Guatemala on Music Theory Print

Gaspar Fernandes

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Gaspar Fernandes (sometimes written Gaspar Fernández, the Spanish version of his name) (1566–1629) was a Portuguese-Mexican composer and organist active in the cathedrals of Santiago de Guatemala (present-day Antigua Guatemala) and Puebla de los Ángeles, New Spain (present-day Mexico). Life Most scholars agree that the Gaspar Fernandes listed as a singer in the cathedral of Évora, Portugal, is the same person as the Gaspar Fernández who was hired on 16 July 1599 as organist and organ tuner of the cathedral of Santiago de Guatemala. In 1606, Fernandes was approached by the dignitaries of the cathedral of Puebla, inviting him to become the successor of his recently deceased friend Pedro Bermúdez as chapel master. He left Santiago de Guatemala on 12 July 1606, and began his tenure in Puebla on 15 September. He remained there until his death in 1629. Work One of his most important achievements for posterity was the compilation and binding in 1602 of various choir books containing Roman Catholic liturgical polyphony, several of which are extant in Guatemala. These manuscripts contain music by Spanish composers Francisco Guerrero, Cristóbal de Morales, and Pedro Bermúdez; the latter was

José Eulalio Samayoa

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José Eulalio Samayoa (c. 1781 – c. 1866) was a Guatemalan classical composer. Biography José Eulalio Samayoa was educated within the system of guilds, progressing from apprentice to journeyman before becoming a master. He founded the Philharmonic Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, with a series of musical and liturgical celebrations held on July 2, 1813. The same day he was admitted to the Guatemala Cathedral choir, as third tenor, which he regarded as a heavenly grace for having established the Philharmonic Society. In 1842 he wrote the history of this Society, with an extended historical appendix on the development of Music in Guatemala since the earliest days of the Spanish missions, thus becoming the first music historian in Central America and perhaps all of Latin America. Samayoa is one of the first composers in the Americas to attempt the composition of larger instrumental forms that culminates in the symphony. Having been trained in the tradition of Spanish church music, he was taught how to write well for voices with instrumental accompaniment. The resulting forms, mainly those of the villancico and cantata, were defined by the poetic form of the text. When the Cathedra

Manuel José de Quirós

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Manuel José de Quirós (died 1765) was an 18th-century Guatemalan composer. Life Born in Santiago de Guatemala, present day Antigua Guatemala, towards the end of the 17th century, Quirós had a religious education while pursuing his musical apprenticeship and reaching the level of a journeyman. Having taken Franciscan orders, he was put in charge of the Franciscan press, where he served until 1738, when he was appointed chapel master of the cathedral choir and orchestra. He served in this capacity for 27 years, until his death in 1765. As chapel master, he was in charge of the education of choir boys and apprentices, besides conducting the cathedral liturgical music. Among his pupils, the most outstanding was Rafael Antonio Castellanos. Quirós is the first musician in the New World to receive a critical review. On the occasion of the ceremonies that elevated the Bishopric of Guatemala to the rank of an Archbishopric, Quirós provided liturgical music during the nine days of celebration in November, 1745. Writer Antonio de Paz y Salgado, a high official in the Spanish colonial government, published his enthusiastic review of these musical performances two years later in Mexico City. A

Miguel Sandoval (composer)

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Miguel Angel Sandoval Cabrera (3 November 1902 – 24 August 1953), was a Guatemalan-born American pianist, conductor and composer. He spoke Spanish, English, French, and Italian. His musical works contributed greatly to both countries, and he is viewed as a musical ambassador of Guatemala. Early life Miguel Sandoval was born in the town of Guazacapán, Guatemala (in the department of Santa Rosa) on November 3, 1902. Fray Angel Cabrera, who was a priest and his mother’s uncle, supervised Sandoval’s primary education. Sandoval’s musical resources were limited in the small town where he grew up. He had access to a home piano, which he began playing when he was age 10, the church harmonium, and two phonographs owned by wealthy members of the community. As a young boy, he was fascinated by the military bands and marimba orchestras who played on national holidays and feast days. In 1912, Sandoval and his mother moved to Guatemala City, where he attended the private Anglo-German high school. In 1917, an earthquake devastated Guatemala City, leaving buildings in rubble and thousands of Guatemalans homeless. All schools in Guatemala City were closed, so with the help of Fray Cabrera, Sandoval

Rafael Antonio Castellanos

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Rafael Antonio Castellanos (c. 1725–1791) was a Guatemalan classical composer. His style is that of the late Spanish baroque, pre-classical, and classical periods, with frequent reference to Guatemalan folk music idioms. Life From an early age, Castellanos trained as an apprentice under his uncle Manuel José de Quirós, chapelmaster of the cathedral of Santiago de Guatemala. In 1740, the young Rafael signed a composition for voice and basso continuo, on the Latin text of the Second Lamentation of Jeremiah. This piece reflects his mastery of baroque writing and an unusual expressive talent. In 1745 he became a journeyman and was admitted as a member of the cathedral orchestra as first violin, sometimes also playing harp. During the 1750s he produced various of his own compositions for the matins services, along with those of his uncle. When Quirós died in 1765, Castellanos was appointed his successor as chapel master, with the duties of conducting cathedral music during matins, vespers, and Mass, and of composing suitable music for different liturgical occasions. After the earthquake of 1773 life changed dramatically in the City of Santiago de Guatemala, which would shortly move to t

Rodolfo Narciso Chavarría

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Rodolfo Narciso Chavarría (4 March 1901- 3 October 1968) was a marimba player and composer from Guatemala. Biography He was born in the city of San Cristóbal Verapaz, and his parents were Vicente Adolfo Narciso Peláez and Gudelia Chavarría. * Río Polochic, fox-blues * Ruiseñor Verapaz, capriccio * Reflejos de luna en el lago, concert waltz * Josecito, guarimba * Gilberto Leal, pasodoble * Tezulutlán, blues * Clavel tinto, foxtrot * Corazón voluntario, march (1938) * Chimax, march (Op. No. 278, 1946) * Garza de la mañana (Op. 289,1945) See also * San Cristóbal Verapaz Notes and references References