Viva Villa!

Viva Villa! is a short piano piece composed around 1987 (published in 2000). Contrary to first impressions, the title is not a tribute to Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos, but rather to the Mexican revolutionary leader Francisco “Pancho” Villa (1878–1923). The phrase “¡Viva Villa!” was a popular rallying cry during the Mexican Revolution, celebrating Villa as a champion of the people. Mendes composed the work in the same year as the Villa-Lobos centenary, and the coincidence is knowingly ironic: he pays homage to one Villa while subtly invoking the other. As noted in the composer’s programme notes, however, the piece is explicitly dedicated to Pancho Villa. This deliberate ambiguity reflects Mendes’s deep engagement with Latin American history and culture, and follows in the path of politically charged works like The Three Fathers, dedicated to Nicaraguan revolutionary priests. Viva Villa! thus fuses the political and the musical, casting revolutionary memory into bold musical terms.

Approximately five minutes in length and of moderate technical difficulty, Viva Villa! is energetic, percussive, and vibrant. Its overall spirit borders on the martial: rhythms are punchy and persistent, suggesting the cadence of a march. Though not overtly quoting Mexican folk music, Mendes may allude to its idioms through rhythmic cells reminiscent of La Cucaracha or fanfare-like chords evoking mariachi trumpets. There is no explicit key signature, but a clear tonal centre — perhaps D or A — may serve as a grounding note or drone, in the spirit of a patriotic hymn. The piece likely follows a simple formal plan, perhaps a refrain structure akin to a protest chant or revolutionary song. The piano imitates drum and bugle: heavy left-hand staccatos in the lower register evoke military rhythms, while bright, accented right-hand chords suggest triumphant calls.

The exclamation in the title is rendered musically through emphatic, fortissimo chords — as if shouting Viva Villa! with both fists. As is often the case with Mendes’s works, there may be hidden musical references or coded quotations embedded in the fabric of the piece, though none are confirmed. Regardless, the tone is exuberant and affirmative — festivo in character, conveying the spirit of revolutionary celebration.

Viva Villa! was likely premiered during a concert at the Festival Música Nova in São Paulo or Santos in the late 1990s, as part of a programme showcasing Mendes’s short historical or politically inspired works. Pianist Antônio Eduardo Santos, a frequent interpreter of Mendes’s piano music, recorded the piece in 1998 and often included it as an encore in his recitals. Its spirited tone and concise structure made it an ideal closing gesture.

Brazilian audiences responded warmly to the work, embracing its energy and the resonance of its revolutionary ethos — even if that revolution was Mexican rather than Brazilian. Critics praised the piece as “a musical portrait of a revolutionary,” noting its rhetorical clarity and expressive drive. Some listeners even heard echoes of Villa-Lobos — particularly the playful wit of the Carnaval das crianças suite — a fitting coincidence, given the dual reference in the title.

Today, Viva Villa! stands alongside Mendes’s The Three Fathers and Homenagem a Stravinsky as part of his series of musical tributes. With its compact form, rhythmic vigour, and cultural symbolism, it remains a lively and meaningful addition to the contemporary Latin American piano repertoire — a short but resonant musical shout for justice, memory, and celebration.