Federico Ibarra - a Case Study

Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 4-29-2019 11:00 AM Contexts for Musical Modernism in Post-1945 Mexico: Federico Ibarra - A Case Study Francisco Eduardo Barradas Galván The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Ansari, Emily. The University of Western Ontario Co-Supervisor Wiebe, Thomas. The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in Music A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Doctor of Musical Arts © Francisco Eduardo Barradas Galván 2019 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Musicology Commons, and the Music Performance Commons Recommended Citation Barradas Galván, Francisco Eduardo, "Contexts for Musical Modernism in Post-1945 Mexico: Federico Ibarra - A Case Study" (2019). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 6131. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/6131 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Abstract This monograph examines the musical modernist era in Mexico between 1945 and the 1970s. It aims to provide a new understanding of the eclecticism achieved by Mexican composers during this era, using three different focal points. First, I examine the cultural and musical context of this period of Mexican music history. I scrutinize the major events, personalities, and projects that precipitated Mexican composers’ move away from government-promoted musical nationalism during this period toward an embrace of international trends. I then provide a case study through which to better understand this era, examining the early life, education, and formative influences of Mexican composer Federico Ibarra (b.1946), focusing particularly on the 1960s and 1970s. Lastly, I analyze three of Ibarra’s works from the 1970s, observing the major compositional techniques used by Ibarra during this period with the purpose of situating this composer’s experimental phase in the context of the international modernist scene of the second half of the twentieth century. To date, there is no published comprehensive study of the implications of the changing musical context of the fifties, sixties, and seventies on the musical thought of Mexican composers. Ibarra’s life and work has also been little examined by scholars. This project aims to start to bridge the gaps in our knowledge about these topics. Keywords Mexico, Mexican Music, Twentieth Century, International Modernism, Avant-Garde, Experimental, Latin America, Federico Ibarra. ii Acknowledgments The completion of this monograph would not have been possible without the help, guidance, and support of several people. First and foremost, I want to thank my co- supervisors Drs. Emily Ansari and Thomas Wiebe for their constant support and insightful advice throughout all the stages of this project. I want to thank Emily not only for her wisdom, patience, and encouragement, but also for the honest empathy she showed to me during my moments of despair. I thank Tom for the precision and clarity of his suggestions as well as his honesty about my academic and musical work. I want also to thank Sonia Halpern from the Writing Success Center at Western University, because a considerable part of this text was polished through her valuable advice. They all worked hard to make sure that I wrote what I meant and that I meant what I wrote. If there is a mistake in this study it is my fault alone. I want to thank my violin professor at Western University, Prof. Annette-Barbara Vogel, for her musical mentorship during the years I was under her guidance. Some of the most valuables lessons about violin playing I have learnt so far I have learnt from her. I also want to thank Drs. Catherine Nolan, John Cuciurean, and Troy Ducharme for the valuable advise they offered me when I asked for their help. I want to express my sincere gratitude to people in Mexico who offered me their support when I asked. Among those people are Xochiquetzal Ruíz Ortíz, Dra. Susana Enríquez, and Manuel Rocha Iturbide. I want to especially thank composer Federico Ibarra, who opened the doors of his home at Mexico City and agreed to be interviewed as I worked on this study. I discovered in him a genuine artist and an admirable human being. I want to thank my family—even though we are far from each other and we do not talk often, you always checked on me in the most critical moments. I thank my brother Marco, my aunt Martha, my lovely cousin Mariana, and my beautiful nieces Gaby and Dani whose smiles and messages brightened my cloudy days. I want to particularly thank my Dad, who offered me exactly the right words in the moment when I needed them the most. I want to thank my Mom, whose spirit lays deep within me. iii I want to thank Yolanda for the good memories and past years of partnership and companionship. I would not have even attempted to start a doctorate had not been for her encouragement. I want to thank my dear friends, Santiago, Grace, Paola, Victoria, Debora, Pepe, and Dulce, who cheered me up when I needed it. I thank my friend Héctor Cisneros for his encouragement and empathy, and for proof-reading the Spanish version of the Appendix A of this monograph. I am deeply grateful to Chantal Lemire for the afternoons we spent writing and chatting about our respective topics. The conversations I had with her helped me to get out of a predicament in my writing more than once. I want to thank Andrew, who patiently listened to me in the moments I needed to speak out my personal and academic frustrations and who offered another perspective of things that I had not seen before. I want to thank my dear friend, Dominica Babicki and her beautiful family—Alastair, Isabella, and Ailish—who opened the doors of their house and have taken me in like a new member of their family. Finally, I want to profoundly thank my Canadian grandmother, Ephie Tsiapalis, who never stopped believing in me, even when I did not believe in myself. In the moment when I had given up everything, Ephie refused to let me sink. She was the star illuminating the path when everything else was dark. I dedicate this monograph to her. iv Table of Contents Abstract ......................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................ iii Table of Contents ........................................................................................................... v List of Figures ............................................................................................................. vii List of Appendices ..................................................................................................... viii Preface ........................................................................................................................... ix Introduction .................................................................................................................... 1 Definition of Terms ................................................................................................... 4 Literature Review ...................................................................................................... 6 Chapter 1. Post-1945 Modernism in Mexico ............................................................... 12 1.1 Post-War Years: National Cultural Context ...................................................... 14 1.2 Cultural Policy: 1960s and 1970s ..................................................................... 18 1.3 Post-1945 Trends in Mexico ............................................................................. 22 1.3.1 Serialism ................................................................................................. 22 1.3.2 Experimentalism and Technology in Mexican Music ............................ 28 1.4 Musical Education in Mexico ........................................................................... 31 1.4.1 The North Looks at the South ................................................................. 33 1.4.2 Musical Update: National Efforts ........................................................... 35 1.5 Patrons for New Music ..................................................................................... 38 1.5.1 Nuestra Música ....................................................................................... 38 1.5.2 La Asociación Ponce ............................................................................... 41 1.5.3 The National University of Mexico ........................................................ 42 1.5.4 Music Festivals and Concert Series: Collective and Individual Efforts . 43 1.6 Manuel Enríquez: Pioneer of International Modernism in Mexico .................. 46 v 1.7 Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 49 Chapter 2. Federico Ibarra: A Son of His Era .............................................................. 52 2.1 Growing Up in Avant-Garde Mexico: Challenges and Inspirations ................. 53 2.2 Early Musical Explorations ............................................................................... 57 2.3 International Travels ........................................................................................

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