicly unknown ** Anonymous work, a work of art or literature that has an unnamed or unknown creator or author * Anonym ...

. The song also bears a strong resemblance to another villancico, ''Falalanlera'', by

Bartomeu Càrceres Bartomeu Càrceres (Valencian pronunciation: əɾtuˈmɛu ˈkaɾsəɾəs, Bartolomé Cárceres in castillian, ( fl. 1546) was a Spanish composer, notably of '' ensaladas.'' Biography The sole verifiable biographical fact known about him is th ...

, an Aragonese composer. It is known from a single source, the ''

Cancionero de Upsala The , also known by the titles Cancionero del Duque de Calabria and Cancionero de Venecia, is a volume of mostly anonymous Spanish music printed in Venice in 1556. Its actual title is ''Villancicos de diversos Autores, a dos, y a tres, y a quatro, ...

'', published in 1556 in Venice; a unique copy is preserved at the library of the

University of Uppsala Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. The university rose to significance during ...

. The song appears as the fortieth song of that collection. Daniel R. Melamed described the song as "redoubtable", and mentions it as a contender for the best known piece of

Renaissance music Renaissance music is traditionally understood to cover European music of the 15th and 16th centuries, later than the Renaissance era as it is understood in other disciplines. Rather than starting from the early 14th-century '' ars nova'', the Tr ...

. The apparently nonsense syllables ''ríu ríu chíu'' are often taken to represent the song of a

nightingale The common nightingale, rufous nightingale or simply nightingale (''Luscinia megarhynchos''), is a small passerine bird best known for its powerful and beautiful song. It was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is no ...

, while the context and etymology are compatible with the call of a

kingfisher Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly colored birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species found in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, ...

. Riu translates as river in the

Catalan language Catalan (; autonym: , ), known in the Valencian Community and Carche as ''Valencian'' (autonym: ), is a Western Romance language. It is the official language of Andorra, and an official language of three autonomous communities in eastern Spa ...

, in agreement with the birth place of the accredited composer, and was translated as river by

The Monkees The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was conc ...

, where the roaring river prevented a wolf from crossing to attack sheep.

Themes

The basic theme of the song is the

nativity of Christ The nativity of Jesus, nativity of Christ, birth of Jesus or birth of Christ is described in the biblical gospels of Luke and Matthew. The two accounts agree that Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judaea, his mother Mary was engaged to a man na ...

and the

Immaculate Conception The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, meaning that it is held to be a divinely revealed truth w ...

. The refrain which gives the villancico its title goes: Ríu, ríu, chíu, la guarda ribera, Dios guardó el lobo de nuestra cordera. ::" ith a cry ofRíu, ríu, chíu, the kingfisher, God kept the wolf from our Lamb ary, spared of original sin at birth" The Immaculate Conception is mentioned in the lyrics: El lobo rabioso la quiso morder Mas Dios Poderoso la supo defender Quísola hacer que no pudiese pecar Ni aun original esta virgen no tuviera. ::"The raging wolf sought to bite her, but God Almighty knew (how) to defend her; He chose to make her so that she could not sin; no

original sin Original sin is the Christian doctrine that holds that humans, through the fact of birth, inherit a tainted nature in need of regeneration and a proclivity to sinful conduct. The biblical basis for the belief is generally found in Genesis 3 (t ...

was found in that

virgin Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...

." The song also mentions themes of the

Incarnation Incarnation literally means ''embodied in flesh'' or ''taking on flesh''. It refers to the conception and the embodiment of a deity or spirit in some earthly form or the appearance of a god as a human. If capitalized, it is the union of divinit ...

and

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

: Éste que es nacido es el Gran Monarca Cristo Patriarca de carne vestido Hamos redimido con se hacer chiquito Aunque era infinito finito se hiciera. ::"This one that is born is the Great King, Christ the Patriarch clothed in flesh. He redeemed us when He made himself small, though He was Infinite He would make himself finite." Yo vi mil Garzones que andavan cantando Por aqui volando haciendo mil sones Diciendo a gascones Gloria sea en el Cielo Y paz en el suelo pues Jesús nasciera. ::"I saw a thousand boys (angels) go singing, here making a thousand voices while flying, telling the shepherds of glory in the heavens, and peace to the world since Jesus has been born"

Performances

Classical and

early music Early music generally comprises Medieval music (500–1400) and Renaissance music (1400–1600), but can also include Baroque music (1600–1750). Originating in Europe, early music is a broad musical era for the beginning of Western classical m ...

performers of the song include the

Boston Camerata The Boston Camerata is an early music ensemble based in Boston, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1954 by Narcissa Williamson, at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, as an adjunct to that museum's musical instrument collection. The Camerata incorporat ...

and the

Oxford Camerata The Oxford Camerata is an English chamber choir based in Oxford, England. The Camerata was founded in 1984 by conductor Jeremy Summerly and singers David Hurley and Henrietta Cowling and gave its first performance on 22 May of that year. The ens ...

. In 1967,

the Monkees The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was conc ...

performed the song live on a Christmas episode of their

TV series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed betw ...

entitled "The Monkees' Christmas Show". A studio version was released on subsequent compilation albums (and later on the 2018 album '' Christmas Party)''. The Monkees' producer,

Chip Douglas Douglas Farthing Hatlelid (born August 27, 1942), better known as Chip Douglas, is an American songwriter, musician (bass, guitar and keyboards), and record producer, whose most famous work was during the 1960s. He was the bassist of the Turtle ...

, had performed it himself with his former band,

the Modern Folk Quartet The Modern Folk Quartet (or "MFQ") was an American folk music revival group that formed in the early 1960s. Originally emphasizing acoustic instruments and group harmonies, they performed extensively and recorded two albums. In 1965, as the Mode ...

, on their 1964 album ''Changes''. The song was performed in Spanish at

King's College, Cambridge King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, the college lies beside the River Cam and faces out onto King's Parade in the centre of the city ...

in a 1992 Christmas Eve broadcast service entitled "Nine Lessons and Carols". The song has appeared on the following albums: * '' Goin' Places'' (1961) by

The Kingston Trio The Kingston Trio is an American folk and pop music group that helped launch the folk revival of the late 1950s to the late 1960s. The group started as a San Francisco Bay Area nightclub act with an original lineup of Dave Guard, Bob Shane, and ...

(listed as "Guardo el Lobo" and credited to musicologist

Erich Schwandt Erich Paul Schwandt (born July 26, 1935 in San Luis Obispo, California – 2 August 2017 in Victoria, British Columbia) was a Canadian cembalist, organist, musicologist and music educator. Schwandt studied harpsichord with Putnam Aldrich and ga ...

) * ''Our Heart's Joy: A Chanticleer Christmas'' (1990) by Chanticleer * ''The Season'' (1990) by

Fred Penner Frederick Ralph Cornelius Penner (born November 6, 1946) is a Canadian children's entertainer and musician known for the song "The Cat Came Back" and his television series, '' Fred Penner's Place'', which aired on CBC in Canada from 1985 to 199 ...

* ''

'' (1993) by

Bruce Cockburn Bruce Douglas Cockburn ( ; born May 27, 1945) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist. His song styles range from folk to jazz-influenced rock and his lyrics cover a broad range of topics including human rights, environmental issues, po ...

* ''

Christmas Around the World The observance of Christmas around the world varies by country. The day of Christmas, and in some cases Christmas Eve, the day before and Boxing Day, the day after, are recognized by many national governments and cultures worldwide, including in ...

'' (2000) by

Bradley Joseph Bradley Joseph (born 1965) is an American composer, arranger, and producer of contemporary instrumental music. His compositions include works for orchestra, quartet, and solo piano, while his musical style ranges from "quietly pensive mood music ...

* ''Cynara'' (2000) by

Anúna Anúna (stylized in all caps) is a vocal ensemble formed in Ireland in 1987 by Irish composer Michael McGlynn under the name An Uaithne. Taking the current name in 1991,Allmusic Biography/ref> the group has recorded 18 albums and achieved a ...

. * ''Midwinter'' (2003) by

The McDades The McDades are a Canadian folk band made up of siblings Shannon Johnson (violin and vocals), Solon McDade (bass and vocals), and Jeremiah McDade (multi-instrumentalist and vocals). The McDades were performers at an early age, playing folk music ...

with Terry McDade * '' The Dawn of Grace'' (2008) by

Sixpence None the Richer Sixpence None the Richer (also known as Sixpence) is an American Christian alternative rock band that formed in New Braunfels, Texas, and eventually settled in Nashville, Tennessee. They are best known for their songs " Kiss Me" and " Breathe Yo ...

* '' Christmas from the Heart'' (2009) by

David Archuleta David James Archuleta (born December 28, 1990) is an American pop singer. At ten years old, he won the children's division of the Utah Talent Competition, leading to other television singing appearances. When he was twelve years old, he becam ...

* ''Deepest December'' (2015) by

Patricia O'Callaghan Patricia Mary O'Callaghan (born October 2, 1970) is a classically trained Canadian singer. She is a soprano who has built an international reputation as a performer of contemporary opera, early 20th-century cabaret music and the songs of Leonard Co ...

References

External links

Complete rhyming translations of "Riu Riu Chiu" into English and Esperanto, with simple melody scoreCovers
on

WhoSampled WhoSampled is a website and app database of information about sampled music or sample-based music, cover songs and remixes. History Nadav Poraz founded the site in London, England in 2008, as a way to track musical samples and cover songs. ...

Recording (1961) by The Kingston Trio
">The Kingston Trio">Recording (1961) by The Kingston Trio
br>Recording (1967) by The Monkees
{{DEFAULTSORT:Riu Riu Chiu Spanish-language Christmas carols Marian hymns The Monkees songs Catalan music

Origins

Themes

Performances

See also

References

External links