'La Lluvia' is a folk melody from Ecuador traditionally played on the siku - the double row of panpipes that have been used in the high Andes for over a thousand years. Hot-blooded and haughty, a mixture of delight and disdain. The central paradox of performing 'Las Amarillas' it that the rhythms must be very incisive and exact, yet the precision must be combined with the devil-may-care festive attitude that prevents the precision from sounding clinical. Mangulina is a dance derived from Zapateado Espanol (a Spanish heel-tapping dance). 'Guayacanal,' originally written in the 1950's by Dominican songwriters Luis Kalaff and Bienvenido Brens, embodies what is known as the Mangulina today, and is so famous that when asked, people often think it's a folk song. This piece is best accompanied with tamborra (a double-headed drum from the Dominican Republic) and guira (a metal scraper from the Dominican Republic, scraped with a metal fork.) These delightful miniatures are wonderful for concert, contest and small ensembles. Careful part-writing and attention to range make these a good choice for younger treble groups. Includes: 'A la puerta del cielo (At the Gate of Heaven),' 'El Senor nacio en Belen (The Lord Was Born in Bethlehem),' and 'Gloria a Dios en las Alturas (Glory to God in the Highest.)'