INTRODUCTION:
What is it that characterizes Latin music? Is
it that primitive mystical quality the music possesses
which gives it that exciting rhythm and beautiful
beat – music that reaches down to the depths
of a listener’s heart, music that excites
the senses, music that makes the feet tap and
emotions soar? Perhaps it’s the passion
of the people, the fire that burns within them
that displays itself in its wonderful rhythms
and exciting beats of the traditional forms of
folk music. Generations of Latinos have grown
up with this music firing their blood, it’s
a part of them and their very existence depends
on it. Through times of poverty and paucity, through
despair and disappointments – it’s
the music – the music! - that elevates
them, that excites them and unites them.
Until recently, Latin music was not fully appreciated worldwide– at least not by discerning audiences. This was the result of its unfortunate packaging and presentation as a kind of “Rum and Coco cola” music. But all this changed with the Inter-American Music Festival that took place in 1958, which brought to the fore, the quality of Latin “serious” music. The Festivals of Caracas and Montevideo have also provided a forum for serious Latin American musicians to highlight their skill. Critics discovered, much to their surprise, that classical Latin music was not merely a pale, timid cousin of European music, but could stand on its own. Mariano Etkin in 1972 writes, "that Latin American `art' music —but for few exceptions which confirm the rule— only in this last decade is beginning to stop being a reflection of what is known as the European «greattradition »." Lack of interaction between the Latino and other races was the cause for the lack of appreciation of Latin music, compounded by negative political factors. But these Festivals provided a Forum for cultural exchange with mainstream America.
However, a common complaint about Latin music
at Festivals has been the poor technical quality.
But the recent generation of Latin composers have
achieved high levels of performance quality. Latin
American music had been classed as being “too
superficial” and too closely aligned with
folk dance rhythms. But musicians like Domingo
have headed the movement to transform Latin music
into an internationally acceptable format. During
the process, they have been accused of anti-nationalism,
however, it may be seen that the themes of the
older composers, being based upon national folk
themes tended to be the rhythmic-melodic variety,
lacking the original element that could have made
the music stand out. But with recent developments,
the texture and composition of the music has improved
as the theme of nationalism fades away and the
compositions are richer and of higher quality.
CARLOS GUASTAVINO: BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Guastavino was born on 5 th April 1912, into a humble Argentinian family with eight brothers and sisters. From an early age, he displayed proficiency in music, yet opted to take up engineering. But his musical ability finally earned him a scholarship to the National Conservatory in Beunos Aires and he able to develop his talents under the able guidance of Athos Palma[Crowder, 1992]. Guastavino played as an accompanist on piano for singers and this enabled him to study range and inflexion of voice and his innate sensitivity extended this knowledge into his compositions. He has remained a relatively obscure musician but his musical output ranges from compositions for solo piano and solo guitar to two piece ensembles to full fledged ballet and The Romance of Santa Fe.[.Pan American, 95] There has been a reawakening interest in his compositions, vouched for by singers and artists alike. Recording artists like Teresa Berganza and Margot Pares Reyna have performed his music and made it popular. The simple beauty of Guastavino’s music based on folk themes has a universal appeal - it can be sung by children at school functions [Crowder, 1992]] yet it’s classy enough to be performed at concerts.
During the 1930s the nationalist movement in
Argentina occupied center stage and most compositions
of that time were centered on nationalist themes
and folk music. But subsequent to the 1930’s
several composers began a movement away from such
themes. However, Guastavino was not one of them,
preferring to draw his inspiration for his compositions
from folk music. Therefore he was grouped in the
Generation del 39(the year 1939 when
Latin music was surging away from nationalistic
themes) with others like Ginastera and Jurafsky[4]
. “With Carlos Guastavino, we are confronted
with the rich personality of a man who instead
of going along with the hurly burly of whatever
might be fashinable at the moment, resolutely
and with great feeling placed his reliance on
those elements distilled by his native land, situated
as it is at the crossroad of so many powerful
influences.” [Aretz, 1952] Yet, in
the light of the reawakening interest in his music,
the International Cyclopedia of music included
an article on Guastavino in 1985. He received
many prizes for his music in various parts of
the world and was even invited by the British
Council to give a concert in England. Although
Guastavino leads a quiet reclusive life in Beunos
Aires, his music is still very much a part of
his life. Fame and popularity have come late in
life to this talented musician.
THE SONGS OF GUASTAVINO:
The sweetness of Guastavino’s music lies in the simplicity of the rhythms. His appreciation for poetry may have contributed to his skill. In the composer’s own words:
“When I read poetry that touches me, I become very agitated, my whole body contracts, I vibrate totally and tears appear in my eyes. It’s very strong! I then take the manuscript paper and write the notes. The melody comes easily; everything is very quick; I cannot stop…..it’s as if I were possessed; suddenly when I become aware that I have found what I wanted, I stand, make gestures, walk, go in circles, laugh or cry, and give thanks to God. The music comes by itself. I am not responsible, one part of my brain has music.
Guastavino’s music comes to him spontaneously
and indeed as he corroborates, his compositions
were written at a furious speed, with dates of
his compositions reflecting that they were produced
in rapid succession. It was said of the great
composer Mozart that he possessed the same quality
of speed of writing with very few corrections.
Guastavino’s music ccomes straight from
his heart – a reflection of his innate sensitivity
combined with his love for the folk rhythms of
his homeland. He was well versed in all music
forms including opera and jazz and this knowledge
lends his music an originality that ensures its
immortality through the ages. Guastavino’s
songs are appealing and emotionally moving because
of his choice of poetry – which comprised
tercets and sonnets of the Spanish Baroque period.
He selected contemporary poets like Gabriela Mistral
and Rafeal Alberti among others and his skill
lay in capturing the precise emotional tone of
the poem and combining it with his nationalistic
rhythms of music to produce songs that were simple,
yet unique and special. His skill in juxtaposing
rhythms may be seen for example, in his song titled
In the Furrows of love which poignantly expresses
the sadness of betrayal by a loved one. In this
song which is performed in the c minor key in
the tessitura range, he mingles rhythms so skillfully
that a 6/8 meter appears to be a ¾ one
and measure 3 appears to begin in measure 11.
Another song that may be cited here is Melody
which sounds like a charming, simple melody, but
includes in its notes many sharps and flats that
are not easy to play. In his composition Dead
Bird , which is sung in the Andante tempo and
the e minor key, he selected a very complex poem
written by Luis Cernuda which explores the pathos
and turmoil of a dying bird. Guastavino beings
the accompaniment to this song in a soft, minor
key, moving in half notes – enhancing the
sense of pain and loss of the injured bird as
its presence is discovered and its condition is
described by the singer. Then there is a long
interlude of music which represents the period
of transition for the bird – from the painful
present to the happy days of the past. After the
singer has taken the listener through it, there’s
another interlude of music which signifies another
transition – back to the present, - only,
the bird is now dead. The music becomes mournful
as the singer almost recites the eulogy for the
bird. Then the music reverts to the same key as
the beginning, bringing us back to that sense
of pain and loss.
Guastavino had the uncanny ability to compose just the right accompanying music for the vocals of his poems. In his song Desire – tempo tranquilo and the b sharp major key - he is able to achieve a tranquility in the music by composing it in the 15/8 meter, where the music and the singer are moving at a three against two rhythm that succeeds in imparting the note of peace. The song begins on a soft note, then climaxes and ends peacefully, leaving the listener with a feeling of tranquility. Another set of songs that may be considered here is the set of six cradle songs, with the original poem composed by Gabriela Mistral. The genius of Guastavino depicts the rocking of the cradle by dint of selection of the range of meters that has a common denominator of three (3/8, 6/8, 9/8) which very successfully achieve the effect of rhythmic rocking. The song Enchantment (Andante tempo, d minor key) stands out because in this instance, Guastavino skillfully uses the 6/8 meter in arpeggiations to achieve the rocking effect. In yet another of the cradle songs titled Little lambkin , Guastavino even suggests the metronomic marking to achieve the effect of a gentle rocking pattern by a broken octave in the left hand accompaniment. This needs to be adhered to because it has been very precisely created to match the flow of words.
To understand the reason for Guastavino’s popularity among school children, one need look no further than the song: I like Mathematics. Here he designates the music background that actively supports the vocal accompaniment – left hand octave, right hand staccato chord. It’s only the fourth stanza where he switches to an Alberti bass pattern in the right hand and octave on the left which the rhythm of the vocal output slows down.
In the song Who would be a Grenadier , which is sung to the Tiempo de marcha tempo, Guastavino writes down the tone of the song : very rhythmic and determined. The accompaniment follows the melody and this singer and piano player finish together, further enhancing the quick march effect. |