Mexican and Guatemalan Music

Monday, June 30, 2014

Juventino Rosas

Juventino Rosas (1868-1894)

Juventino Rosas was a Mexican composer with a background in a wide range of music. Rosas came from a family of music, his father was a harpist, his big brother Manuel was a guitarist and his other brother Patronicio was a singer. Rosas was already playing in a family quartet in Mexico City at an early age. Around 1884-1888 Rosas was matriculated twice into the conservatory but he was not able to finish the process either time. Rosas concentrated on playing in dances and in the streets of Mexico City. In his later years, Rosas planted his feet in his native Mexico. Rosas composed and published an enormous number of waltzes, polkas, mazurkas and schottisches. The military gave Rosas band and an orchestra a chance to participate in a tour through the USA. Rosas was one the best known Mexican composers of salon music, he was famous for several works such as:“Sobre las Olas” (Over the Waves. He broadened his horizons and started playing New Orleans Jazz and Tejano music. His music still remains popular with country and old-time fiddlers in the United States.

Discography of Works: Waltzes Polkas

• 1888- La cantinera (A. Wagner y Levien, Mexico City / Friedrich Hofmeister, Leipzig)
• 1890- Carmela (A. Wagner y Levien, Mexico City / Friedrich Hofmeister, Leipzig)
• 1891- Ojos negros (A. Wagner y Levien, Mexico City / Friedrich Hofmeister, Leipzig)

• 1893- Flores de México (Eduardo Gariel, Saltillo / Robert Forberg, Leipzig) Mazurcas
• 1888- Acuérdate (A. Wagner y Levien, Mexico City)
• 1888- Lejos de ti (H. Nagl. Sucs.)
• 1890- Juanita (A. Wagner y Levien Sucs., Mexico City / Friedrich Hofmeister, Leipzig)
• 1899- Último adiós (A. Wagner y Levien Sucs., Mexico City / Friedrich Hofmeister, Leipzig)

Bibliography: Jesús Rodríguez Frausto: Juventino Rosas. Notas nuevas sobre su vida, Guanajuato 1969 Víctor Manuel García Flores: "Juventino Rosas Cadenas, Síntesis Biográfica", Guanajuato 2006 "Juventino Rosas." Lastfm.com. http://www.last.fm/music/
Juventino+Rosas

Manuel Maria Ponce

Manuel Maria Ponce (1882-1948)

Manuel Maria Ponce (December 8, 1882-April 24, 1948) was a famed Classical Mexican composer. At the age of four, Ponce received training from his older sister. His training from his sister prepared Ponce to sing in the Children’s Choir of the Templo de San Diego. At the age of five, Pone wrote his first composition, “The Dance of the Measles,”.Ponce studied at the Conservatorio Nacional in Mexico City. After completing his studies, Ponce traveled all over Europe, in order to further his studies. Upon Ponce's return from Europe, he became a professor at the Conservatorio Nacional and the Universidad Nacional Automoma. Ponce was heavily influenced from his European training. His music shows major influence from Bach’s Counterpoint and Mexican Mestizo music. Ponce spent his early career composing, conducting, teaching and writing music criticism. Although he lived in Cuba from 1915-1917 during the Mexican Revolution, he is well known for his Mexican nationalistic style music that he himself had created. Ponce received the National Arts and Science prize in 1948. He passed away in April of 1948.

Discography of Works:

• 1942-Manuel María Ponce: Concierto para piano y orquesta (Ponce on piano; Orquesta Sinfónica de México; conducted by Carlos Chávez)
• 1925-Corazon, La valentina
• 1925-Sonata Mexicana
• 1926-Thème varié et Finale
• 1927-Sonata III
• 1928-Sonata clásica
• 1929-Sonata romántica
• 1929-Suite en la Mineur
• 1929-Variations and Fugue on 'La Folia'
• 1937-Valse
• 1939-Sonatina meridional
• 1948-Variations on a Theme of Cabezón

Bibliography: Patykula, John. "Manuel Maria Ponce." Guitarra Magazine. Guitarra Magazine, n.d. Web. 22 Jun 2012. . Smeets, Jos. "Manuel Maria Ponce." Classical Composers Database.Quixote, 16 12 2004.Web. 6 Jul 2012.

Julian Carrillo Bibliography

Julian Carrillo Bibliography

Julian Carrillo, a Mexican composer, violinist, and conductor was born on January 28, 1875 in Ahualulco, San Luis Potosi. Carillo created music during a period that was named the Independence period with regards to music in Mexico. It was named this period because Mexico had gained Independence from Spain and had rebelled against the ecclesiastical influence that was forced upon them. From a young age, Carrillo was surrounded by music. He sang in the children’s choir of Ahualulco’s church. Around ten years old, Carrillo became more involved with music outside of the choir, and began to study with the conductor of the choir, Flavio F Carlos. Independence brought music from Europe to Mexico. France and Italy dominated with their influence. Carrillo played in Carlos’ orchestra as percussionist and violinist in a time where traditional Mexican music were arranged for piano. This was only the beginning of Carrillo’s success in music.

Like many other famous composers from Mexico, Carrillo attended National Conservatory of Music in Mexico City in order to continue to pursue his music career. Quickly, he became very passionate and immersed in the mathematical side of music. He was very curious about the fundamental intervals in music. He experimented with his violin in order to alter the pitch of each string of his violin. In 1895, Carrillo discovered the sixteenths of a tone by dividing the fourth string of his violin between G and A into sixteen parts (last.fm). Regularly a scale is made with half-tones of twelve pitches; and Carrillo created a musical scale with sixteenths of each tone; having 96 different pitches (last.fm). This discovery created a radical change within the musical system; and earned Carrillo a scholarship to study at Leipzig Royal Conservatory (Wikipedia).

While in Europe, he was able to improve his skills as a violinist, and devote more to his creation of tonal diversity within classical forms. He later returned to Mexico where he received more awards for his accomplishments. For example, he was a delegate to the musical congress of Rome and London; and he was nominated at the National Conservatory of Music which then allowed him to “amend the curriculum, putting more emphasis on rigorous musical technical preparation as well as literature and Spanish language” (Wikipedia). He was gaining excessive publicity for his conducting and composing. In the early 1900’s, he organized and conducted the Beethoven string quartet and Beethoven Symphony orchestra; and published Discursos sobre la musica, Platicas musicales (Wikipedia). Carrillo was becoming one of the most important figures in music society.

During the early 1900s, Victoriano Huerta, president of Mexico, was overthrown; forcing Carrillo to flee to the United States. While in the United States, he conducted and organized the American Symphony Orchestra (Wikipedia). The American Symphony Orchestra had their first performance in New York where a Journalist was pleased with Carrllio’s work. The journalist deemed Carrillo “the herald of musical Monroe Doctorine” (Wikipedia). This is when Carrillo began to write the “Thirteen Sound Theory.”

In 1920, the ‘Thirteen Sound theory” revolution was an attempt to incorporate musical microintervals into the musical system (last.fm). For example, “the number 13 is not a proposal to use a scale made with thirteen sounds, but symbolizing a break within the traditional twelve-pitch chromatic scale” (last.fm). Julian reformed theories of music and physics of music. He invented a musical notation that was based on numbers. The microtonal sound of the “Thirteen Sounds theory” inspired other contemporary artists like Czech Alois haba and Ivan Wishnegradsky to compose in quarter of tones. Carrillo also created instruments that could produce the microinterval sound. Although not always accepted, many artists started to join the “Thirteen Sound” revolution and compose and perform pieces that followed the microinterval sound. Do to his success in the innovated microinterval sound, Carrillo created a symphony called the Thirteenth Sound Symphony Orchestra; and published a book called La revolucion musical del Sonido 13;” which discussed the history and background of his revolution (Wikipedia).

In 1924, Carillo retired from public performances and the several other obligations he had in order to dedicate his time to showing and teaching his new theory. He composed three operas: Matilda, Ossian y Zulith; six symphonies and various other ways to demonstrate his Sonido 13. Before passing on September 9^th, 1965 Carrillo’s work popularized, and he performed several concerts across the country spreading the revolution of the “Thirteen Sound.”

References

1. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juli%C3%A1n_Carrillo

2. http://www.last.fm/music/Juli%C3%A1n+Carrillo

3. http://www.infobigrafias.com

Julian Carrillo

Julian Carrillo (1875-1965)

Julian Carrillo was a Mexican composer, violinist, and conductor that was born January 28, 1875 in Ahualulco, San Luis Potosi. From a young age Carrillo was surrounded by music. He sang in the children’s choir of Ahualulco’s church (Wikipedia). Around ten years old, Carrillo became more involved with music outside of the choir, and began to study with the conductor of the choir, Flavio F Carlos. Carrillo played in Carlos’ orchestra as percussionist and violinist (Wikipedia). This was only the beginning of Carrillo’s success in music.

While in Europe he was able to improve his skills as a violinist, and devote more to his creation of tonal diversity within classical forms. He later returned to Mexico where he received more awards for his accomplishments. For example, he was a delegate to the musical congress of Rome and London; and he was nominated at the National Conservatory of Music which then allowed him to “amend the curriculum, putting more emphasis on rigorous musical technical preparation as well as literature and Spanish language” (Wikipedia). He was gaining excessive publicity for his conducting and composing. In the early 1900’s, he organized and conducted the Beethoven string quartet and Beethoven Symphony orchestra; and published Discursos sobre la musica, Platicas musicales (Wikipedia). Carrillo was becoming one of the most important figures in music society.

During the early 1900s, Victoriano Huerta, president of Mexico, was overthrown; forcing Carrillo to flee to the United States. While in the United States, he conducted and organized the American Symphony Orchestra (Wikipedia). The American Symphony Orchestra had their first performance in New York where a Journalist was pleased with Carrllio’s work. The journalist deemed Carrillo as “the herald of musical Monroe Doctorine” (Wikipedia). This is when Carrillo began to write the “Thirteen Sound theory.”

In 1920, the ‘Thirteen Sound theory” revolution was an attempt to incorporate musical microintervals into the musical system (last.fm). For example, “the number 13 is not a proposal to use a scale made with thirteen sounds, but symbolizing a break within the traditional twelve-pitch chromatic scale” (last.fm). Julian reformed theories of music and physics of music. He invented a musical notation that was based on numbers. The microtonal sound of the “Thirteen Sounds theory” inspired other contemporary artists like Czech Alois haba and Ivan Wishnegradsky to compose in quarter of tones. Carrillo also created instruments that could produce the microinterval sound. Although not always accepted, many artists started to join the “Thirteen Sound” revolution and compose and perform pieces that followed the microinterval sound. Do to his success in the innovated microinterval sound, Carrillo created a symphony called the Thirteenth Sound Symphony Orchestra; and published a book called La revolucion musical del Sonido 13;” which discussed the history and background of his revolution (Wikipedia). Before passing on September 9^th, 1965 Carrillo’s work popularized, and he performed several concerts across the country spreading the revolution of the “Thirteen Sound.”

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juli%C3%A1n_Carrillo

http://www.last.fm/music/Juli%C3%A1n+Carrillo

Mexico Timeline

Mexico Timeline

1810- Mexican Independence from Spain
1854- Mexican National Anthem Written
1868- Juvenito Rosas Born
1880- Narciso Martinez Born
1882- Manuel Maria Ponces Born
1894- Juvenito Rosas Dies
1910- Mexican Revolution
1911- Pedro Ayala Born
1917- End of Mexican Revolution
1942- “Dio y Libertad” Declared National Anthem
1948- Manuel Maria Ponces Dies
1969- Gaspar Vargas Dies
1990- Pedro Ayala Dies
1992- Narcio Martinez Dies