outh

•
merzcan

Gomposers
By NICOLAS SLONIMSKY

Reprinted from 1v1USICAL AMERICA of Feb. 10, 1940

COPYRIGHT, 1940

.•
 CAPITALS OF MUSIC
under

The Southern Cross

© Brown & Dawson and E . M. Newmau

Buenos Aires, Argentina-Colon Theatre

Grace Line
Santiago, Chile-Opera House

Grace Line
La Paz, Bolivia-Church of Laja

Sao Paulo, Brazil-Municipal Theatre

Bogota, Colombia-A Busy Intersection

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Tea & Coffee Trade Journal

Rio de Janeiro , Brazil-Cinema Row (Upper Right , Municipal Theatre)

South American Year Book

Asuncion , Paraquay-Government Palace

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Montevideo, Uruguay-Air View (Upper Right, Opera House) Lima, Peru-Statue of Pizarro Quito, Ecuador-The Plaza
 "'-
~30
50~4- 376485
South America's Constellation of Composers
which appears incongruous, while
First Compr eh en sive Survey Is Mad e Moreno sticks to a simpler modality,
but in the end it is the ability to pre-
of Contin ent's Ampl e C reative Re-- serve the genuineness of folk modes
within any given code of harmony that
really counts.
sources in Music-Indigen ou s Wo rk s Segundo Luis Moreno, b. Cotacachi, Imhahura,
.
A boun d 1n Eac h of Man y N ations
August 3, 1882.
Luis H. Salgado, h. Cayambe, Pichincha,
Dec. 10, 1903.

By NICOLAS S LONIMSKY and Brazil styles in composition range

from band music to dissonant counter- JPERU
O N the musical map of the world
the continent of South America
appears as an unexplored region.
point and the twelve-tone system, and
that composers of large orchestral and
vocal works number hundreds.
Music in Peru has reached a high
grade of development. There are a
symphony orchestra in Lima, a musical
To judge by the 1935 edition of 'Grove's From the examination of a mass of
music by South American composers, publication, Revista Musical Peruana,

'\
Dictionary', the 'Oxford Companion to issued under the enlightened direction
Music', or Moser's 'Musik Lexikon', one common trait shows, whatever the
country of origin. A great majority of of Rodolfo Barbacci, and several com-
there are no South American composers, petent conservatories of music. · P.e ru-
as they list none. The recent American composers write program music, taking
their subject from the history or legend vian composers have for the most part
dtctionaries include some names, but the received European education, but have
of their lands, and make use of rural
information is meager. Musical maga- not become denationalized because of
folk songs, punctuating these melodies
zines publish occasional articles on this that. We find a number of composi-
with typical rhythms. These native
or that Latin American musician, but it songs are mostly Indian or African in tions with titles suggestive of the
is difficult to form an idea of musical de- origin, for the white race in early times grandeur of the Inca empire. Several
velopments in South America from such contributed only religious hymns. Italian composers who settled in Peru
sporadic publications. Francisco Curt have also adopted subjects Peruvian in
Lange has assembled a great deal of mis- "Musical Syncretism" Although Uribe-Holguin is head and essence, although Italianate forms of ex-
cellaneous information in the four vol- The greatest problem confronting a shoulders above other Colombian com- pression contribute to the effect of a
umes of his 'Boletin Latino Americana composer is to find suitable harmony posers, some other names should be pastiche. The first truly Peruvian com-
de Musica', but no comprehensive survey and instrumental color for transcrip- mentioned: Jose Rozo Contreras, con- poser was Jose Valle-Riestra ( 1859-
has been published even in South tions of folk-tunes. Even if the poly- ·ductor of the municipal band in Bogota 1925), author of the first Peruvian
America. phonic nature of primitive song could be and composer of an orchestral suite, opera, 'Oilanta', which had its first
The difficulty in compiling such a sur- proved, different composers would still 'Tierra Colombiana'; ]. Bermudez- presentation in Lima on Dec. 26, 1901.
vey lies in the fact that very few com- try to stylize the original themes in a Silva, composer of some orchestral The younger composers of Peru follow
positions by South American composers new way. The solution is in the method music with at least an intention to re- the national tradition, but the harmonic
are published, and practically all orches- that Chopin applied to Polish folk flect the national spirit; young Carlos and orchestral style has veered from
·tral scores and operas are in manuscript. themes, Grieg to Norwegian, and Mus- Posada-Amador, who in his music man- simple Hispanism towards a terse style
In such circumstances, we are often sorgsky to Russian songs. A simple ages to paint Chibchi (Colombian In- suggesting post-impressionistic tenden-
f reed to rely on second-hand appraisals, tune of folk origin can be fitted into dian) emperors in Wagnerian har- cies. Of native Peruvians, Theodora
which, in countries where friendship is harmony only through an artistic monies; and Emilio Murillo, an inter- Valcarcel, pupil of Felipe Pedrell and
a paramount virtue, are not always criti- achievement that will fuse the two es- esting composer, who writes Colo.mbian Busoni, has to his credit, besides num-
cal. We can see to what results such sentially unrelated elements: popular "pasillos" with a true understandmg of erous original works, a valuable collec-
methods lead by appraisals of American monody and chordal harmony. The the people, but whose musical education tion of Inca songs, including some poly-
music and musicians in the foreign fusion of these elements we shall call hardly goes beyond the tonic-dominant phonic specimens. His ballets and
music periodicals. In a Brazilian music musical syncretism. It is clear that stage. Finally, Guillermo Espinosa, operas bear the unmistakably indigenous
review there appeared an article on successful stylization of South Ameri- present conductor of the Orquesta Sin- titles, 'Ckori Kancha', 'Sura-Surita',
American music, listing among im- can songs, as of any other, depends on f6nica de Bogota, though not a com- and 'K'Antuta'.
the artistry of the composer. From poser, is one of the most active anima- The career of Raoul de V erneuil is
portant composers a singing teacher who
faithful harmonization of actual melo- tors of Colombia's musical life. He interesting. He was born in Lima, his
sinned in his youth by publishing an
dies, the composer will naturally prog- was responsible for the organization of father being French, his mother Peru-
illiterately harmonized ditty, and a music ress towards creation of melodies in the
critic's wife whose appearance as com- the Latin-American Music Festival in vian. Although he spent half of his
national style. At least in one example, Bogota, with guest conductors from life in Europe, he never abandoned
poser must have been a surprise to all namely in Uribe-Holguin's 'Trozos en
her friends. One Spanish dictionary other countries of South America, in Peruvian music. The melodic outline
el sentimiento popular', of which he has August, 1938. of his themes preserves the fine ec, ,n-
lists a lone American, giving him a siz- written more than 300, musical syn-
able biography with a picture, but it Guillermo Uribe-Holguin, h. Bogota, March omy of ind.igenous melos, and the
cretism becomes artistic fusion. 17, 1880. harmonization · is in chordal counter-
would be hard to find his name even in We shall now proceed to review musi- J. Bermudez-Silva, b. Bogota, Dec. 24, 1884.
the commercial 'Who's Who that Jist Emilio Murillo, h. Bogota, April 9, 1880. point invigorated by percussive rhythms.
cal activities in countries of South Carlos Posada Amador, b. Medellin, April ZS, Andres Sas was born in Europe, and
all American musicians who have ever America, starting with Colombia, pro- 1908.
adorned the staff with a G clef. Jose Rosa Contreras, b. Bechalema, Jan. 7, spent many years as instructor and per-
ceeding through Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, 1894. former in Belgium. His name is fairly
Old Tales of Wonder s to Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, and Guillermo Espinosa, b. Cartagena, Jan. 9, 1905. well known in musical Europe through
The belief that the Americas are lands Brazil, ending with Venezuela. publication of his music, and his mem-
of unlimited wonders and foolishness, bership in European musical societies.
is of ancient date. In Kircher's re- The national inspiration of his produc-
markable book, 'Musurgia Universalis', COLOMBIA ECUADOR tion is sufficiently proved by the titles
published in 1650, there is an account Colombia's Composer No. 1 is unques- Following the natural law of musical of his compositions, such as 'Aires y
of a wondrous American animal, named tionably Guillermo Uribe-Holguin. He syncretism, composers of Ecuador use Danzas Indias del Peru', 'Suite Peru-
"pigritia" on account of its extraordin- studied at the Schola Cantorum, in authentic Indian melodies in a setting ana' and many others. :carlos Sanchez
ary laziness. This animal possessed an Paris, and, beginning with Franckian of t o n a 1 harmonies. Ecuadorian Malaga has written pieces in small
innate ability to sing a diatonic hexa- tendencies, progressed towards the tech- "pasillos", and "yaravi" (popular songs forms. Some important work in as-
th rd in a laughing voice. It also had nique of French impressionism. Back of lamentation) constitute the raw ma- sembling and classifying indigenous
a quasi-human face, and a drawing was in Colombia, he wrote a number of terial; what is done with them depends Peruvian folk themes has been done by
reproduced supporting this claim. The compositions for orchestra, chamber on the skill and taste of the composer. Daniel Alomia Robles, who has also
extraordinary opening sentence in the music and voice. But perhaps his most The titles of symphonic works often re- composed some music in a national vein.
chapter on the animal is worth quoting important accomplishment is the com- flect great political events. Luis Pablo Chavez Aguilar, a native
whenever American music is discussed : position of 'Trozos en el sentimiento Moreno has written two symphonic Peruvian, devotes his energies to com-
" If music had originated in America, popular', referred to above. None of overtures, 'Diez de Agosto' and '9 de position of religious music. Two
I would certainly trace its origins to these, or any of his orchestral works Julio', and the cantata 'La Emancipa- Italian musicians, Vicente Stea and
t e miraculous voice of this animal". is published, but there is hope that the cion' dedicated to such events. His Enrique Fava Ninci, who settled in
Stories that some musical tourists Colombian government will sponsor the 'Suite Ecuatoriana' is entirely in the Lima a quarter of a century ago, can-
print about music in Latin America are publication of the 'trozos'. Apart from popular vein. Another composer, Luis not be considered national composers
no less astonishing. There are many his activities as composer, Uribe- H. Salgado, has written a symphonic of Peru. Rudolph Holzmann, oboist
serious musicians who are convinced Holguin has been the primary moving suite programmatically entitled: 'Ata- and composer, a native of Breslau, is
that South American music consists en- spirit in Colombia, as organizer and hualpa, or the Twilight of an Empire', a recent arrival in Lima. Among son-
ti rely of Tango and Carioca. They conductor of the symphonic orchestra and is now at work on an opera, ductors, Federico Gerdes is a native
would probably be very much surprised in Bogota, and director of the Conser- 'Cumanda', also from Ecuadorian lore. Peruvian who studied in Germany.
to learn that in countries like Argentina vatory there until his recent resignation. Salgado uses the whole-tone scale, Thea Buchwald of Vienna is at present
 South Ame rica n

Joio Gomes de Araujo,

94 Years Old-Brazil

Heitor Villa-Lobos-Brazil

Domingo Santa Cruz Wilson-Chile

Humberto Allende-Chile

Francisco Mignone-Brazil
Francisco Braga-Brazil
Rene Amengual Adolfo Allende
Burle Marx-Brazil Aslaburuaga Chile
Chile

Hector Melo Alfonso Leng

Gorigoytia Chile
Chile

Alfonso Letelier
Chile
Jose Bermudez-Silva Jose Rozo Contreras
Colombia Colombia

Raoul de Verneuil-Peru

Oscar Lorenzo
Fernandez
Brazil
Luis H. Salgado Segundo Luis Moreno
Ecuador Ecuador

Theodora Valcarcel
Peru

Emilio Murillo
(Left) Guillermo Colombia (Left) Carlos
Uribe-Holguin Posada-Amador
Colombia Colombia Andres Sas-Peru
 Composers

Gilardo Gilardi
Argentina
Jacobo Ficher
Argentina
Jose Maria Castro ·
Juan Jose Castro Argentina
Argentina

Juan Carlos Paz

Argentina

Alberto Williams
Argentina

Roberto Garcia Morillo Honorio Siccardi

Argentina Argentina
Juan A.
Garcia Estrada I sabel Aretz-Thiele Pascual de Rogatis
Argentina Argentina Argentina

Luis Gianneo
Argentina

Antonio Gon-
zalez Bravo
Bolivia

Constantino Caito
Carlos Suffern Argentina
Argentina

Juan Carlos Mo-

reno Gonz&lez
Paraguay
Antonio de Raco Arturo Luzzatti
Argentina Argentina

Carlos Pedrell
Uruguay
Jose Maria Ve-
lasco Maidana
Bolivia
Simeon Roncal
Bolivia
Juan B. Plaza
Venezuela

Eduardo Fabini
ur.u guay
Juan Lecuna
Venezuela

Humberto Vis-
carra Monje
Bolivia
Maria Luisa E scobar (Right)
Venezuela (Right) Alfonso Broqua
Moises MoJeiro Uruguay
Ven ezuela
conductor of the Orquesta Sinf6nica Limiting our survey to living composers
N acional in Lima. of contemporary tendencies, whether writ-
ing a national music or not, we find a
Theodora Valcarcel, b. Puno, Oct. 19, 1900. great number of musicians thoroughly
Raoul de Verneuil, b. Lima, April 9, 1901. versed in the theory and technique of com-
Andres Sas, b. Paris, April 6, 1900.
Carlos Sanchez Malaga, b. Arequipa, Sept. position. Alberto Williams is the senior
8, 1ro!. composer of Argentina. His renown is
Pablo Thavez Aguilar, b. Lima, March 3, 1899. established through publication and fre-
Vicente Stea, b. Gioia del cone, Italy, April
19, 1884. quent performances of his major orchestral
Enrique Fava Ninci, b. Spezia, Italy, Oct. works. The program of his music is na-
4, 1883. tional, but the shaping of the material is
Federi.co Gerdes, b. Tacna, Peru, May 19, 1873.
Theo Buchwald, b. Vienna, Sept. ?:7, 1902. entirely in the European Nineteent!I-Cen-
Rudolph Holzmann, b. Breslau, Germany, tury tradition. Of a considerably younger
Nov. ?:7, 1910. generation, the brothers Castro are both
Rodolfo Barbacci, b. Buenos Aires, Feb. 28,
1911. conductors. As composer, Juan · Jose
Daniel Alomias Robles, b. Huimuco, Jan. 3, Castro has contributed to national music
1871. a 'Sinfonia Argentina'. Jose Maria Castro
leans towards classicism. Juan A. Garcia
Estrada similarly adheres to the classical
forms, even when he writes a suite on
BOLIVIA Argentinian airs. Gilardo Gilardi writes
music that is pointedly national in its deri-
Composers of Bolivia have a rich vatiou, and selects subjects or legends of
stock of raw materials to draw upon. Argentina for his operas and ballets, two
of which have been produced at the Colon.
Besides Indian culture of ancient origin, Luis Gianneo divides his attention evenly
there is a wealth of hybrid folk music. between absolute and program music of
which is a by-product of white and national content. Athos Palma chooses
Indian str ains. As with most Latin Argentinian subjects for his ballets, and
American nations, the elder generation writes chamber music and piano pieces in
of Bolivian composers is preoccupied a traditional idiom. Constantino Gaito, a
w i t h the Bolivian equivalent of native of Buenos Aires, studied in Italy,
'Gebrauchsmusik', producing marches, and the Italian code of composition has
dances, and 'llamadas' for military remained the chief inspiration of his music.
Among naturalized Italians, Arturo
band. The harmonic treatment is Nicolas Slonimsky (Right) with Group of S·ou th American Conductors. Left to Luzzatti has retained the spirit of Italian-
modeled after the German Nineteenth- Right: Armando Carvajal (Chile), Guillermo Uribe-Holguin (Colombia), Oscar ism. Pascual de Rogatis, a musician of
Century sty 1 e of military music. Lorenzo Fernandez (Brazil); Standing: Guillermo Espinosa (Colombia) knowledge and imagination, came to
Simeon Ronca!, Bolivian pianist and or- Buenos Aires as a child, and has identi-
ganist, has written a number of such fied himself completely with the cause of
dances and marches, often invigorated ism. Instruction from such men as but has spent most of his life in Barcelona, national music. In fact, he may claim
by typical rhythms of native stock. Humberto Allende and Domingo Santa Spain. the distinction of being the composer of
Francisco Suarez, styled openly "com- Cruz enables young Chilean composers to the first genuinely national symphonic
receive thorough training without under- Humberto A11ende, b. Santiago, June 29, 1885. poem, inspired by an aboriginal legend,
positor militar", is a prolific composer Adolfo A11ende, b. Santiago, 1892. 'Zupay', which he conducted at the Cen-
of popular Boleros, Cuecas, Bailecitos, taking a costly sojourn in Europe. In Domingo Santa Cruz Wilson, b. La Cruz,
other words, Chile is musically self-suffi- July 5, 1899. tennial Exposition in 1910. His opera,
Tristecitos, and salon pieces. There is Carlos Isamitt, b. Rengo, March 13, 1885. 'La Novia del Hereje' produced in 1935.
cient.
nothing to prevent such pieces from be- Prospero Bisquertt Prado, b. Santiago, June is written on the subject of the colonial
The native element in Chile descends 8, 1881.
period in Spanish America. Raul Espoile,
coming genuine folklore material, which from the Araucanians, the aboriginal popu- Alfonso Leng, b. Santiago, Feb. 11, 1884.
some future Bolivian Stravinsky may Samuel Negrete, b. Santiago, Dec. 18, 1893. and Felipe Boero, too, are authors of operas
lation of Southern Chile. It is natural
use in a Bolivian 'Petrouchka'. that we should find 'Araucanian Rhapso-
Hector Melo Gorigoytia, b. Santiago, Oct. 30, on Argentine themes.
1899.
Antonio Gonzalez Bravo is the dean of dies' and 'Araucanian Poems' among the Jorge Urrutia Blonde!, b. La Serena, Sept. 17, We now come to the composers in the
the new Bolivian school. He applies his works of the Chilean composers. The 1905. "Grupo ~enovaCion". Jacobo Fieber,
technique of composition to native themes, Rene Amengual Astaburuaga, b. Santiago, Russian by birth and education, a prolific
problem of creative composition lies in the Sept. 2, 1911. '
elaborating the material at hand, and thus quality of musical syncretism. Humberto Alfonso Letelier . b. S a ntiago, Oct. 4, 1912. composer, writes emotional music, sobered
building a national style. His activity is Allende said in a lecture on Chilean folk Armando Carvajal, b. Santiago, June 7, 1893. by neo-classical tendencies. Honoria
practical : he writes performable music, for Enrique Soro, b. Concepcion, July 15, 1884. Siccardi studied in Italy with Malipiero,
music in Santiago in 1930 that "the author Carlos Lavin, b. Santiago, Aug. 10, 1883.
the theatre, for chorus, for students. He of a stylized composition does not copy and was decidedly influenced by his
is a pedagogue and a historian of Bolivian pure folk art but, taking his inspiration teacher. There is i11 his music an air of
music, as well as composer. Humberto from its essence, dignifies it with beauti- romanticism pervading the linear counter-
Viscarra Monje has studied in Italy and
France and is primarily a pianist. Apart
ful harmonization and enshrines it in ap-
proved forms". The crux of the problem
ARGENTINA point. Unique is Juan Carlos Paz who,
starting with classicism and objectivism,
from compositions in the classical manner, lies in the subjective definition of "beau- In order to gauge the wealth of musical turned to expressionism and subjectivism
he has written piano pieces of national tiful harmonization" and "approved forms". life in Argentina we may apply the range and finally arrived at the most abstract
Bolivian inspiration. Jose Maria Velasco It might be expedient to change Allende's test: how great is the variety of musical type of absolute music in the strict tech-
Maidana who studied in Buenos Aires has formula and accept in advance any form idioms in which the composers of Argen- nique of the twelve tones. Among younger
undertaken the composition of several and treatment that solidifies the fusion in - tina write? We find that all schools of composers adhering to the modern groups
theatrical works in a national style, such musical syncretism. Humberto Allende musical composition are represented, from are Isabel Aretz-Thiele, who composes in
as his ballet 'Amerindia'. He is also the himself is one of the pioneers of styliza- the conventional conservatory type to the authentic modes of the country, in eco-
author of a traditional symphony and tion in Chilean music. His "tonadas" are integral chromaticism of the twelve-tone nomic and often dissonant treatment ;
more than seventy pieces of program music stylizations of rural song. His symphonic technique. Dealing with such a complex Carlos Suffern, who essays music of varie
for various instruments. poem, 'Voz de las Calles' is a reflection picture, we cannot expect to draw valid inspiration, from Japanese to ancient
of street life in the cities. It must be inferences concerning the trend of music Greek, as well as rural Argentina ; Roberto
Antonio Gonzalez Bravo, b. near La Paz, in said that street music in Latin America is in Argentina without an inspection of Garcia Morillo, who writes percussive
1885. music inspired by the rhythms of the coun-
much richer than in Europe, and that the rural (racially Indian) and urban materials
Simeon Ronca!, b. Sucre, Bolivia, April 21, (Tango and other salon dances). Immi- try, and Antonio de Raco, who has col-
1872. vendors' cries, accompanied on lip har-
monicas and jews' harps, present definite gration of a great number of Italian musi- lected creole songs, and has compose
Francisco Suarez, b. La Paz, in 1858.
scales with strongly implied harmonies. cians is another contributing factor, and piano pieces. To the same group belongs
Humberto Viscarra Monje, b. Sorata, Bolivia,
Carlos Isamitt, composer who is also a the predominantly Italian operatic produc- Julio Perceval, who cultivates the rhythmi-
March 30, 1898.
painter, treats Araucanian melodies in a tions at the great Teatro Colon in Buenos cal aspect of folk dances.
Jose Maria Velasco Maidana, b. La Paz,
J u1y 4, 1899. primitive dissonant manner. Prospera Aires increases the Italian influence in the Alberto Williams, b. Buenos Aires, Nov. 2l
Bisquertt Prado romanticizes the folklore. metropolis. 1862.
Adolfo Allende, brother of Humberto The evolution of modern music in Juan Jose Castro, b. Bueaos Aires, March 7
Allende, prefers a classical setting. Alfonso Buenos Aires is a very recent phenomenon, 1895.
Jose ~{aria Castro, b. Buenos Aires, Nov. 17 ,
CHILE Leng affects symbolism in a Scriabinesque largely cultivated by such organizations as
manner, and abandons folk music alto- the "Grupo Renovacion". There is an ex-
1892.
Juan A. Garcia Estrada, b. Buenos Aires
Musical culture in Chile stands high. gether. The younger men, Jorge Urrutia cellent body of orchestral players at the Nov. 8. 1895.
Gilardo Gilardi, b. San Fernando, Argentina ,
There is a symphony orchestra in Santiago, Blonde!, Hector Melo Gorigoytia, Samuel Colon. The Philharmonic Orchestra of May 25, 1889.
directed by Armando Carvajal. There are Negrete, Rene Amengual Astaburuaga, the Association of Orchestral Musicians, Luis Giann€0, b. Buenos Aires, Jan. 9, 1897
several conservatories, and a department and Alfonso Letelier, are all writing in founded in 1894, has been active in pro- Arturo Lo.1zzatti , b. Turin, May 24 , 1875.
of Fine Arts at the University of Chile, an international, semi-impressionistic idiom. ducing new works by Argentinian com- Athos Palma, b. Buenos Aires, June 7, 1891
which possesses its own printing press posers. In October, 1939, a new organiza- Constantino Gaito, b. Buenos Aires, Aug. 3,
Finally, Domingo Santa Cruz Wilson 1878.
and publishes numerous compositions by (Wilson is the name of his mother, who tion, Orques~a Sinfonica de Ia Asociacion Pascual de Rogatis, b. Teora, Italy, May 17,
Chilean composers. One may often judge was an American) does not pursue the General de Musicos de Ia Argentina, under 1881.
the extent of musical evolution in a coun- the direction of Jacobo Ficher, began its Ratti H. Espoile, b. Mercedes, Argentina,
task of stylization, but writes absolute Jan. 25 . 1888.
try by the range of esthetic styles among music of contrapuntal nature. His sig- first season. There are chamber music Felipe Boero. b. Buenos Aires, May 1. 1884.
creative writers, composers, and artists. nificance as a musical scientist and peda- concerts directed by Juan Carlos Paz. It Jacobo Fieber, b. Odessa, Jan. 14, 1896.
In Chile this range is very broad, from gogue is high. Enrique Soro is a practical is significant that both Fieber and Paz Honorio Siccardi, b. Buenos Aires, Sept. 13,
1897.
the traditional type of harmony to disson- pedagogue. Carlos Lavin, whose numerous belong to the Grupo Renovacion, and that Juan Carlos Paz, b. Buenos Aires, August 5,
ant counterpoint and extreme impr~ssion- piano pieces are well known, is a Chilean, their musical language is radical. 1897.
 Audience

at the

Teatro

Colon
.In

Buenos

Aires

A rgentine Information Bureau

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time a resident of Paris, has written music 'Discovery of Brazil', 'Three Indigenous years, still active as composer. Brazilian
intimately connected with his native coun- Poems', etc. Villa-Lobos lived in Paris musicians certainly will not fail to arrange
try. It is curious to note that while for some time, but was not tempted to give a gala celebration on Aug. 5, 1946, when
Broqua and Pedrell, living in Paris, have up his national heritage for the sweets of Gomes de Araujo will be 100 years old,
kept faith with the spirit of Uruguayan French impressionism, although some of his and, let us hope, in good health.
song, another Uruguayan composer, works of the Paris period show surprising
Heitor Villa-Lobos, b. Rio de J i.neiro, March
Eduardo Fabini, living in the land, suc- tameness. Since 1930 he has been active 5, 1881.
ceeds less, perhaps because his choice of in Brazil as choral conductor and educa- Oscar Lorenzo Fernandez, b. Rio de Janeiro,
harmonic treatment is uncongenial with tor. Despite his great reputation in his Nov. 4, 1897.
Camargo Guarnieri, b. Tiete, Brazil, Feb. 1.
native subject matter. country and abroad, performances of his 1907.
Benone Calcavecchia, a native of Italy, major works are excessively rare, un- Francisco Mignone, b. S. Paulo, Sept. 3, 1897.
is a naturalized citizen of Uruguay. In doubtedly because most orchestral conduc- Francisco Braga, b. Rio de Janeiro, April 15,
tors and players are incapable of grasping 1868.
his capacity as municipal band conductor Burle, Marx, b. Rio de Janeiro, July 23, 1902.
he has arranged and performed numerous the spirit of free rhythm in his music, even Joao Gom es de Araujo, b. Pindamonhang"h·,
marches and stylized Uruguayan dances, when they are willing to accept his bold state of S. Paulo,· August 5, 1846.
which have their value as urban folklore. harmonies.
It must be mentioned that Montevideo is Close to Villa-Lobos in his musical phil-
the center of the movement "Americanismo osophy stands Oscar Lorenzo Fernandez.
Musical", initiated by the German Uru-
guayan scholar Francisco Curt Lange, edi-
His music, too, is profoundly Brazilian in
.essence. In his 'Batuques' (Afro--Brazilian
VENEZUELA
tor of the Boletin Latino Americana de dances), in his 'Trio Brasileiro' and in his The panorama of Venezuelan music does
M1isica. songs, he stylizes the Brazilian themes in not present such variety of idiom as that
penetrating, often nostalgic tones. He also of Argentina or Brazil. While Venezuelan
Slonimsky Conducting Alfonso Broqua, b. Montevideo, Dec. 1!, 1876. is active as orchestral and choral conductor. composers are eager to record and sys-
Carlos Pedrell, b. Montevideo, Oct. 16, 1878. ]. Octaviano is a composer of numerous tematize the treasures of native folk music,
Eduardo Fabini, b. Solis de Mataojo, Uruguay,
Isabel Aretz-Thiele, b. Buenos Aires, April May 18, 1883. pieces in the national vein, as well as au- their resources are limited. Choral com-
13, 19W. Benone Calcavecchia, b. Caronia, Italy, June thor of textbooks. Of the younger genera- position abounds, owing probably to the
Carlos Suffern, b. Lujan, Argentina, Sept. 25, 27, 1886. tion of Brazilian composers, the name of inspiring presence of a fine choral society,
1905. Francisco Curt Lange, b. Eilenburg, Germany,
Roberto Garcia Morillo, b. Buenos Aires, Dec. 12, 1903. Camargo Guarnieri commands attention. Orfeon Lamas, in Caracas, directed by
Jan. 22, 1911. Francisco Mignone hardly ranks with Vicente Emilio Soja. Among composers,
Antonio de Raco, b. Buenos Aires, Aug. 21 , Villa-Lobos and Fernandez, but his music Juan B. Plaza occupies an important posi-
1915. has a simple poetic appeal and in his Afroc tion in Caracas as instructor. His music is
Julio Perceval, b. Brussels, Belgium, July 17.
Brazilian dances he finds the right accent. based on Venezuelan modes, and the treat-
1903.
BRAZIL Francisco Braga belongs to an older gen-
eration, and enjoys authority and respect
ment is simple, without attempt at sophis-
tication. Moises Moleiro writes in small
One Brazilian composer enjoys a world- in Brazil. His music, much of it orchestral, forms, all in the national spirit. Juan Le-
URUGUAY wide reputation. He is Heitor Villa-Lobos.
His music, rooted in the very core of
is based on Brazilian folk-lore, but it can-
not match the natural talent of Villa-Lobos
cuna, an important composer, possessing a
superior technique, spends part of the year
For geographical reasons musical life in Brazilian life, is a classical specimen of and Fernandez. Burle Marx, whose pres- in the United States as attache of the
Un1guay is closely connected with that of musical syncretism in its most artistic entations of Brazilian orchestral music at Venezuelan Legation in Washington.
.•\ rgentina. Yet there must be a distinc- form. Here harmony and counterpoint are the New York World's Fair aroused great Maria Luisa Escobar is the composer of
ti 1e inflection in Uruguayan folk music. mere functions of the melodic and rhyth- interest, is also a composer in his own numerous songs to texts in native dialects,
Alfonso Broqua has given us an example mic inflection of the authentic song. Villa- right. His experience in conducting adds and a violin suite based on ten distinctive
of what Uruguayan melos is in his 'Three Lobos has created a new art form, greatly to the effectiveness of his music Venezuelan rhythms.
Uruguayan Songs', the authenticity of "choros", extremely flexible, palpitating and orchestration.
Vicente Emilio Sojo, b. Guatine, Venezuela,
11·hich is unobscured by the harmonization with constantly changing rhythms, and A place apart not only among Brazilian Dec. 8, 1887.
in the style of modern French music. unmistakably national in inspiration. The musicians but in the whole musical world Juan B . Plaza, b. Caracas, July 19, 1898.
nroqua spent most of his life in France, very titles of his works reveal their sources should be reserved for J oiio Gomes de Moises Moleiro, b. Caracas, March 28, 1905.
hut has not lost contact with his native in the barbaric jungle, "Kankukus y kan- Araujo, composer of several operas and Juan Lecuna, b. Valencia, Venezuela, Nov. 20.
1898.
land. Another eminent composer of kikis', 'Danzas africanas', 'Amazonas' (with six symphonies, who was born in 1846, and Maria Luisa Escobar, b. Valencia, Venezuela,
Uruguay, Carlos Pedrell, also for a long some remarkable instrumental effects), is now, at the age of nearly ninety-four Dec. 5. 1903.

376485
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