Stephen Hatfield
La Lluvia is an SSA with descant, short bass part, and percussion. There are a few voicings of this piece but I'm going to stick with the SSA arrangement. This piece seems far more complex than it actually is. The structure of the piece is founded upon 4 small motives that return in every part and are continually layered on top of each other. This piece would work well for any women's ensemble that can read solidly in two-part homophonic harmony and would be a nice challenge. The piece typically is either unison between two parts, or two parts accompanimental and one part melody, simplifying what sounds like a very complex and busy piece. There are no lyrics to this tune, and that makes it possible to teach a lot about the historical aspects of the piece. It also allows for the students to use their collective imagination to come up with ways to create contrast through the different sections. Musically, the piece contains opportunities for different vocal styles and phrasings. The motives are what provide the contrast and the singers can sing them with different weights. Tempo is a big teaching point in this, as the piece can run away if everyone isn't together. In terms of ranges, the Treble I part goes the highest, up to an F# (the descant goes to the G) and all parts need to go to a low B, the Treble III part sits low at points but for an acapella piece, that is sometimes necessary. If you don't have enough singers to pull of the 5 part section (three part canon, descant, and bass) it is possible to only have the singers sing the three part canon, it still sounds just fine.
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