The Guitar In Peru in the 17th and 18th centuries. The majority of Latin American guitar music from the colonial and post-colonial periods remains a mystery today. But recently in Peru, musicologists have uncovered numerous historical works, important not only for their historical value but also for their musical merit. The following programme is a small showcase of such pieces, written originally for guitar in Peru between the colonial period and the beginning of the Republic period.
The Peruvian Baroque Suite is a compilation of pieces gathered by guitarist and researcher Javier Echecopar, whose source of inspiration is two Eighteen Century transcriptions of Peruvian-Spanish music written for guitar: el Libro de Zifra (1805. Catalogued in the Lima National Museum) and the Cuaderno de Música para Guitarra de Mathias Maestro (Lima. 1786). This Suite reflects the musical atmosphere of courtesan life in Lima in the late Eighteenth Century, bringing to the surface important musical and cultural linkage between Spain and Peru, in the baroque as well as in classical periods.
Although the pieces that are featured in both manuscripts clearly have european origins, many of them surprise us with deliberately dissonant and unusual harmonies. We are seeing that certain rare dividing line in which the music still maintains the memory of its tradition, but that also surrenders to the influences and atmosphere of the New World. The result of which is music that begins to distinguish itself from the music produced in Europe.
Pedro Ximénes Abril Tirado (Arequipa 1780-1856) was a prolific composer and instrumentalist. Referred to as the "Rossini of America" by his contemporaries, he was the most important musician of his time in Latin America. His works included masses, symphonies, violin concertos, works for voice and guitar, voice and piano, cello, and also a significant output for the guitar, with his "Yaravis" and his famous minuets. The quality of those minuets (Collection of 100 Minuets for Guitar) is corroborated by sources examined by researcher Néstor Guestrín, who describes that these pieces were known and interpreted by the very Andrés Segovia, although not included in any programs.
Another source, from Tirado's obituary in the news publication "Nueva Era", declares that "the celebrated Sor, the best guitarist in the world, after meticulously examining a collection of compositions by Tirado for this instrument (the cited works), bursted out a praise "If this american, who I wish I knew, had studied music in Europe, forget about Rossini and forget about the rest of the musical world". How these minuets arrived at the hands of Sor is unknown, but sources indicate that Abril Tirado's patron, Santa Cruz, was going to showcase the pieces in one of his voyages, before going into exile to Paris. Another curious fact regarding his work comes from "Origen e Historia de la Guitarra", where researcher Cedar Vigleitti points out that Verdi might have incorporated some of Abril's 'Yaravis' in his opera La Traviata.
Máximo Puente-Arnao (Lima, end of the 19th century) was an educated man and a man of multiple musical talents. His socio-economic position allowed him to be connected to european musical life. He directed a musical group of the young high society women of Lima. He published works in specialized magazines such as Il Plettro e Il Mandolino, in Italy. Based on his composition style and the genres he covered he has been likened to a Peruvian Francisco Tárrega. His works for guitar include mazurkas, waltzes, fantasias, duets, polkas, marches, among other genres. He also arranged popular themes for solo guitar and guitar duet (his transcription of the National Anthem is well known and highly regarded) and participated in composition competitions in Europe, earning gold and silver medals. His 'Fantasia en 3 Tiempos' for guitar was awarded the prestigious gold medal at the Milan Exhibition. Among other important awards he received, his mazurka Grati Ricordi earned a high honors certificate of recognition and a silver medal in the second competition organized by Il Piettro (Milano, August 30th, 1909). His works contain a very expressive quality and it reflect a very elevated knowledge of the instrument.
The study and diffusion of the works of these three composers could fill certain gaps, particularly when it comes to composers who lived and worked outside of Europe in both Eighteen and Nineteen Centuries. More specifically still, the study of the peruvian guitarists and composers that preceded the birth and blossoming of the national schools.
Three Popular Peruvian Pieces. From the arrival of the spanish guitar to the American continent, where not only did it transform its voice but also its form, the instrument has adapted to the expressive needs of each region. Its journey around the land and its ability to remain in the local peoples' consciousness becomes evident through their music. In Peru the guitar was greatly assimilated through its use in popular and traditional music; depending on the region, one sees andean guitar or creole guitar. The Three Popular Peruvian Pieces are a compilation of three peruvian musical genres: Vals, Hayno and Marinera, where andean and creole guitar play a fundamental role, each with a very defined style and its own set of characteristics.
The Peruvian Baroque Suite is a compilation of pieces gathered by guitarist and researcher Javier Echecopar, whose source of inspiration is two Eighteen Century transcriptions of Peruvian-Spanish music written for guitar: el Libro de Zifra (1805. Catalogued in the Lima National Museum) and the Cuaderno de Música para Guitarra de Mathias Maestro (Lima. 1786). This Suite reflects the musical atmosphere of courtesan life in Lima in the late Eighteenth Century, bringing to the surface important musical and cultural linkage between Spain and Peru, in the baroque as well as in classical periods.
Although the pieces that are featured in both manuscripts clearly have european origins, many of them surprise us with deliberately dissonant and unusual harmonies. We are seeing that certain rare dividing line in which the music still maintains the memory of its tradition, but that also surrenders to the influences and atmosphere of the New World. The result of which is music that begins to distinguish itself from the music produced in Europe.
Pedro Ximénes Abril Tirado (Arequipa 1780-1856) was a prolific composer and instrumentalist. Referred to as the "Rossini of America" by his contemporaries, he was the most important musician of his time in Latin America. His works included masses, symphonies, violin concertos, works for voice and guitar, voice and piano, cello, and also a significant output for the guitar, with his "Yaravis" and his famous minuets. The quality of those minuets (Collection of 100 Minuets for Guitar) is corroborated by sources examined by researcher Néstor Guestrín, who describes that these pieces were known and interpreted by the very Andrés Segovia, although not included in any programs.
Another source, from Tirado's obituary in the news publication "Nueva Era", declares that "the celebrated Sor, the best guitarist in the world, after meticulously examining a collection of compositions by Tirado for this instrument (the cited works), bursted out a praise "If this american, who I wish I knew, had studied music in Europe, forget about Rossini and forget about the rest of the musical world". How these minuets arrived at the hands of Sor is unknown, but sources indicate that Abril Tirado's patron, Santa Cruz, was going to showcase the pieces in one of his voyages, before going into exile to Paris. Another curious fact regarding his work comes from "Origen e Historia de la Guitarra", where researcher Cedar Vigleitti points out that Verdi might have incorporated some of Abril's 'Yaravis' in his opera La Traviata.
Máximo Puente-Arnao (Lima, end of the 19th century) was an educated man and a man of multiple musical talents. His socio-economic position allowed him to be connected to european musical life. He directed a musical group of the young high society women of Lima. He published works in specialized magazines such as Il Plettro e Il Mandolino, in Italy. Based on his composition style and the genres he covered he has been likened to a Peruvian Francisco Tárrega. His works for guitar include mazurkas, waltzes, fantasias, duets, polkas, marches, among other genres. He also arranged popular themes for solo guitar and guitar duet (his transcription of the National Anthem is well known and highly regarded) and participated in composition competitions in Europe, earning gold and silver medals. His 'Fantasia en 3 Tiempos' for guitar was awarded the prestigious gold medal at the Milan Exhibition. Among other important awards he received, his mazurka Grati Ricordi earned a high honors certificate of recognition and a silver medal in the second competition organized by Il Piettro (Milano, August 30th, 1909). His works contain a very expressive quality and it reflect a very elevated knowledge of the instrument.
The study and diffusion of the works of these three composers could fill certain gaps, particularly when it comes to composers who lived and worked outside of Europe in both Eighteen and Nineteen Centuries. More specifically still, the study of the peruvian guitarists and composers that preceded the birth and blossoming of the national schools.
Three Popular Peruvian Pieces. From the arrival of the spanish guitar to the American continent, where not only did it transform its voice but also its form, the instrument has adapted to the expressive needs of each region. Its journey around the land and its ability to remain in the local peoples' consciousness becomes evident through their music. In Peru the guitar was greatly assimilated through its use in popular and traditional music; depending on the region, one sees andean guitar or creole guitar. The Three Popular Peruvian Pieces are a compilation of three peruvian musical genres: Vals, Hayno and Marinera, where andean and creole guitar play a fundamental role, each with a very defined style and its own set of characteristics.