The Rose Ensemble live: "Atención, atención (1698)" -Antonio de Salazar (ca. 1650-1715)

Atención, atención (1698) -Antonio de Salazar (ca. 1650-1715); villancico for the Feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe
Source: Catedral Metropolitana de México archives
Manuscript transcription: Dr. Craig Russell
The Rose Ensemble, Jordan Sramek, Founder/Artistic Director
Kathy Lee, Kim Sueoka, soprano soloists
SOPRANO: Heather Cogswell, Kathy Lee, Kim Sueoka
ALTO: Eric Betthauser, Lisa Drew, Kris Kautzman
TENOR: Aaron Peterson, Jordan Sramek, Dustin Wirth
BASS: John Bitterman, Mark Dietrich, Tim O'Brien
with instrumentalists:
Julie Elhard (viola da gamba), Phil Rukavina (vihuela de mano)
PROGRAM NOTES:
Antonio de Salazar was born in Spain, but later moved to Mexico and became one of the most famous Mexican composers. He was chapel master of Puebla Cathedral and later at the Mexico City Cathedral. Like Padilla, Salazar also composed several villancicos, negrillas and canzonetas for feast days.
SPANISH TEXT:
Atención, Atención, Atención,
que si copia la pluma la mano es de un Dios,
Atención, Atención, Atención!
que si copia la pluma la mano es de un Dios.
La mano es de un Dios
la que quiso copiar el retrato mejor
Atención, Atención, Atención!
El aparejó invisible se aparejó de esta echura
aun antes que hubiera mundo ni que fuese cosa alguna.
El divujo fue en prophetas ya en enigmas ya en figuras
el pintarse fue un instante en que se consibe pura.
El traslado fue inocultis en una manta que anuda
a su cuello un indio pobre que por incapaz recusan.
Dispone la en ademán las manos altas y juntas
de resevir siendo en quien allí el pinsel executa.
TRANSLATION (courtesy, Dr. Craig Russell)
Attention, Attention, Attention!
that if the pen writes, it is the hand of God that moves it.
Attention, Attention, Attention!
if the pen writes, the hand is that of God.
It is the hand of God
that sought to capture the best likeness
Attention, Attention, Attention
He primed the invisible canvas, he prepared for this project
even before there was a world or anything in it.
The sketch was in the prophecies, either in riddles or in figures
and it was painted in the very instant in which it was conceived.
Its transfer was in secret in a blanket
tied round the neck of a poor Indian man rejected as unfit.
He displays it in a gesture of his hands, together and upraised,
receiving from He who wields the painter's brush.