Hanacpachap cussicuinin

Hanacpachap cussicuinin (modern orthography: Hanaq pachap kusikuynin) is an anonymous hymn to the Virgin Mary in the Quechua language but in a largely European sacred music style. Composed before 1622,Franciscan friar Juan Pérez Bocanegra published it in 1631, making it the earliest work of vocal polyphony printed in the New World.

Hanacpachap cussicuinin appears for the first time in the Ritual published by the Franciscan friar Juan Pérez Bocanegra in 1631 entitled Ritual, formulario e institución de curas, written in both Quechua and Spanish, though this hymn appears without translation. The music is arranged in four parts. When published the work was on pages 708 (tiple, tenor) and 709 (alto, baxo) with the first verse written underneath, while the remaining verses follow on pages 710–712. While Bocanegra claimed that he wrote the text, the author of the music remains anonymous; many sources presume it was Bocanegra himself, though others believe it may have been the work of a native.

The piece has been recorded extensively since the early 1990s by groups all over the world (see list below). Many modern performances perform only a few of the verses to avoid excessive repetition. However, Ex Cathedra (dir. Jeffrey Skidmore) issued the first full version in 2007, divided into four sections and using varying arrangements.

Bocanegra identifies the poetic form as verso sáfico (Sapphic verse), although what he meant by this is unclear. Each verse is made up of five eight-syllable lines and a closing four-syllable phrase, which in the original printed appeared in italics. Often an epithet, this phrase sometimes links to the next verse. The twenty verses are set strophically. According to Bocanegra on p. 707 of the Ritual, the song was sung as a processional hymn on Lady Days.

Musically, it is set for four voices (tiple, alto, tenor and baxo) in a homorhythmic syllabic style, with a harmonic structure characteristic of Renaissance sacred music. The rhythm, dividing neatly into 3+3+4+3+3+4, with lilting syncopations in mm. 7, 11, and 14. Its character is close to that of the cachua, a native dance, suggesting a slow procession. In this blend, it is the musical counterpart of the paintings of the Cuzco School.

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