Introduction-by-Elizondo

Greeting and Introduction to Latin American Music

by Jose Elizondo (July 1999)

Introduction: CD Covers

Shortly after Elaine asked me to say a few words about what makes Latin American music unique, I visited Tower Records to buy some CDs. As I browsed, I noticed the beautiful idyllic paintings in the covers of most classical CDs. There were also some fearuting photos of famous soloists in nice poses, or of the daunting gestures of conductors in trance. When I got to the Latin American classical music section, I couldn't help but notice a striking difference in imagery. Suddenly the elegant photos of soloists and conductors were replaced by stylized slick figures of couples dancing in sensual poses, a la Toulouse-Lautrec. And the pastoral landscapes were no more. In their place there were pictures of paradisiacal tropical locations, filled with palm trees, exotic birds, and multicolored flowers. They were quite compelling in their exuberance and effervescent energy. And yet, they somehow felt mono-dimensional. Something was clearly missing.

Repertoire

I kept on browsing, this time looking at the repertoire selection. What I found was mostly short explosive overtures and one-movement pieces with titles that revealed their festive character. But there was almost no trace of the symphonic works of any of the major Latin American composers and there was an even smaller presence of sacred works or of compositions representing the avant-garde movements. Now, it is true that Latin America is blessed with some of the most extraordinarily beautiful landscapes in the planet and that among them you do find this post-card style tropical paradises they showed in the CD covers. But the thought of having this Carmen Miranda-like set of pictures representing the achievement of Latin American composers seems unfair.

Functions of music

Just like everywhere else in the world, the development of music in Latin America is a fascinating and complex phenomenon that mirrors and interprets social history, providing a forum for the expression of human experience, reflecting its tragedies, triumphs, failures and achievements. The musical output that results from such expression is by necessity, rich and varied in intensity and content in all countries and historical periods. Let us take a quick look at the panorama of music in Latin America in the past few centuries.

Panorama of music in Latin America:

Sacred music

On the sacred music front, we have the entrancing mystical chants of the early colonial music, permeated by the complex rhythms and rich symbolism of the native Indian cultures. Then there are the complex Baroque polyphonic works written in the "New World" chapels and convents, that are second to none in beauty and skillful craft. And of more recent composition, we have the stunning choral and orchestral works of Luis Sandi and Villa-lobos.

Secular music

On the secular music front, we find everything from the graceful Romantic waltzes and virtuoso piano music of Mexican composers like Juventino Rosas and Ricardo Castro, to the titanic symphonic works of Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-lobos or the choral masterworks of Venezuelan Antonio Estevez. Engaging in journeys of meditation and discovery and exploring themes like fate, meaning, and transcendence, these compositions can be as intense and life transforming as are the symphonies of Mahler or Bruckner. And on the avant-garde side of the spectrum, we have visionary composers like Mexican Julian Carrillo, one of the pioneers in microtonal music, and Mario Lavista, with his amazing studies of timbre and orchestral color.

Folk music

The same wide range of expression is found in Latin American folk music. There are the festive Mexican Mariachi bands and Brazilian carnaval music ensembles. Then we have the deeply romantic and melancholic Mexican guitar trios and the peaceful and more meditative Peruvian flute ensembles. And there are also the deliciously danceable Argentine tango and Caribbean salsa. It seems that nowadays there is a growing interest in the United States for this type of music, specially the dance music, so we see more of it in stores, we read more articles about it by ethnomusicologists, and one even gets exposure to live performances.

True Tango

However, the apparent simplicity and growing popularity of this music does not necessarily facilitate an understanding of the true expression behind it. Let us take the tango as an example. The picture that most people get when one mentions the word "tango" is of an attractive couple, dressed elegantly, dancing with very erotic motions in a nice hall with marble floors. There are many things misrepresented or missing in that picture, the main one being tango's preoccupation with tragedy. Tango began as an instrumental form, but a very important part of its development happened after singing was introduced to the genre. If you listen to the lyrics of any tango, you will find images of loss, despair, misery and some of the most heart-wrenching accounts of human tragedy. The sense of mankind struggling against an inexorable fate gives a whole new dimension to the "passionate" aspect of tango, and explains much about the harmonic language, the structure and the melodic flow used by tango composers.

Conclusion of the brief journey

So, as we have seen, there are more shades of expression in Latin American music, both classical and folk, than that of the multicolored ever-present fiesta of the CD covers.

What makes Latin American music different?

Disclaimer

Now I would like to talk a little bit about what I think differentiates Latin American Classical music from that of other places in the world. Many people will disagree with the statements I am about to make about it, but I am only trying to share with you my personal view of this topic.

Three factors

Let us begin by looking at some of the factors that have contributed to the development of the distinctive features of Latin American classical music. The main three that I would like to address are education, funding and folk music tradition.

Education

First, let us talk about musical education in Latin America. Even though there are some excellent music schools in Latin America nowadays, this has not been the case until fairly recently. If we look at the list of names of the founders of the schools that now exist, we find the names of the most important composers in Latin America, all of which were, at some point in their careers, trained abroad. Among them we have Villa-lobos, responsible for the whole music education system in Brazil after having been put in charge by the Minister of Education, and Chavez founder of numerous orchestras in Mexico and of the National Conservatory of Music. But, no matter how much we Latin Americans may hate to acknowledge, all of our major composers were educated in Europe and actually, most of them even had the same teacher, the most influential composition teacher of the century, the mythical Nadia Boulanger. By the way, this same woman taught a great part of the major American and European composers as well.

Funding: Dictators

Now, let us talk about funding for the arts. This situation has been particularly precarious after the first two decades of this century. And now I'm about to touch another soft spot in the Latin American sensibility. As much as we may dislike the idea of something good coming out of dictatorships, there are countries like Mexico for which this has been the case. The "generosity" that came along with the obsession for building up an image of pomp and power for dictator Porfirio Diaz, gave a much needed jump start to the process of building a national music tradition in Mexico. This was accomplished mostly through scholarships granted to talented composers like Manuel M. Ponce who were sent to be educated in Paris and elsewhere in Europe. In other countries the processes have been politically and socially different, but all with similar results. Alas, the governments these days are less interested in classical music and the panorama is a common one throughout the continent: the overwhelmingly impoverished musicians and the ridiculously low budgets for classical music.

Orchestra budgets

As a point of reference, let us consider the 140 million dollars per year budget of an orchestra in the United States like Los Angeles Philharmonic. This budget alone easily surpasses that of all of the principal orchestras in Latin America together. Companies and private donors have not been very quick to pick up the costs, and so the burden has fallen on the governments. And to many of these governments, classical music is certainly not a priority. What this means for the orchestras is incredibly low budgets and reliance on "vocation" musicians and audience support.

The other side of the coin

Now, the picture so far seems rather bleak: no local infrastructure for education of musicians and languishing budgets for music. However, that is not the whole story. There are some positive aspects in all this. Let us take a look at the other side of the coin.

Exposure to latest trends and networking

One of the results of our major composers studying abroad has been that they have had a first hand encounter with the latest and greatest trends as experienced in the music capitals of the world. It has also given them the opportunity to interact and collaborate with the brightest minds and most talented musicians in the world. There are the legendary friendships of Americans composers Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein with the Mexican composers Carlos Chavez and Silvestre Revueltas. Or there are the collaborations of European composer Paul Dukas and legendary guitarist Andres Segovia and violinist Jascha Heifetz with Mexican composer Manuel M. Ponce.

Cross-pollination

These studies abroad have been critical for the cross-pollination process that has enriched both Western classical music and Latin American classical music. Let me give some examples of the positive results of this process of mutual influence. On the American side, there are compositions like Aaron Copland's famous "El Salon Mexico", Leonard Bernstein's music for "West Side Story" and from tonight's program, George Gershwin's "Cuban Overture"; on the Latin American side, Carlos Chavez's 3rd and 4th symphonies and Antonio Estevez's "Cantata Criolla".

Avant-garde assimilation and coming back home

Studying abroad has also affected the way Latin American composers approach avant-garde movements. While our composers have acquired and helped to further develop the latest and greatest avant-garde techniques in Europe and the United States, at their return home they have to face a different environment. They no longer have the protective bubble of rich universities or patrons funding them to do musical exploration for the sake of exploration. They have to earn a living and function within the commissioning and sponsoring system in place. And thus they pursue their explorations as they write works that remain somehow accessible and attractive to the people who listen to them and to the governments that sponsor them.

Tools not ends

So, while the situation may seem limiting in a sense, always presenting the challenge of maintaining artistic integrity while speaking to the people, there are some good side effects to it. It is true that there may be little production of the type of avant-garde music that's great for analysis but does little for the ear or the heart. But on the other hand, when composers do push the envelope and apply innovative methods and sounds, this happens in a very integral way. Thus the experimentation in music truly works as a tool and not an end in itself. It enhances the language of expression without necessarily alienating the listeners. Masters of this type of integration are Argentine composer Ginastera and Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas.

Openness to unorthodox educational methods and folk sources

Another effect has been that not having a long tradition of musical education programs and methods, educators in Latin America are more willing to explore "unorthodox" ways to enrich their classes. And some of these ways involve using folk instruments, particularly percussion instruments (which are cheaper than the European counterparts), and adding folk music classes (in a similar way as American music schools try to "broaden" their programs by offering jazz and world music classes). This familiarity with folk elements has made LA composers more likely to turn to their roots for inspiration even in their most ambitious works. And it makes it only natural for them to incorporate sounds and techniques from folk music in their compositions.

Concert programming and interaction with the audience

Another result of the lack of funds for the arts is seen in the programming of music for orchestra concerts. Not being able to afford the ludicrous rental fees of American and European publishers has served as a great incentive for Latin American orchestras to favor the performance of works by local composers. And live performance opportunities have many benefits. As one of my composition teachers --Peter Child-- says "No composition is complete until it has been performed". I believe that one does not really know how well a piece works until one hears it and gets feedback from both the performers and the audience.

Strength and integration of folk music

There is a third factor that has contributed deeply to making Latin American music distinct. That is the strength of folk music.

Folk music in celebrations

Folk music is really a living tradition in Latin America. You do see folk groups performing everywhere, from the big concert houses to the humble streets and plazas. This is no post-card fantasy. In contrast with other cultures, where only few people follow folk music, or where folk music seems almost like a museum rarity, folk music in Latin America is integrated in a very substantial way in everyday life. For example, in Mexico, it is practically impossible to imagine a wedding, a political event or any type of significant celebration that would not have a folk group of some sort performing, whether it is a trio of guitars, or a full Mariachi band. Whether the occasion is formal or not, you are bound to find folk music at all celebrations. This phenomenon is independent of social class or age. One is as likely to hear Mariachi music at a corporate event at the World Trade Center in Mexico city, as one would at a construction site or at a your local bar.

Young people's acceptance of folk music

Folk music is "okay" among young people as well. Actually, it is considered "cool" for teenagers to listen to Mariachi music. And they do it all the time, particularly when they are getting drunk. It seems that one can't "really" get drunk without being accompanied by a hearty sad Mariachi or trio song. Even discotheques will play Mariachi music. And among pop artists, it is considered a sign that one has "made it", when after becoming popular and famous at whatever style of music you do, you get to record an album of Mariachi songs.

Disclaimer

Having said this, I don't mean to imply that all of Latin American classical music is inspired in folk music, or that all the classical music that is written in Latin America is necessarily or automatically appealing to the masses. But I did want to mention what I believe to be an important factor, which along with the financial and educational factors that I had already discussed has had a strong impact in shaping Latin American classical music.

Coexistence of avant-garde and nationalistic schools

I would like to make clear also, that we do have a very strong avant-garde movement in Latin America, which exists independent of what I would call the nationalistic movement. But I must stress that there is a healthy dialog between the two and that they have found ways to enrich each other and coexist, without becoming antagonistic. And while I am over-generalizing a bit here, this is mostly true. At least that is my perception of the situation.

Global nationalism and the tonal "stigma"

As you know, at the beginning of the century there seems to have been a global awakening of nationalist sensibilities in artists around the world. We had very influential composers like Bartok and Kodaly in Hungary, or Carlos Chavez and Manuel Ponce in Mexico, collecting and archiving the music of the people, and using elements of it for their compositions. Fortunately, this nationalist movement did not die in Latin America competing against serialism and all the other exploratory "isms" and trends of the middle of the century, as it did to some extent in other parts of the world. Using tonal elements and having lyrical tuneful melodies did not carry a "stigma" in Latin America as it did for a while in other parts of the world. This continual survival of the nationalist school has made it possible for Latin American composers to not have to rush from one trend to another. Rather, those who chose to stay within the nationalistic school had time to make it an integral part of themselves, in turn helping it to grow and mature.

Nationalistic composers: focus on dance forms

Within the nationalistic school, composers have created their very unique idioms. They have engaged in all sorts of explorations and exciting endeavors. Some composers have focused their work in particular folk dance forms. Making use of the raw energy and contagious rhythms of these dances, composers have worked on rediscovering or reinventing them, injecting new energy, enriching them with elements from the classical tradition and transforming them into renewed and vibrant entities. Masters of this "dance" style are Arturo Marquez, who has reintroduced the Mexican "danzon", injecting new energy into it, and Astor Piazzolla, whose "new" Argentine concert tangos have redefined the genre all together, bringing new sensibilities to it. You will hear the influence of these men on the composition of mine, which is being performed tonight.

Original textures and colors

Some other composers have developed rich original orchestral textures and colors, which reflect the exuberance and richness of the Latin American landscape. An example of this work is the wonderful music of Heitor Villa-lobos in which we encounter a myriad of haunting melodies echoing the songs of Brazilian birds, and rich exuberant textures inspired by the Amazon jungle.

More birds?

So after all that I had said, I am back again talking about exotic birds, jungles and all this multicolored tropical imagery. But hopefully, the birds and landscapes we imagine now are different -- more real and polychromatic--, and the images of the dancing couples have now a more human presence than those in the CD covers and promotional posters from Tower Records I was describing at the beginning of this talk. I hope to have shared with you a little bit of what in my opinion are some of the forces shaping Latin American classical music.

Quotes by Ken Smith

Let me close by paraphrasing the words of Ken Smith for the program notes of a recent CD of the Santa Barbara Symphony. Latin American classical music breaks down the barriers between high and low art, maintaining its integrity and sophistication. He goes on to make a comment about the music of Silvestre Revueltas, which I believe applies more broadly: This is "music with the body of a chamber [or orchestral] work and the soul of a Mariachi."

Latin American composers have "managed to take the music of the streets and taverns and dress it for the concert hall with little of the purity lost", producing as a result music that is "an embrace [for] all people."