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A Bell & Howell Information Company 300 North Zeeb Road. Ann Arbor. Ml 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 A BRIEF EVALUATION OF SELECTED SOLO PIANO MUSIC BY LATIN AMERICAN COMPOSERS

D.M.A. Document

Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for

the Degree of Doctor of Musical Arts in the Graduate

School of The Ohio State University

By Moonsun Choi, B.A., M.M.

The Ohio State University 1995

D.M.A. Committee: Approved by Jerry E. Lowder, Adviser

// ^Adviser^ ------Donald Gren, Co-Adviser

Sylvia Zaremba

William Conable School of Music UMI Number: 9533918

UMI Microform 9533918 Copyright 1995, by UMI Company. All rights reserved.

This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code.

UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 To My Mother

ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to express sincere appreciation to my adviser, Dr. Jerry E. Lowder, for his academic guidance and insight throughout my research. His valuable comments and criticism made the completion of this document possible, and I am greatly indebted to him for his encouragement. I also thank Professor Sylvia Zaremba, who has always given me her utmost support and inspired me throughout my piano study at The Ohio State University. Thanks also go to the other members of my reading committee, Dr. Donald Gren and Dr. William Conable, for their suggestions and comments for the study.

iii VITA

June 26, 1966 Born - Seoul, Korea

1989 B.A., Piano Performance, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea.

1991 M.M., Piano Performance, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea.

1994-1995 Graduate Teaching Associate Department of Dance, The Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio.

iv FIELDS OF STUDY

Major Field: Music

Studies in Piano Performance: Professor Sylvia Zaremba Professor Donald Gren

Studies in Piano Pedagogy: Professor Jerry E. Lowder

Studies in Piano Literature: Professor Donald Gren

Studies in Chamber Music: Professor William Conable TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS...... i i i VITA ...... iv

FIELDS OF STUDY...... v

LIST OF FIGURES ...... i x

CHAPTER

I. INTRODUCTION...... 1

Need for the Study...... 3

Purpose of the Study...... 4

Description of Research Method ...... 4

References...... 7

II. UNDERSTANDING LATIN AMERICAN PIANO MUSIC...... 8

Trends and Representative Piano Music after the Colonial Period ...... 8 Nationalism ...... 8 Impressionism...... 11 Neo-Classicism ...... 12 Romanticism ...... 14 Serialism ...... 1 5

vi General Characteristics of Latin American Piano Music ...... 1 5

Refecences ...... 22 III. EVALUATION OF SELECTED SOLO PIANO MUSIC...... 24 Aguirre, Julian: Huella, Op. 49 from Cancion Argentina...... 24 Castro, Jose Maria: Cancion de Cuna from Diez Piezas Breves...... 26 Castro, Juan Jose: Quasi Polka ...... 28

Chavez, Carlos: Sonatina ...... 29

Gianneo, Luis: Gato from Tres Danzas Argentinas.31

Gianneo, Luis: Villancico ...... 32 Ginastera, Alberto: Rondo on Argentine Children's Folk-tunes ...... 34 Ginastera, Alberto: Creole Dance from 7 2 American Preludes, Vol. 1 ...... 36 Graetzer, Guillermo: Rondo ...... 38 Guarnieri, Camargo: Ponteio No.4 8 ...... 40 Guerra-Peixe, Cesar: Ponteado de Viola from Preludios Tropica is...... 42

Paz, Juan Carlos: Balada, Op. 31, No. 2 from Canciones y Baladas...... 44 Paz, Juan Carlos: Elegia from Diez Piezas Sobre una Serie en los 12 tonos...... 45 Pinto, Octavio: Serenade from Children's Festival47 Pinto, Octavio: Run! run! from Scenas Infantis 49 Ponce, Maunel M.: Tema Mexicano Variado ...... 51 Tauriello, Antonio: Toccata ...... 52

vii Villa-Lobos, Heitor: A Pombinha voou from Guia Pratico...... 54 Villa-Lobos, Heitor: 0 Polichinelo from Prole do Bebe...... 56

Villa-Lobos, Heitor: Alnitah No. 1 from The Three Maries, Series 1...... 58 IV. SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY ...... 61 APPENDIX...... 65 BIBLIOGRAPHY...... 88

viii LIST OF FIGURES

FIGURES PAGE

1. Ginastera, Alberto: Danzas del viejo boyero from Danzas Argentinas, mm. 7 8 -7 9 ...... 2.1

2. Aguirre, Julian: Huella, Op. 49 from Cancidn Argentina, mm. 1 -8 ...... 26

3. Castro, Jose Marla: Cancidn de Cuna from Diez Piezas Breves, mm. 1-8...... 27

4. Castro, Juan Jose: Quasi Polka, mm. 1-8 ...... 29

5. Chavez, Carlos: Sonatina, mm. 1-8 ...... 30

6. Gianneo, Luis: Gato from Tres Danzas Argentinas, mm. 1 -8 ...... 32

7. Gianneo, Luis: Villancico, mm. 1 -1 0 ...... 34

8. Ginastera, Alberto: Rondo on Argentine Children's F o r­ tunes, mm. 1 -9...... 36

9. Ginastera, Alberto: Creole Dance from 12 American Preludes, Vol. 1, mm. 1 -1 0 ...... 38

10. Graetzer, Guillermo: Rondd, mm. 1 -9 ...... 39

11. Guarnieri, Camargo: Ponteio No. 48, mm. 1-6 ...... 41

ix 12. Guerra-Peixe, C§sar: Ponteado de Viola from Preludios Tropicais, mm. 1-8...... 43

13. Paz, Juan Carlos: Balada, Op. 31, No. 2 from Canciones y Baladas, mm. 1-8...... 45

14. Paz, Juan Carlos: Elegia from Diez Piezas Sobre una Serie en los 7 2 tonos, mm. 1-6 ...... 47

15. Pinto, Octavio: Serenade from Children's Festival, mm. 1 -7 ...... 48

16. Pinto, Octavio: Run! run! from Scenas Infantis, mm. 1 - 8 ...... 50

17. Ponce, Manuel M.: Tema Mexicano Variado, mm. 1-4 52

18. Tauriello, Antonio: Toccata, mm. 1 -7 ...... 54

19. Villa-Lobos, Heitor: A Pombinha voou from Guia Pratico, mm. 1 - 9 ...... 56

20. Villa-Lobos, Heitor: 0 Polichinelo from Prole do B6be, Series I, mm. 1 -5...... 58

21. Villa-Lobos, Heitor: Alnitah No. 1 from The Three Maries, mm. 1-7 ...... 60

x CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

Although many other fields of Latin America have attracted wide attention, 20th-century Latin American piano music is rarely heard in concert. Only a few pieces by Latin American composers have achieved popularity, but the repertoire includes many other striking works appropriate for performing and teaching. In this document, I plan to explore the elements of selected Latin American piano music, including brief evaluations of each piece. In the colonial period of Latin America, church music remained as a dominant type of art music. Salon music for piano was popular, especially when using dance types like the waltz, and most did not rise above the amateur level. Otto Mayer-Serra points out in his

Panorama de la Musica Mexicana :

The composer deprived of the financial support of the aristocracy was compelled to write music that would interest his bourgeois customers whose daughters were his piano pupils. A great amount of pseudo-romantic parlor music was written, chiefly Viennese waltzes, all very much alike in length as well as in harmonic and melodic scheme.1

1 The period between 1810 and 1830 marked the beginning of national independence in Latin America, and it was to have consider­ able influence on the musical life of the emerging nations. The main trends of music after their national independence were Neo- classicism, Romanticism, Serialism, Nationalism, and

Impressionism. Representative piano works demonstrating these trends are identified in this document. Chapter I contains an explanation of the need for the study, purpose of the study, and my research methods. Chapter II describes the main trends of Latin American piano music after the colonial period and its general musical characteris­ tics. One of the striking rhythmic features is the shifting of meter such as hemiola. Some suggested methods are included for solving the resulting rhythmic problems. Chapter III contains a brief evaluation of selected piano pieces and a description of the criteria selected for evaluation. The works will be discussed in alphabetical order according to the composers' last names.

A valuable source for the list of piano works by Latin American composers is Composers of the Americas , printed in 17 volumes. In addition to the title, date of composition, duration of performance, and the name of the publisher, each catalog of the composer includes biographical data, photograph, and facsimile of a page of the composer's manuscript. Chapter IV lists my summary and conclusions, including rec­ ommendations for further study. The Appendix contains biographical information for the composers whose works were selected for this study. I referred to The Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians (London: Macmillan

Publishers Ltd., 1980) edited by Stanley Sadie,Baker's Biographical Dictionary o f Musicians (New York: G. Schirmer, Inc., 1994) and

Nicolas Slonimsky's Music of Latin America (New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1945) for the biographical information.

Need for the Study

The music and musicians of Latin America have occupied a small, secondary position for many years in our century. This music deserves our recognition, as we turn away from the music of Eastern and European cultures which have been dominant so long.2 In spite of the fact that several Latin American countries such as Argentina and Chile have a long history of music activity, most often with state support, only a few pieces by Ginastera, Villa-

Lobos, and Chavez have made a strong impact on the world of music outside their country, earning a consistent place on concert pro­ grams in countries other than their own.

Purpose of the Study Latin America has only a short history of keyboard music and very little material has been written about it. The purpose of this 4 study is to review selected Latin American piano music, providing a brief background and evaluation in order to increase an awareness of this important body of literature and to encourage more perfor­ mances of those deserving works.

Description of the Research Method

There are two easily available sources of music. One is the Boletin Latino-Americano de Musica (Rio de Janeiro: Editorial

Cooperativa Interamericana de Compositores, 1935-46) which includes not only piano music but also songs and other instrumental compositions. Another is Latin American Art Music for the Piano edited by Francisco Curt Lange (New York: G. Schirmer, 1942), which provides a preface and biographical data of 12 modern Latin

American composers. In addition to these two anthologies, I obtained piano music from other sources such as the Latin American Music Center at Indiana University via the Interlibrary Loan System available through The Ohio State University. The collection South American Piano Music, compiled and edited by Henry Levine (New York: G. Ricordi & Co., 1947) includes eight works by lesser known composers such as Jose Siciliani, Pascual Quaratino, Isidro B. Maiztegui, Luis R. Sammartino, Angel E. Lasala, Humberto de Nito, and Emilio A. Napolotano. This collection was written for young students of the composers' own countries, and each piece shows the folklore elements based on national backgrounds. 5

In selecting repertoire for this study, I attempted to introduce works which are lesser known, including only solo piano works

published after 1900 as full scores. Criteria for evaluation of the music were based primarily on Bernstein's definition of music:

A piece of music is a constant metamorphosis of given material, involving such transformational operations as inversion, augmentation, retrograde, diminution, modu­ lation, the opposition of consonance and dissonance, the various forms of imitation (such as canon and fugue), the varieties of rhythm and meter, harmonic progressions, coloristic and dynamic changes, plus the infinite interre­ lations of all these with one another. These are the meaning of music.3

I have attempted to describe these elements within the piano music selected for this document, also providing publisher, copy­

right date, and publisher's edition number (when known). As an aid to performing and teaching these pieces, I have evaluated them according to pedaling, technical considerations,

performance problems, and difficulty ratings, divided into four broad categories: Easy, Intermediate, Moderately Difficult, and Difficult. These ratings were determined according to the following criteria:

Easy: Five-finger position and simple rhythms Intermediate: More complex rhythms and no more than four sharps or flats in the key signature Moderately Difficult: Increasing technical and rhythmic sophistication. For the average good player.

Difficult: For the advanced pianist only. 7

REFERENCES

1. Pan American Union, Music of Latin America, (Washington D.C.: Music division, Pan American Union, 1953), p. 8.

2. George Anson, "Contemporary piano music of the Americas," Inter- American Music Bulletin September, , 1959, p. 4.

3. Leonard Bernstein, The unanswered question, (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1976), p. 153. CHAPTER II

UNDERSTANDING LATIN AMERICAN PIANO MUSIC

Trends and Representative Piano Music after the Colonial Period After the national independence of the Latin American

countries, the main musical trends were Nationalism, Neo- classicism, Romanticism, Serialism, and Impressionism. We should

keep in mind two things turning from the stylistic evolution of music in Latin America to the traditions of each country. First, the transition from one stage of musical style to another did not happen simultaneously everywhere on the continent. The second point is that the individual evolution of some'corn'posers began as nationalism, but they later adopted more international modes of expression, such as that by Juan Jose Castro (1895-1968,

Argentina).1 He appeared as the leading figure in Argentine nationalism. Later, however, he turned to expressionist aesthetics and to serialist techniques of composition.

Nationalism

The appearance of Nationalism in Latin American piano music was prepared by the South American tours of Hertz, Thalberg, Gottschalk, and others. The American piano virtuoso Louis Gottschalk not only was an audacious visitor but also wrote compositions reflecting the rich cultural heritage of the Caribbean. 9

One of them, Souvenirs de Porto Rico (Mercury Music Corporation, 1857), combines Lisztian octave techniques with brilliant syncopations.2 His example deeply impressed young Latin American composers, for the introduction of native elements into art music was not common at that time. They began to write piano works following Gottschalk's model. The nationalistic characteristics are mainly expressed through the use of folk-tunes, popular rhythms such as syncopated and dance-like patterns, hemiola, and characteristic "national pieces" (Toada3, Lundu4, etc.) Argentina especially led the musical nationalism, which mainly evolved from the so-called "gauchesco" tradition. The gaucho, colorful in dress and behavior, is a legendary cowboy in

Argentina.

The Gaucho combined in his temperament many of the qualities of his Castilian ancestors, as well as of the hispanicised Arab and Indians ...The life was a lonely one and conducive to singing. The Payedor, as the singer was popularly known, was one who could improvise, in eight syllable lines, accounts of local events ... His style combined a certain lyric quality, and a Moorish sadness, lightened by a touch of real Andalusian wit ... His songs were the logical descendants of those of the minstrel or troubadour in Europe, and also of the long dramatic or historical ballads of the aborigines. They were also the predecessors of the later types of songs, Vidala or Vidalita, Cielo, Cielito, Triste, Serenata and so on ... Likewise, the dances; when the Gaucho particularly 10

wished to show off his skill it was the Malambo that he chose.5

Francisco A. Hargreaves (18 49 -19 00 ) is often considered a pioneer of national music in Argentina because he stylized such typical folk songs and dances as the gato, estilo, vidalita, decima, and cielito in his Aires Nacionales (ca. 1880) for piano.6 Noteworthy piano works written under the influence of nationalism are as follows:

Aguirre, Julian (1868-1924, Argentina): Gato and Huella, Op. 49 (Ricordi)

Allende, Pedro Humberto (1885-1959, Chile): 72 Tonadas de caracter popular Chileno (Salabert, 1918-22) Castro, Juan Jose (1895-1968, Argentina): Tangos (Peer International Corporation, 1941); Corales Criollos Nos. 1 and 2

(Peer International Corporation, 1 948) Chavez, Carlos (1899-1978, Mexico): Sinfonia India

Cluzeau Mortet, Luis (1889-1957, Uruguay): Pericon (1918) Escobar, Luis Antonio (b. 1925, Colombia): Bambuquerias (Manuscript, 1954) Gianneo, Luis (1897-1968, Argentina): Tres Danzas Argentinas (Peer International Corporation, 1939) Ginastera, Alberto (1916-1983, Argentina): Danzas Argentinas

(Durand , 1937); Suite Danzas de Criollas (Barry, 1946); Malambo (Ricordi Americana S. A., 1940) Guarnieri, Camargo (b.1907, Brazil): Sonatina (Ricordi Americana, 1928)

Hargreaves, Francisco A. (1849-1900, Argentina): Aires Nacionaies Levy, Alexandre (1864-1892, Brazil): Tango Brasileiro Mignone, Francisco (1897-1986, Brazil): Quasi Modinha (E. B. Marks,

1940); Sonata No. 1 (Ricordi, 1941) Santoro, Claudio (1919-1989): Seven Paulistanas (Vitale, 1953) Sas, Andres (1900-1967, Peru): Aires y Danzas Indios del Peru

(Lemoine, 1934) Villa-Lobos, Heitor (1887-1959, Brazil): A Prole do Bebe Series II (Max Eschig, 1921); Cirandas (Arthur Napoleao, 1926)

Williams, Alberto (1862-1952, Argentina): Milongas (Manuscript)

Impressionism

In the early 20th century, after receiving the maximum of instruction available from their conscientious masters, many pupils traveled to Europe, especially to France, for a number of years to complete their studies. Composers such as Manuel M. Ponce (1882- 1948), who resided in Paris, introduced Debussy's piano music to Mexican audiences for the first time. The result was a strong influence of French Impressionism on Latin American piano music. 12

Several important composers and works influenced by French impressionism are as follows:

Boero, Felipe (1884-1958, Argentina): Tres Evocaciones

(Lottenmoser S. A. C. I., 1913)

4 Castillo, Ricardo (1894-1967, Guatemala): Suite in D (Pan American Union, 1938)

Lavin, Carlos (1883-1962, Chile): Suite Andinae (Max Eschig, 1926) Ponce, Manuel M. (1886-1948, Mexico): Sonata No. 2 (Peer International Corporation, 1968) Villas-Lobos, Heitor: Suite Floral (Consolidated Music Publishing,

1916-17); A Prole do Bebe Series I (E. B. Marks, 1918)

Neo-Classicism

Juan Orrego-Salas states that Neo-classicism is the most complex picture among all the mainstreams of contemporary music in Latin America. A thorough analysis of the nature of Neo- classicism in Latin America shows that while some works try to restore only the aspect of exterior gestures in classicism, others tend to reflect a whole characteristic of classical ways of composition. These two different types of effort to apply classicism have been carried out regardless of tonal, polytonal, or atonal structure.7 In Chile, Neo-classicism ranges from merely calling an abstract work (such as Rivera's Suite Sine Nomine ) a

"suite" to a conscious attempt to recapture the spirit of a classical 13 model (Orrego-Salas's Suite No. 2 ). The suite of Alfonso Montecino adopts traditional gestures in the tonal prelude while the suite of Miguel Aguilar (b. 1931) applies traditional suite titles to its twelve-tone syntax.8

In 1942, Jose Ardevol (b. 1911) of Cuba founded the Grupo de Renovacion Muisical, and the group included Harold Gramatges, Edgardo Martin, Julian Orbon, Hilario Gonzalez, Argeliers Leon,

Serafin Pro, and Gisela Hermandez. They identified at first the Neo- classicism movement as one of the most adequate trends for their purposes. Moreover, Neo-classicism also allowed them to put into practice their thorough training in theory and traditional techniques of composition.9

The adherence to Neo-classicism through contrapuntal texture is well illustrated in the following compositions:

Ardevol, Jose(1911-1981, Cuba): Sonatina (New Music Edition, 1934)

Chavez, Carlos: Ten Preludes (G. Schirmer, 1937) Garcia Caturla, Alejandro (1906-1940, Cuba): Sonata Corta (1927, This piece is in New Music, Vol. 7, No. 4 (July, 1934), edited by Henry Cowell.)

Halffter, Rodolfo (b.1900, Mexico): Homenaje a Antonio Machado (Union Musical Espanola, 1944) Orrego-Salas, Juan (1919-1987, Chile): Suite inD(Boosey& Hawkes, 1951) 14

Paz, Juan Carlos (1897-1972, Argentina): Tres Invenciones a dos

voces (Editorial Grupo Renovacion, 1932)

Romanticism Although musical nationalism dominated art music in Latin

America during the first half of the twentieth century, currents opposed to it appeared from the outset of the century. Many composers who had followed the nationalist trend at one time now cultivated varying styles in their works. At first these styles arose from an emulation of late nineteenth-century European Romantic music that suggested an attitude of indifference to nationalism.10

The representative compositions are as follows:

Aguirre, Manuel (1863-1951, Peru): Siete Piezas (1937); De mis montanas

Chavez Aguilar, Pablo (1898-1950, Peru): Ocho Variaciones sobre un tema incaico (1926) Fernandez, Oscar Lorenzo (1897-1948, Brazil): First Brazilian Suite (Peer Internation Corporation) Isamitt, Carlos (1885-1974, Chile): Sonata "Evocacion araucana"

(1932); Tres arabescos caracteristicos (1946) Villa-Lobos, Heitor: Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, 1930-36 (Consolidated Music Publishing, 1941) 15

Serialism

Many Latin American composers initially found serialism during the 1930's and 1940's, and the Argentine composer, Juan Carlos Paz (1901-1972), was one of the outstanding pioneers.

Notable works based on those methods are his Diez Piezas Sobre una Serie de los 12 tonos (Editorial Politonia, 1935) and Balada No. 2 of Canciones y Baladas (G. Schirmer, 1936-37), and 24 Invenciones

(Ediciones Mexicanas de Musica, 1964) by Jorge Gonzales Avila (b. 1926, Mexico). A cycle of three short pieces by Dominican composer

Manuel Simo, Tres llluminaciones, has its own tone row and eschews bar lines to create a sense of metric freedom.11

General Characteristics of Latin American Piano Music

Slonimsky12 summarizes the characteristics of Latin American folk music, according to the influence of three dominant racial strains: "native Indian, transported Negro, and imported European elements," as listed below.

Melos Aboriginal pentatonic melody...... Indian Extension to the seven-tone scale Colonial European Chromatic elaboration ...... Negro 16

Rhythm

Aboriginal rhythmic monotony ...... Indian Duality of 6 /8 and 3 / 4 ...... Colonial European

Syncopated 2 /4 tim e ...... Negro

This oversimplified list of elements of Latin American folk music influenced art music, and compositions by native Latin

Americans followed closely the leading trends in Europe in the nineteenth century.

One of the most important contibutions of Latin American composers to piano repertoire is the large number of suites which they composed. In difficulty, the suites range from uncomplicated works for young students by Pinto and Jose Maria Castro to virtuoso

works, such as the second series of Prole do Bebe by Villa-Lobos and the Tres Danzas by Ficher. In terms of quality, there are several outstanding suites. Ginastera's Suite de Danzas Criollas not only deserves the attention

of pianists but also represents the nationalistic dance suite of the highest rank. Latin American composers during the late nineteenth century

became conversant with European music through studies abroad and some of them closely imitated European models. The two Prole do Bebe suites by Villa-Lobos are reminiscent of Schumann's

Kinderszenen and Debussy's Children's Corner.13 Suites by Latin American composers are expressions of nationalism and also have 17

common traits, e.g., the element of dance, the use of relatively short and uncomplicated forms, and more or less polyphonic texture, as in European suite writing. Many of these suites contain settings of folk songs and dances. For example, Hargreaves's Aires Nacionales consists of such typical folk dances as the gato, estilo, vidalita, decima, and cielito, defined as follows:

Gato: An Argentine song-dance in rapid 3 /4 meter and steady rhythm

Estilo: A lyrical Argentine air, usually with two sections, the first in slow tempo and 2 /4 meter, the second in a lively movement and in 3/4 or 6/8 meter.

Vidalita: An Argentine air in 3 /8 or 6 /8 meter, differing from the vidala as to rhythm: the name comes from the repetition of the word vidalita (little life) in every other line of the verse.

Decima: A song-poem in 10 lines of verse.

Cielito (litte heaven): An old Argentine air in lively waltz rhythm.14

Latin American music is generally based on syncopated rhythmic features.15 The three basic rhythm patterns are:

1. n J"~J or J. j> J J

2. J J i n or 18

3. m or J. J. J

Metric signatures are often shifted from 6/8 to 3/4, and vice versa, and irregular accents on the upbeat are often used.16 Some frequent rhythm patterns are as follows:

8th note patterns

2 / 4 n n

3 /4 JJJJJ] > >

3/4i>IJ3yJ)yJ)IJ]vJ)J)

4 /4 J

4/4 J. j) J J or j j l J J

4 / 4 n n n n > > > 19

6 /8 or 3 /4 1 J"J J J>IJ J J

16th note patterns

2 / 4 . r a < m > > >

2/4?fijT3ijm j

2/4 J77TJ (JX1)

2 /4 >

Henry Levine17 suggests some methods for teaching students the shifting of 6/8 to 3/4 meter:

1. Clap and count this rhythmic pattern. Accent the first and fourth eighths.

> > 6 /8 m m l 2 3 + S 6

2. Clap and count these three patterns which are three groups of two tied eighths written in three different 20

ways. Quarter notes may be used instead of two tied eighths, but still feel the pulse on the fourth eighth though silent (b). The second and third quarters give the effect of syncopation in 6 /8 meter (c). a) J J J_J J J I 2 5 6

b) J J>J> J I 2. s'”*4 5 6

0 J J J I 2 3 4 5 6

3. Again count six, but now feel three pulses - on first, third, and fifth. It is in 3 /4 meter. The second and third quarters lose their syncopation.

3/4 j j j I 2 3 4 5 6

Besides striking rhythmic features, Latin American piano music often shows influences of the guitar. The aboriginal musical instruments of Latin America were flutes and drums, but it was the Spanish guitar that became the heart of folk music. An Uruguayan legend states the birth of the guitar:

A lonely Gaucho of the pampas, unable to find a soulmate, seeks advice from a sage of the land, and receives from him, 'a piece of wood, shaped like a beautiful woman's 21

body, from whose breasts the Gaucho moulds poetic ballads, while his left hand caresses her shaped neck.18

The harmony inherent in the tuning of the guitar often affected the composers. For example, in the Danzas del viejo boyero, one of the three Argentine Dances by Ginastera, the composer alludes to the natural tuning of the guitar near the end of the piece and this chord appears often through his works.

P o c o rit.

Figure 1. Ginastera, Alberto: Danzas del viejo boyero from Danzas Argentinas, measures 77-78.

The preference for the guitar can be found in titles as well. In the fourth of the Preludios Tropicais by Guerra-Peixe, he uses Ponteado de viola (Viola is a folk guitar with five or six double strings and a full, melodious sound). Guarnieri also composed "Ponteio" which means to "pluck the string of the guitar." 22

REFERENCES

1. Patricia Montgomery, The Latin American piano suite in the twentieth century, D. Mus. dissertation: Indiana University, 1978, p. 15

2. Enrique Alberto Arias, "Latin American Piano Music," Clavier, February, 1991, p. 21.

3. Toada: A Brazilian air of flexible form and rhythm, expressing pensive or wistful moods.

4. Lundu: An Afro-Brazilian air in 2/4 time, greatly varied in style, from a melancholy slow type to a vigorous rhythmic movement, with occasional syncopation.

5. Eleanor Hague, Latin American Music: Past and Present (Santa Ana, California: Fine Arts Press, 1934), pp. 34-35.

6. Gerard Behague, Music in Latin America: An introduction (Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1976), p. 107.

7. Juan Orrego-Salas, "The young generation of Latin American composers," Inter-American Music Bulletin, November, 1963, p. 6.

8. Patricia Montgomery, op. cit., p. 121.

9. Gerard Behague, op. cit., p. 258.

10. Ibid., p. 224.

11. Enrique Alberto Arias, op. cit., p. 23.

12. Nicolas Slonimsky, Music of Latin America (New York: Thomas Y. Ctowell Company, 1945), p. 55. 23

13. Patricia Montgomery, op. cit., p. 119.

14. Nicolas Slonomsky, op. cit., p. 295.

1 5. Charles P. Phillips, "Latin American art music for the piano: A catalog of representative graded teaching materials," Inter- American Music Bulletin, November, 1972, p. 8.

16. Ibid.

17. Henry Levine, South American piano music, (New York: G. Ricordi & Co.), p. 2.

18. Nicolas Slonimsky, op. cit., p. 41. CHAPTER III

BRIEF EVALUATION OF SELECTED SOLO PIANO MUSIC

This chapter contains a brief evaluation of 20 selected piano pieces and a description of the criteria selected for evaluation, including Composer, Title, Rating, Publisher, Copyright Date, Catalog Number, Form, Melody, Rhythm, Harmony, Dynamics, Pedaling,

Technical Considerations, Performance Problems, and Comments. The compositions have been arranged in alphabetical order according to the composers' last names and are ranked from "Easy" to "Moderately Difficult." Chapter IV contains another arrangement of the pieces, grouped alphabetically by composers' last names under each of three categories, "Easy," "Intermediate," and "Moderately Difficult."

Composer: Aguirre, Julian (1868-1924), Argentina Title: Huella, Op. 49 (from Cancidn Argentina) Rating: Moderately Difficult Publisher: Ricordi Americana Copyright Date: 1942 Catalog Number: BA 6334 Form: A B A B

Melody: Moving triple and eighth notes by the right hand create the basic melodic figure.

24 25

Rhythm: The music is written in 2 /4 meter. Rhythm receives more

emphasis than melody, with triplets alternating with two even eighth notes. Harmony: The key is B-flat major and is based primarily on triads

and seventh chords. Dynamics: A wide range of dynamic levels, pp to fff, is used. The

composer indicates gradual dynamic level change through the three lines in the bridge passage. P edaling: Pedal markings indicate that one legato pedal is generally

changed per measure. Technical considerations: Section A consists of repeated

octaves or octave chords containing four notes. The wrist must remain slightly higher than the normal position to play it. Hand crossing occurs in a few parts, and thirds and sixths are

used in the coda. Performance problems: Important points are the full sonority in the energetic chords and the singing lyrical quality in the

contrasting homophonic section. Comments: "Huella" is an Argentine air in 6 /8 meter and lively

tempo. This piece was also arranged for violin and piano by Jascha Heifetz. 26 Mnvico y t-ncrgico

/ \ r l ^ i * £ -—Jr~ sonoro

—I

Figure 2. Aguirre, Julian: Huella, Op. 49 from Cancion Argentina, measures 1-8

Composer: Castro, Jose Maria (1892-1964), Argentina Title: Cancion de Cuna (from Diez Piezas Breves) Rating: Intermediate

Publisher: This is in the collection Latin-American art music for the piano published by G. Schirmer. Copyright Date: 1942

Form: 20-measure through-composed piece

Melody: The right hand plays within the narrow range of keyboard, and the melody is usually played with tenuto. Rhythm: The music is in slow 2/4 meter. 27

Harmony: Some passages are bitonal and chromatic. Dynam ics: Throughout the whole piece, the music ranges from pp

to m p. Pedaling: It is important to hold the damper pedal in large leaps for left hand passages, and the soft pedal is employed in many

passages. Technical considerations: Some left hand passages require wide leaps as large as the interval of a thirteenth.

Performance problems: The mood is very quiet and calm. The composer indicates phrases in some passages and it is desirable to play ritardando to reach marking and then to begin again without getting slower in tempo.

L e m a m e m e

Figure 3. Castro, Jose Maria: Cancion de Cuna from Diez Piezas Breves, measures 1-8 28

Composer: Castro, Juan Jose (18 95 -19 68 ), Argentina Title: Quasi Polka

Rating: Intermediate Publisher: Editorial Argentina de Musica Copyright Date: 1947

Form: A B A Melody: The light melody is generally played with the right hand,

while the left hand plays an ostinato. Rhythm: Principally duple meter in dance rhythm, while 3 /4

occasionally occurs. Harmony: Some parts are polytonal.

Dynamics: Dynamic contrast between f and p is effectively used in short phrases. Unusual accents on the second half of the first or second beats are employed for stress. Pedaling: The damper pedal is used for emphasizing the light dance rhythm and accent.

Technical considerations: Large skips make the music difficult. Releasing the arm weight is important for the playing of

continuing staccatos in wide leaps. Perform ance problems: Longer value notes are usually played with tenuto or accents. The mood is delicate and elegant and ends with pp. 29

Figure 4. Castro, Juan Jose: Quasi Polka, measures 1-8

Composer: Chavez, Carlos (1899-1978), Mexico

Title: Sonatina Rating: Intermediate Publisher: Cos Cob Press, Inc.

Copyright Date: 1930 Catalog Number: A128384 Form: ABA, one continuous movement Melody: In general, the melody is supported by three or four voices

in moving eighth notes. Rhythm: The beginning and the final sections are in triple meter. The middle section presents both duple and triple meters. The triple time-signature section, however, changes to duple

meter by varying the accents. 30

Harmony: The music contains a lot of dissonance, with some harmonies suggesting those of Ravel.

Dynam ics: The piece is equally divided between the left and right hands. After the melody is played by the right hand, the same passage is played by the left hand.

Pedaling: The composer offers no suggestions for using pedal, but he indicates "tutto legato" at the beginning, suggesting the

need to play legato by changing the fingering while playing the moving eighth notes.

Technical considerations: Triple meter against duple meter is often used in the eighth note passages. It is desirable to play the first note of the triplet figure a little longer. Perform ance problems: Careful attention must be given to sonorities and fine tonal balance.

M o d e r a t o J = iscmprc rigorosamente in tempo)

V r . I f - f la stessa intensita per tutte le voci { tutto legato 1 JUL

Figure 5. Chavez, Carlos: Sonatina, measures 1-8 31

Composer: Gianneo, Luis (1897-1968), Argentina

Title: Gato (from Tres Danzas Argentinas)

Rating: Intermediate Publisher: Editorial Argentina de Musica Copyright Date: 1948

Catalog Number: E. A. M. 42 Form: A B

Melody: The first section consists of block chords, and the second section usually presents arpeggio patterns with staccato.

Rhythm: The music is based on 3 /4 meter in dance rhythm and uses many syncopations.

Harmony: The tonality of g minor generally dominates despite the absence of a key signature.

Dynamics: Gradual dynamic change is hardly used, and a new phrase usually begins with a dynamic level different from the preceding phrase.

Pedaling: Non-legato pedal is employed throughout the whole piece. It is desirable to change pedal often and clearly because some left hand passages are written in the low register of the piano. Technical considerations: There must be a slight separation between each note as the composer indicates "non legato" at the beginning.

Perform ance problems: Each phrase should be performed in a new mood and dynamic level. Comments: The "Gato" is the vigorous competitive rural dance of Argentina. It is sung to the accompaniment of the guitar and follows rhythmic patterns alternating between 6 /8 and 3 /4

meter. This piece is the first one of the "Tres Danzas Argentinas" and the rest of the suite contains "Tango" and

"Chacarera".

IMPETUOSO

V J i I j * J % J ’J 'm o l t o m a rc a io c non legato sempre \

■j c x . ,«:

8 ’ basso

, * ..OJL ± ■ if irf.ja_ .

Figure 6. Gianneo, Luis: Gato from Tres Danzas Argentinas, measures 1-8

Composer: Gianneo, Luis (1897-1968), Argentina

Title: Villancico

Rating: Intermediate P u b lish er: Editorial Argentina de Musica

Copyright Date: 1947 Catalog Number: E. A. M. 28 Form: A B A

Melody: Both right and left hands play within a narrow range of the

keyboard. Rhythm: The music is in triple meter, and the left hand always plays the same rhythmic pattern throughout the whole piece,

except for the coda. Harmony: The piece gives the feeling of G-minor despite the absence of key signatures, and several passages are polytonal.

Dynamics: Except for a few parts, the music remains in a soft

dynamic level. Pedaling: No pedal is needed except for the ending sections, because most passages are played staccato with slurs. Technical considerations: The left hand always plays staccato

with slurs, and each note must be played with a slight

separation. Performance problems: Most of section B is played with hand crossings. The mood is generally calm and quiet. Comments: The "Villancico" developed into several types of traditional Latin American folksongs in the first decades of the 18th century, and it is also known as "adoracion", "alabanza", "aguinaldo", "esquinazo", etc. Figure 7. Gianneo, Luis: Villancico, measures 1-10

Composer: Ginastera, Alberto (1916-1983), Argentina

T itle: Rondo on Argentine Children's Folk-tunes

Rating: Intermediate P u blish er: Boosey & Hawkes, Inc.

Copyright Date: 1951 Catalog Number: B. Pa. 124

Form: ABACA Melody: The melody is based on Argentine folklore usually characterized by syncopated rhythm, while the right and left

hands alternate the melody. 35

Rhythm: The meter is frequently changed. Principally, it is in duple

meter, but some unusual time-signatures, 7 /8 , 5 /8 , and even some measures of 1 /4 occur during the course of the piece. Harmony: The music has no key signature. The beginning and ending

would seem to be in G major, but it also gives the Mixolydian modal flavor due to constant use of the lowered 7th step of the

scale. Dynamics: A wide range of dynamics, ppp to fff, is used.

Pedaling: The left hand usually controls the pedal and the composer uses the pedal for special effect. He indicates "tenuto col Ped." in the scale passage for a slightly blurred sound.

Technical considerations: The first theme is indicated "cantando," while there is no slur. This melody must be played

with a very slight separation. Performance problems: The composer suggests metronome speeds for the various sections of the piece. Moreover, each section has a variety of tempo changes. It is helpful when playing

those parts to count the rhythm through sub-dividing. Comments: This music was dedicated to his two children, Alex and Georgina. 36

Allegro J = is8) f- M cantando I i5S=t w—*- f m f

3 B t i l

1Tj F1 A-. l . .J-...... - —---- ! h j i,j— W- 2 -" ~ ^ J'1 ~ z J ' Tvl ml ;

Figure 8. Ginastera, Alberto: Rondo on Argentine Children's Folk-tunes, measures 1-9

Composer: Ginastera, Alberto (1916-1983), Argentina Title: Creole Dance (from 7 2 American Preludes, Vol. 1) Rating: Moderately Difficult

P u blish er: Carl Fischer, Inc. Copyright Date: 1946 Catalog Number: 03431

Form: ABACA, Duration: 1 min., 21 sec.

Melody: The theme of section A is based on rhythmic changes of the same set of chords. In general, the melody is played marcato with strong accents. Rhythm: Although the music is written in 6 /8 , it generally gives

the feeling of triple meter throughout the whole piece. Harmony: The tonality of F major predominates, but the composer

adds dissonance with numerous seconds and sevenths. Dynamics: No soft dynamic levels appear. Ginastera employs violent accents and rustic dynamic markings like sff, and ff. Pedaling: The use of pedal is difficult, because of hemiola, the

triple effect in 6 /8 . It is generally desirable to use the pedal on the longer note value like the quarter note.

Technical considerations: The control of rhythm is the essential factor in such a rapid moving piece. Releasing of arm weight

and melodic groupings are important for stability and firmness. Perform ance problems: Careful attention to dynamic markings is

important in order to project fast-moving dance steps and syncopated effects. Comm ents: The Creole dance is characteristic of the vigorous dances of Argentina, which are largely of Spanish origin. 38

Rustico Ian)

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i f f f f

<1, ,r* mT i w ^ B T f r

Figure 9. Ginastera, Alberto: Creole Dance from 12 American Preludes, Vol. 1, measures 1-10

Composer: Graetzer, Guillermo (b. 1914), Argentina T it le : Rondo Rating: Intermediate P u b lish er: Editorial Argentina de Musica Copyright Date: 1947 Catalog Number: E. A. M. 30 Form: ABACA

Melody: Melody is slight allegretto, and mainly in two voices. Rhythm: The rhythm is based on duple meter, but an unusual time signature, 1/4, occurs twice in just one measure. Harmony: The music is in the tonality of C major and some left hand passages in section B are chromatic. 39

Dynamics: The right hand usually presents the melody, and the beginning of both hands in the treble clef is played "piano." When this melody reoccurs, it is played "forte" an octave

lower. P edaling: The use of the damper pedal is needed only in the last two measures which have an accent and are marked ff. Technical considerations: Playing with a higher wrist position is

desirable for evenness in the continuous sixteenth note passages with a tremolo effect. One should also practice the

changing rhythms with dotted accents. Performance problems: The mood is very light and accented; sforzando and sudden changes of dynamics are used for

dramatic effect.

jLLLEOBETTO

Jt It

Figure 10. Graetzer, Guillermo: Rondo, measures 1-9 40

Composer: Guarnieri, Camargo (b.1907), Brazil

T itle : Ponteio No. 48 Rating: Moderately Difficult

Publisher: Ricordi Americana Copyright Date: 1959

Catalog Number: BA 11895 Form: ABA, 27 measures Melody: The melody begins with three voices, and the texture

thickens to four voices. Rhythm: The piece is written in duple meter. Harmony: The opening of the music seems to be in C-sharp minor

despite the absence of a key signature, but the tonal treatment soon becomes chromatic. Dynamics: The only f occurs at the very end of the piece, but the opening marking of the composer is "Confidential". Therefore, the sound of the music should never lose its intimate character.

Pedaling: The music is an excellent pedal study. The rhythm is not difficult, and the pedal is an essential factor for legato playing.

Technical considerations: This piece requires legato playing throughout, and some passages have large leaps. Besides the effective use of pedal, careful fingering is required to produce a singing legato melody. 41

Perform ance problems: Important elements are a simple lyrical quality in the sound, clarity of voices, and a subtle use of rubato throughout the entire piece, without rhythmic distortion. A good way to practice is to sing the melodic line first, and then to add the other voices gradually. Comments: Guarnieri composed 50 Ponteios , and coined the name ponteio from the Portuguese "pontear," meaning "to pluck the

guitar string." The books of ponteios are generally arranged in a pattern of a slow or simple type of piece followed by a more

complex, brilliant, or faster piece.

Confidencibl < * - on;

Figure 11. Guarnieri, Camargo: Ponteio No. 48, measures 1-6 42

Composer: Guerra-Peixe, Cesar (b .1914), Brazil T itle : Ponteado de Viola, No. 4 (from Preludios Tropicais) Rating: Moderately Difficult

P u b lish er: Irmaos Vitale S/A. Ind. e Com.

Copyright Date: 1979 Form: A B A

Melody: In section A, the top notes in the right hand emerge in a

beautiful melodic line, and the beginning of section B is improvisatory.

Rhythm: Section A is written in 5 /8 meter, and 4 /8 and 3 /8 occur during the course of the piece. Section B starts with 3 /4

meter and then changes to duple meter. The first five measures of 4 /4 by the left hand in section B plays the "Baiao

de viola" rhythm. The "Baiao" is a popular dance which is faster in tempo, where the emphasis is on the first three notes

of the group, especially the first note. Harmony: The piece is modal.

Dynamics: Section A is a good study in dynamic control. While there is a short crescendo in two measures, one gradual crescendo is marked to the end of the section in 23 measures. Pedaling: The sonorous effect of the "viola" is achieved by profuse pedaling. The damper pedal should be used in section A and changed one pedal per measure. Improvisatory passages in

section B have one long pedal. 43

Technical considerations: Rhythmic control and evenness are most important in section A. The right hand must always lead and the fingers should play from a high arch. Performance problems: Section B often has tempo changes, and it should be played without distorting the rhythm through sub­

dividing it. Comments: The "Ponteado de viola" is the fourth of the "Preludios Tropicais" and it contains a series of seven pieces. "Ponteado" means to play a string instrument finger style in a melodic and improvisatory manner. "Viola" is a folk guitar with five or six

double strings and a full, melodious beautiful sound.

A IJeprellu C a . . ..= -n

1—.,1 .1.1 J - --- »---^---9'---- — 1 .1 T i----1 I- U mp >'•mp i r f>s;o\o

— ------^ —

I 1 -i f # = 4 * ± r f - M " - ■ m M m — . j . ___j i ~ i------,■— p. — J — ---- 1------= t —

p ------

k ------

Figure 12. Guerra-Peixe, Cesar: Ponteado de Viola from Preludios Tropicais, measures 1-8 44

Composer: Paz, Juan Carlos (1901-1972), Argentina

T itle: Balada, Op. 31, No, 2 (from Canciones y Baladas) Rating: Moderately Difficult

Publisher: G. Schirmer, Inc. This piece is found in the collection Latin-American art music for the piano, published by G. Schirmer. Copyright Date: 1942

Form: Through-composed piece

Melody: It is based on the 12-tone method, and the notes are

treated essentially in alternating staccato and legato groupings. Rhythm: The music is in 6/8 meter, and one-measure of 3/8 meter

occurs. Both hands have rhythmic interest, usually complementing each other as one plays longer notes while the other has running figures.

Harmony: The piece produces the feeling of atonality by employing chords of the tone row.

Dynamics: The composer adds a delicate touch to this work by keeping the dynamic level mostly soft, operating in p, pp, and ppp levels. Pedaling: Many passages require the use of soft pedal when pp or ppp are indicated. Technical considerations: As a whole, the music stays in a very soft dynamic level. The fingers must always stay close to the keys and press gentlly for delicate control. 45

Performance problems: This is a very elegant and charming piece. Several left hand passages are played in the treble clef.

h jjc'pvc' p jus*.C'

Figure 13. Paz, Juan Carlos: Balada, Op. 31, No. 2 from Canciones y Baladas, measures 1 -8

Composer: Paz, Juan Carlos (1901-1972), Argentina

T itle: Elegia (from Diez Piezas Sobre una Serie en los 12 tonos, Op. 3 0 ) Rating: Intermediate

Publisher: Editorial Politonia. This piece is included in Boletin

Latino Americano de Musica Supplement Volume IV published by Editorial Cooperativa Interamericana de Compositores. Copyright Date: 1936

Form: 13-measure through-composed piece 46

Melody: The melody is based on the strict use of a tone row, and

the beginning right hand passage is played in the bass clef. Rhythm: The time signature is 9/8 and the fastest note value is a

sixteenth note. Although there is some syncopation, the slow tempo and smooth phrasing makes it almost unnoticeable. Harmony: There are several occurrences of chords with as many as nine notes, which create strong dissonance.

Dynam ics: The predominant dynamic level is soft and the Elegia ends very softly, after a section in the low register on one

high chord.

Pedaling: Clear damper pedal changes are especially important, since this composition is generally played in the lower register of the piano.

Technical considerations: Several chords have intervals to play simultaneously, requiring the bass note to be played before the beat, but without pausing and distorting the rhythm.

Perform ance problems: The piece is slow, solemn, dissonant, and ponderous. The ponderous effect is emphasized by the predominant use of the lower register. Comments: The "Elegy" is a sad and mournful musical composition. Figure 14. Paz, Juan Carlos: Elegia from Diez Piezas Sobre una Serie en los 12 tonos, measures 1-6

Composer: Pinto, Octavio (18 90 -19 50 ), Brazil

T it le : Serenade (from Children's Festival )

Rating: Easy

P u b lish er: G. Schirmer Copyright date: 1939 Form: A B A

Melody: The right hand presents 5-finger patterns: 9 times on C, and 3 times on F. The accompaniment for the entire piece consists of an ostinato of two triads, C minor and D-flat major. Rhythm: The meter is in 6 /8 and syncopation is often used.

Harmony: The music is based on two scale forms, C minor for the right hand and C Phrygian in the bass clef for the left hand. Dynamics: The right hand always plays the melody while the left

hand continuously repeats the two triads softly. Pedaling: Pedal is actually not used in this music, requiring the

fingers to stay close to the keys. Technical considerations: Step-wise progressions are usually

evident. Performance problems: This is a good teaching piece. Since the right hand presents 5-finger positions and the left hand plays

ostinatos, the piece is an excellent model for teaching

students to transpose. Comments: The suite "Children's Festival" appears in the following

order: "Preludio", "Minueto", "Marchinha", "Serenata," and

"Bolinhas de vidro."

M o d e r a t o

Figure 15. Octavio, Pinto: Serenade from Children's Festival, measures 1-7 49

Composer: Pinto, Octavio (18 90 -19 50 ), Brazil

T itle : Run! run! (from Scenas Inf antis) Rating: Intermediate

P u blisher: G. Schirmer Copyright Date: 1932 Catalog Number: 36182 Form: A B A

Melody: 'All of the triads fall on the white keys with the right hand

chord always one step above the top note of the preceding left hand chord. The theme of section B is simple in homophonic style.

Rhythm: Running sixteenths in 2/4 creates the basic rhythmic element in the first section, while section B is in triple meter. Harmony: Section A is in C major and the second section is in the key of A major.

Dynam ics: Repeated section is played in contrasting dynamics, and section B stays mp or p and fades away. Pedaling: It is desirable to use both damper and soft pedal in the ending glissando, with diminuendo.

Technical considerations: To keep the regularity of rhythm, the

left hand always should lead and control. For rapid, repeated,

and brilliant triads, the fingers must stay close to the keys and play from a high arch.

Performance problems: The first section is brilliant and strict, and the melodic line of section B must be flexible. 50

Com m ents: "Scenas Infantis (Merories of Childhood)" has also been transcribed by the composer for two pianos, four hands, and it consists of five delightful pieces of program music : "Run! run!", "Ring around the rosy!", "March, little soldier!", "Sleeping time", and "Hobby-horse". The verse of "Run! run! is

as follows: The garden is full of life, In the sunshine children run about

Gaily and noisily, Outside, on the street, The poor blind man with his hand organ

Sings his sorrows

Brilliant and rapid gaily

pfcn t la t-iJ t y f i i t f f; r r f=£=—+■- r r • i \-~i r r 1 ^

s ifi

Figure 1 6. Pinto, Octavio: Run! run! from Scenas Infantis, measures 1-8 51

Composer: Ponce, Manuel M. (1882-1948), Mexico T itle : Tema Mexicano Variado (Four variations on a Mexican Theme) Rating: Moderately Difficult Publisher: Peer International Corporation

Copyright Date: 1960 Form: Theme and variation

Melody: The theme is characterized by syncopated rhythm, and the

second and third variations are in four voices. The final variation needs full sonority of sound. Rhythm: Except for the third variation, the rhythm is in duple meter

and the theme is based on syncopation. The sixteenth note is

the basic rhythmic figure in the first and second variations, and the moving eighth note is the principal pattern in the third and final variations.

Harmony: The music is in the key of D-flat major except for the third variation and generally many kinds of non-harmonic tones such as appogiatura, neighboring tone, and escape tone are employed.

Dynam ics: A forte dynamic level first appears at the end of the third variation and it usually stays in a soft dynamic level. Pedaling: The composer indicates no pedal marking, but the pedal

generally depends on the left hand which leads the change of harmony.

Technical considerations: Relaxing the arm to play tremolos is required in the second variation. Longer note values must be 52

sustained while the inner voice moves fast to support the harmony. Perform ance problems: This charming set of variation is not too difficult to play but requires the performer to project the melody clearly.

Andante

Figure 17. Ponce, Manuel M.: Tema Mexicano Variado, measures 1-4

Composer: Tauriello, Antonio (b. 1931), Argentina

Title: Toccata

Rating: Moderately Difficult Publisher: Barry & Cia. Copyright Date: 1952 Catalog Number: Unavailable Form: A B A 53

Melody: Most of the left-hand part plays drum-like quarter notes. Rhythm: The music is written in 2 /2 meter and employs simple

rhythmic figures.

Harmony: Polytonality and chord clusters are usually used, and ascending and descending chromatic chords are sometimes employed.

Dynamics: A wide range of dynamics and accents is used for brilliance, and some parts need almost the entire keyboard to

play as well. Pedaling: The left-hand simple melodic pattern controls the use of pedal.

Technical considerations: Wide leaps challenge the performer, requiring one to look ahead at the keys to where the hands

must leap. The music also demands considerable technical facility, precision, and accuracy to maintain the necessary driving speed.

Performance problems: Brilliance and bravura style are essential to perform this Toccata, requiring very steady rhythm. t Comments: This piece was awarded the Academia St. Cecila prize in Genoa, Italy. 54

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4 t e ~ T , : ..p— --- 1-- "--- i frTlTrr i --p_ -— —p ■' ---/ m ^ ------:---i

1 1 t t h ^ J _r t z J

Figure 18. Tauriello, Antonio: Toccata, measures 1-7

Composer: Villa-Lobos, Heitor (1887-1959), Brazil

T itle: A Pombinha voou (from Guia Pratico)

Rating: Intermediate Publisher: Mercury Music Corporation

Copyright Date: 1947 Form: A B A Melody: The right hand plays within a narrow melodic range, and the left hand is often played in the treble clef. The left hand accompaniment in the middle section has a descending chordal

pattern. Rhythm: The rhythm is very simple. The opening section is in triple meter, and the left hand usually plays dotted half notes. The 55

meter changes to duple in the middle section while the

accompanying left hand plays quarter notes. Harmony: The opening measure is based on an E major chord with an added sixth scale degree, a chord which appears many times in the work.

Dynamics: Except for the beginning and ending parts, this piece

usually remains in a soft dynamic level. Pedaling: This work is especially good for pedal study, since the

rhythm and harmony are simple. Legato pedal is usually used, and it should be changed depending on the changing of the left hand rhythm.

Technical considerations: Careful fingering is needed to play

legato, since longer note values are usually sustained. Performance problems: The first measure needs careful articulation. Because the distance between the dotted half­ notes for the right hand and the first melodic quarter note is too wide a span to sustain (a 1 Oth), the damper pedal must be

used to facilitate this passage. It is better to press the pedal on the last beat, rather than blurring the first two inner-voice quarter notes.

Comments: The "Guia Pratico" consists of 11 collections, each containing about a half dozen pieces, as casual settings of popular Brazilian children's songs. "A Pombinha voou (The little dove flew away)" is from the 10th volume. 56 Andante <*'.*•)

Figure 19. Villa-Lobos, Heitor: A Pombinha voou from Guia Pratico, measures 1-9

Composer: Villa-Lobos, Heitor (1887-1959), Brazil

T itle: 0 Polichinelo (from Prole do Bebe Series I)

Rating: Moderately Difficult P u b lish er: Edward B. Marks Music Corp.

Copyright Date: 1918 Catalog Number: ME 90-2653 Form: Through-composed Melody: The entire music contains horizontal patterns of alternating triads for the right hand on white keys and the left

hand on black keys. Rhythm: Basic duple rhythmic structure with 3 /4 occurring during the course of the music. 57

Harmony: The piece is polytonal, often including enharmonic

spelling with two-note and three-note tone clusters. Dynamics: The leading right hand usually has an accent on every eighth beat.

Pedaling: The damper pedal should usually be changed once per

measure, and it must be released on the second half of the second beat for a clear and light sound. Technical considerations: Staccato touch is consistent

throughout the music. Since the tempo is very fast, staccato chords must be played with the left hand wrist slightly higher than the normal position.

Performance problems: Rhythmic stress is of major importance

in this toccata-like composition and must be very steady. Comments: Villa-Lobos wrote this suite for Octavio Pinto's children, and "Prole" is a baby bed containing a musical gallery

of baby's toys and dolls. Series I of Prole do Bebe (The Baby's family) depicts in wondrous musical fashion the family of eight dolls: "Branquinha" (The Porcelain Doll); "Moreninha" (The

Paper Doll); "Caboclinha" (The Clay Doll); "Mulatinha" (The Rubber Doll); "Negrinha" (The Wooden Doll); "A Pobrezinha" (The Rag Doll); "0 Polichinello" (Punch); and "A Bruxa" (The Witch Doll). 58

Presto <»

Figure 20. Villa-Lobos, Heitor: 0 Polichinelo from Prole do Bebe, Series I, measures 1-5

Composer: Villa-Lobos, Heitor (1887-1959), Brazil T itle: Alnitah, No. 1 (from The Three Maries)

Rating: Intermediate Publisher: Carl Fischer, Inc.

Copyright date: 1941 Catalog Number: P 2258 Form: A B A Melody: Both staves are written in treble clef throughout the piece,

and it gives the feeling of playing four-hand duet music. Section A, right hand, is written in a five-finger pattern from C and A.

Rhythm: It starts with an incomplete measure and 2 /4 is a basic time-structure. Running sixteenths create the principal

rhythmic figure. While section B accompanying passages play the simple melodic and rhythmic pattern, the syncopated melody is played with staccato.

Harmony: The piece is in the key of C major, and the section B

melody presents a modal scale of nine notes. Dynamics: Sforzandos, staccatos, and accents are used for stress. Pedaling: Although the composer gives no indication of pedal, the

damper pedal can be used very briefly on the chords marked sforzando.

Technical considerations: Rhythmic regularity is a very strong factor in each section. Practicing with dotted rhythms is

suggested for preparing to play the running sixteenth notes evenly.

Performance problems: The chief performance problem is the playing of unusual accents. The section of running sixteenth

notes always has sforzando on the second beat. Some section B melodic passages have an accent on the first and the last eighth notes. 60

Figure 21. Villa-Lobos, Heitor: Alnitah No. 1 from The Three Maries, measures 1-7 CHAPTER IV

SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY

Latin American piano music is usually included in a discussion of contemporary piano music because Latin America has only a short history of music. Latin American composers wrote piano music during the colonial periods of their respective countries, but most of their piano compositions are considered to be at the amateur level in technical difficulty. When national independence was gained in Latin America, its art music began to improve on its own merits.

Twenty piano solo compositions by Latin American composers have been evaluated in detail in the preceding chapter as an aid to performance and teaching, focusing on pedaling, technical considerations, performance problems, and difficulty ratings determined by this writer. The compositions are ranked from "Easy" to "Moderately Difficult" as follows, arranged alphabetically by the composers’ last names. Of the 20 pieces evaluated in this study, only one was ranked as "Easy," 11 were ranked "Intermediate," and 8 were considered "Moderately Difficult."

61 62

EASY

Pinto, Octavio: Serenade (from Children's Festival )

INTERMEDIATE

Castro, Jose Maria: Cancion de Cuna (from Diez Piezas Breves)

Castro, Juan Jose: Quasi Polka Chavez, Carlos: Sonatina

Gianneo, Luis: Gato (from Tres Danzas Argentinas)

Gianneo, Luis: Villancico

Ginastera, Alberto: Rondo on Argentine Children's Folk-tunes Graetzer, Guillermo: Rondo Paz, Juan Carlos: Elegia (from Diez Piezas Sobre una Serie en

los 12 tonos, Op. 30) Pinto, Octavio: Run! run! (from Scenas Infantis )

Villa-Lobos, Heitor: A Pombinha voou (from Guia Pratico) Villa-Lobos, Heitor: Alnitah (from The Three Maries )

MODERATELY DIFFICULT

Aguirre, Julian: Huella, Op. 49 (from Cancion Argentina ) Ginastera, Alberto: Creole Dance (from 12 American Preludes, Vol. I) Guarnieri, Camargo: Ponteio No. 48 63

Guerra-Peixe, Cesar: Ponteado de Viola, No. 4 Paz, Juan Carlos: Balada, Op. 31, No. 2 (from Canciones y

Baladas) Ponce, Manuel M.: Tema Mexicano Variado

Tauriello, Antonio: Toccata Villa-Lobos, Heitor: 0 Polichinelo

The purpose of this study was to contribute to a deeper understanding of Latin American solo piano music for performers and teachers through the evaluation of these selected pieces. It is hoped that this study will encourage further investigation into a heretofore neglected, but potentially rewarding repertoire.

Recommendations for Further Study

In this document I evaluated 20 solo piano compositions by Latin American composers, ranging in difficulty from uncomplicated works for children to virtuoso works. In quantity, Latin American has made considerable additions to the piano repertoire. An obvious recommendation for further study would be an evaluation of a greater number of pieces by additional Latin American composers. A second study might include a complication of piano duets and/or duo-piano arrangements by Latin American composers. While collecting and performing the music selected for this study, I found that a considerable amount of music was arranged for piano duet or 64 two pianos. As far as I have been able to ascertain, no studies have yet been made on this subject. APPENDIX

COMPOSERS' BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

65 66

Aguirre, Julian (b. Buenos Aires, Jan. 28,1868; d. Buenos Aires, Aug. 13,1924). Argentinean composer and pianist. He attended the Madrid Conservatory 1882-1886 where he studied composition with Arrieta, harmony with Aranguren and fugue with Cato, and received first prizes for harmony, piano, and counterpoint. He impressed Albeniz with his performances in Spain, and returned to Buenos Aires in 1886 where he became famous as a pianist. He performed several piano concerts during his one-year stay in Rosairo, but finally settled in Buenos Aires, where he contributed to the musical life of the city. Aguirre served as a secretary and harmony professor at the conservatories established by Gutierrez and Williams. He also helped to create the music section of the Buenos Aires Athenaeum

(1892) and the Argentine Music School (1916). His compositions were influenced by Williams' national style and characterized by Creole melodies, particularly tristes, and brought him the reputation as one of the best Argentine composers. His compositions are mostly miniatures for piano. Among his 61 works, the most popular pieces such as Gato and Huella were arranged for orchestra by Juan Jose Castro, Ansermet, and other composers. 67

Castro, Jose Maria (b. Avellaneda, Buenos Aires province, Dec. 15, 1892; d. Buenos Aires, Aug. 2, 1964). Argentine composer, conductor and cellist, and brother of Juan Jose. He studied harmony with Gaito and composition with Fornarini, and took lessons on the cello from Jose Garcia and Humberto Ferrari. He graduated from the Conservatorio di S Cecilia, Rome, with a diploma of honor and a gold medal. Castro was a member of the Argentinean Chamber Music Society quartet and of the trio and quartet of the Wagnerian

Association. In 1926 he was founder-cellist of the Quartet Society, and two years later he formed the chamber orchestra of the

Asociacion del Profesorado Orquestal. With Juan Carlos Paz, he was also a founder-member of the Grupo Renovacion, which became the Argentine section of the International Society for Contemporary Music. In 1933 he was engaged as conductor of the Asociacion del

Profesorado Orquestal in Buenos Aires, and two years later he won by competition the conductorship of the Buenos Aires Municipal

Band, a position which he held until 1956. As a composer he cultivated a style close to Neo-Classicism.

He received many commissions and prizes, among the latter two Buenos Aires municipality prizes (1927, 1933) and an International

Society for Contemporary Music prize (1939). 68

Castro, Juan Jose (b. Avellaneda, Buenos Aires province, Mar. 7, 1895; d. Buenos Aires, Sep. 5, 1968). Argentine composer and conductor.

He studied piano and violin with Manuel Posadas, harmony with Gaito and fugue and composition with Fornarini in Buenos Aires.

In 1914 a government scholarship provided him with an opportunity to study in Europe. During his stay in Paris for the next five years, he studied composition with d'lndy at the Schola Cantorum and the piano with Risler.

In 1926 when he returned to Buenos Aires, he founded the Quartet Society, in which he played the first violin and his brother,

Jose Maria, played cello. In 1928, he organized a chamber orchestra, Renacimiento, and in 1930 he was appointed conductor of the ballet season at the Teatro Colon and also conducted opera there from 1933. Three years later, he became the music director of the Asociacion del Profesorado Orquestal and Asociacion Sinfonica, with which he gave the first local performances of a number of modern works.

In 1934 he received a Guggenheim Foundation grant. He was a conductor of the SODRE Orchestra, Uruguay (1947-1951); the Victorian Symphony Orchestra in Melbourne, Australia (19 52 -19 53 ); and the Argentine National Symphony Orchestra (1956-1960). He also served as instructor at the National Music Academy and at the Puerto Rico Conservatory, where he was a director. He was a founder-member of Grupo Renovacion and a member of the 69

Argentinean League of Composers, the National Academy of Fine Arts, and the directorate of the National Arts Foundation. He received the first International Verdi Prize (1 9 5 2 ) for the opera

Proserpina y el extranjero. He was proficient in all genres of composition. His compositions for the piano included tangos, two sonatas, and nine preludes. Three traits can be found in his works: nationalism, Spanish idioms, and a more cosmopolitan style came from his Paris studies, which caused him to revise basically his ideas about sonority and color.

Chavez (y Ramirez), Carlos (Antonio de Padua) (b. Mexico City, Jun. 13, 1899; d. Mexico City, Aug. 2, 1978). Mexican composer, conductor, teacher, writer on music, and government official.

He received his first music lassons from an elder brother, and he later studied piano with Pedro Luis Ogazon (1915-20) and harmony with Juan B. Fuentes and Manuel Ponce (1910-14). At the age of 12 he began to learn orchestration from Guiraud's treatise. Until 1921 he made effective piano arrangements of popular Mexican songs and also wrote many piano pieces in the manner of salon music. The year of 1921 was crucial for Chavez. He made his debut as a composer with a concert of works including the Piano Sextet (1919), and met Vasconcelos, the dynamic minister of education and official patron of the arts. He also composed his first 70

Mexican work, a ballet entitled El Fuego Nuevo on an Aztec subject, commissioned by the Secretary of Public Education of Mexico, follows the writing of Debussy and the Impressionists. In 1922 Chavez married Otilia Ortiz and they traveled in France, Austria, and Germany. During this period he acquired the type of abstract and quasi-scientific music which was the fashion of the day. The influence of this period is reflected in the abstract titles of his piano works, such as Aspectos, Energia, Unidad , Piano Sonata (1928), and Sonatina for violin and piano (1928).

From 1924 Chavez began to write articles on music and art every year in the Mexico City newspaperEl universal. During the period of 1926-1928 he lived in New York, where he met Copland,

Cowell, and Varese. Varese and he were actively involved with a member of the International Composers' Guild and the Pan American Association of Composers. After he returned to Mexico, he was invited as the first director of the Mexico Symphony Orchestra which was founded by the musicians' union in 1928. He served as a principal conductor of the orchestra for the next 20 years.

In 1928 at the age of only 29, Chavez was appointed director of the National Conservatory, Mexico City, a position which he held until 1933 and again for eight months in 1934. As director he reformed the fundamental curriculum of the conservatory, putting emphasis on the importance of writing melody and melodic counterpoint in all styles: diatonic, chromatic and pentatonic, and 71 organizing concerts of chamber, orchestral, and choral music. Chavez also founded three Academias de Investigation for folk and popular music, for history and bibliography (including Asian and

African music), and for new musical possibilities. Among his pupils were Daniel Ayala, Salvador Contreras, Pablo Moncayo, and Bias

Gilindo. He studied electrical sound reproduction during a visit to the USA in 1932. He served as the head of Department of Fine Arts in the Secretariat of Public Education from March ,1933, but had to step down in May, 1934 for political reasons. At the Mexican President's request, he also had been involved with the creation of the National Institute of Fine Arts where he served as a direct general. In spite of his resignation as director of the Mexico Symphony in 1948, Chavez continued to conduct a great number of concerts actively in Mexico and Europe, particularly in the USA. He also gave public performances of his own piano music. In 1958-59 Chavez was Charles Eliot Norton Lecturer at Harvard University. The lectures held there were published under the title Musical Thought (Cambridge, 1960). He also published a book of essays, Toward a New Music (New York, 1937). His compostions were primarily inspired by historical and national Mexican folk melodies and characterized by Mexican rhythmic elements. Chavez was honored by many prestigious titles; Officier of the legion d'honneur, Commander of the Order of the Pole Star (Sweden) 72

and Commander of the Order of the Crown (Belgium), the Star of Italian Solidarity and honorary membership of the American

Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy (USA), and the National Academy of Arts (Argentina). He was a founder-member of the Colegio de Mexico and of the Mexican Academy of Arts, and also

received the National Prize of Arts and Sciences. Chavez wrote numerous works for stage, orchestra, and choral performance, and his piano compositions include six sonatas, 10 preludes, and numerous etudes.

Gianneo, Luis (b. Buenos Aires, Jan. 9, 1897; d. Buenos Aires, Aug. 16, 1968). Argentine composer, pianist, and conductor. Gianneo studied piano with Ernesto Drangosh and Luis

Romaniello, harmony with Gaito, and counterpoint and composition with Eduardo Fornarini. From 1923 to 1943 he taught at the Music Institute and directed the concerts of Asociacion Sinfonica in Tucuman. Later he served as a professor at various schools in Buenos Aires.

He was a recipient of the National Cultural Commission scholarship for his excellence on piano, and he had opportunity to study in Europe in 1937. In 1942 he was awarded a prize by the Fleischer Commission of Philadelphia for his Concierto Aymara based on Aymara Indian melodies. 73

He was a founder-member of the Grupo Renovacion and of the Argentine League of Composers. His interest in musical education of the youth led to the creation of the Asociacion Sinfonica Juvenil

Argentina, which he conducted from 1955 to 1960. He was also one of the main founders of the Argentine national school. His music is simple and tonal, and many works are based on folk melodies. He wrote many songs, piano pieces, symphonic poems, and some chamber music. He also composed the music for children, Musica para Ninos, which stylized airs and native dances. Among these works, the symphonic poems Turay-Turay and El tarco en flor are recognized as his best pieces.

Ginastera, Alberto (E varisto) (b. Buenos Aires, Apr. 11, 1916; d. Geneva, Jun. 25, 1983). Argentine composer.

At the age of seven he began to study music theory privately with Torcuato Rodriguez Castro and harmony with Celestino Piaggio, who was a pupil of d'lndy in Paris and was later director of the Buenos Aires Orchestra and other musical organizations in Buenos Aires.

In 1928 he entered the Williams Conservatory, where he studied theory solfege, piano, harmony, and composition. He graduated in 1935 with the first prize in composition. From 1930 to 1935 Ginastera completed his secondary school education, and 74

during this period he wrote small compositions which he later destroyed.

After his graduation from secondary school he entered the National Conservatory in Buenos Aires. There he studied piano with

Argenziani, harmony with Athos Palma, counterpoint and fugue with Jose Gil, and composition with Jose Andre who was a former pupil of Alberto Williams. At the conservatory he met a student, Mercedes de Toro, who was later to become his wife. In 1934 he won first prize of the musical society El Unisono for his Piezas Infantiles for piano. He was appointed professor of composition at the National

Conservatory in 1941 and accepted the chair of music at the Liceo Military General San Martin. In 1946-47 Ginastera traveled to the USA on a grant from the Guggenheim Foundation. During his stay in the USA, he lived mostly in New York. He attended the Tanglewood Festival at the invitation of Aaron Copland and visited the Music Educators National Conference meeting in Cleveland. He also completed the Suite de danzas criollas and Duo for flute and oboe while he was in the United States. After he returned to Argentina, he was appointed to the faculty of the National Conservatory in Buenos Aires, where he taught from 1948 to 1958. At the same time he took charge of the Argentine section of the International Society for Contemporary Music. In 1948 he became director of the conservatory of the province of 75

Buenos Aires in La Plata and also served as dean of the faculty of musical arts and sciences at the Argentine Catholic University.

In 1951 Ginastera traveled to Europe at the invitation of the Hessichen Runfunk for the first performance of his First String Quartet at the International Society for Contemporary Music

Festival held in Frankfurt. In Paris he was elected juror of the composers' competition of the Conservatoire de Paris.

1952 was a precarious year for Ginastera's fortunes. He was commissioned by the Carnegie Institute and the Pennsylvania College for Women to write a sonata for piano and was also honored by being selected as one of the 50 outstanding composers of the twentieth century. The Peron regime, however, removed him from his position in La Plata. Later in 1956 Ginastera was reappointed, and in 1958 he was also appointed to a professorship at the University of La Plata. In 1961 his reputation was enhanced by the first performance of two impressive works at the Second Inter-American Music

Festival: the Cantata para America magica and the first Piano Concerto. In that year, under the sponsorship of the Rockefeller Foundation, the Instituto Torcuato de tella in Buenos Aires formed a Latin American center for Advanced Musical Studies and appointed Ginastera as its director. In 1969 he separated from his wife, and two years later he married the Argentine cellist, Aurora Natola, and they settled in Geneva.

Ginastera's style is generally divided into three periods: 1937- 1947, 1948-58, and 1958-1983. His first period is marked by an 76 objective nationalism. During this period he began to imitate the sound of the gaucho’s guitar in his music, using guitar chords as a symbol of Argentina. He continued to use this device in all three periods.

The second style period is characterized by subjective nationalism, when his music became more mature. Although rhythmic and thematic elements of Argentine music were still present, he began to use some atonal language and serial technique.

The third style period is called New Romanticism because it contains an excited lyricism and passion. His style became more personal, more international, and more abstract, with growing interest in inner emotions and unreal elements. Ginastera's honors included the membership of the National

Academy of Fine Arts of Argentina (1957), the Brazilian Academy of Music (1958), the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1965), and the American Academy of Arts and Letters (1968). In 1968 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Yale University and in 1971 he received the National Grant Prize for the Arts from the Argentine Ministry of Culture and Education.

His works for piano include three sonatas, two concertos, three piezas, and preludes.

G raetzer, Guillermo (b. Vienna, Sep. 5, 1914). Austrian-Argentine composer. 77

He studied in Berlin with Hindemith and in Vienna with Paul

Pisk. In 1939 he returned to Argentina and settled in Buenos Aires. He devoted himself mainly to educational activities and edited musical anthologies. His representative works are La Parabola for Orchestra, Three toccatas for piano, Sinfonia Brevis and Los burgueses de Calais for

Male Chorus and Orchestra.

Guarnieri, Camargo (Mozart) (b. Tiete, Sao Paulo, Feb. 1, 1907).

Brazilian composer, conductor, and teacher.

He received his first music instruction from his father, a band flutest, who showed his desire to raise his son as a musician by giving him the middle name of Mozart. Guarnieri took piano lessons from Ernani Braga and Antonio de Sa Pereira and studied composition with Baldi.

In 1927 he was appointed to teach piano at the Sao Paulo Conservatory. He conducted chorus and orchestra, and showed his talent as director of the Coral Paulistano in the Sao Paulo Dapartment of Culture which was established in 1935. In 1938 he went to Paris on a government fellowship where he took a course in composition and aesthetics with Charles Koechlin and one in conducting with Ruhlmann. In 1942 he received the first prize of the Philadelphia Free Library Fleischer Music Collection for the violin concerto. The Pan American Union invited him to visit the 78

United States, and many of his works were performed in New York and Boston. In 1944 the Music Guild of Washington, D.C awarded him a prize for his Second Quartet. He visited the USA again in 1946-47 as a conductor of his own work, Symphony No. 1, with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

He was a founder-member of the Brazilian Academy of Music and later became one of its honorary presidents. After he returned to Brazil he became a permanent conductor of the Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra. Since then he has conducted the most prestigious European and American orchestras. In 1960 he became the director of the Sao Paulo Conservatory and also taught composition and conducting at Santos Conservatory. He was honored the first prizes of the Sao Paulo Fourth Centenary Competition in 1954, the Caracas International Competition in 1957, and the Golfinho de Ouro Prize in 1973.

Guarnieri composed prolifically, producing four symphonies, five piano concertos, two violin concertos, three string quartets, five violin sonatas, seven sonatinas, Ponteios (five volumes), and many songs and instrumental pieces.

G uerra-Peixe, Cesar (b. Petropolis, Mar. 18, 1914). Brazilian composer, violinist, and conductor.

He began to take violin lessons in 1925 under Gao Omacht at the Escola de Musica S Cecilia in his native city and continued under 79

Paulino d'Ambrosio at the Escola Nacional de Musica in Rio de Janeiro, where he also studied harmony.

In 1934 he settled in Rio de Janeiro, playing in light orchestras and writing popular pieces and arrangements for broadcasts and recordings. He studied orchestral conducting with Edoardo de Guarnieri in Sao Paulo and composition with Newton Pcidua at the Conservatorio Brasileiro in Rio de Janeiro (1938-43).

In 1944 Guerra-Peixe participated in Koellreutter's Musica Viva group.

Gurra-Peixe's 12-tone serial works are skillful and independent, displaying a particular concern with timbre. He abandoned serialism in 1949 and began investigations on northeast Brazilian folk music. In 1963 he joined the National Symphony

Orchestra as a violinist, and at the same time taught composition privately.

He wrote two symphonies, two string quartets, a violin sonata, a piano trio, and four bagatelas for piano, three suites for piano, and many other instrumental works.

Paz, Juan Carlos (b. Buenos Aires, Aug. 5, 1901; d. Buenos Aires, Aug. 25, 1972). Argentinian composer and theorist. He studied piano with Roberto Nery in Buenos Aires, and composition with Gaito and Fornarini. After he took organ lessons 80 from Jules Beyer, he studied with d'lndy at the Schola Cantorum,

Paris. However, he was essentially self-taught in composition and remained an independent and isolated figure. He was drawn to the works of Franck and Stravinsky, using jazz elements in his art music. An enthusiasm for new musical styles brought him to establish the Grupo Renovacion, a modern music society, together with his contemporaries Juan Jose and Jose Maria Castro, Gilardi, and Ficher (1929). Their aims were to pursue and utilize the latest compositional trends and give wider exposure to their works. At the time of his participation in the Grupo Renovacion, Paz also took an active role in the work of the Asociacion del Profesorado Orquestal, whose orchestra introduced new European works. In 1936, the disagreements between Paz and the other members led him to leave the Grupo Renovacion. He then founded Conciertos de la Nueva Musica, which presented the most innovative European music, particularly chamber music. In 1944 he established the Agrupacion Nueva Musica with such composers as Percevel, Devoto, and Eitler.

Paz was strongly opposed to folklore ideas in music, and in a series of articles he sharply criticized the nationalistic trends among Argentine composers. His musical style is usually divided into three periods: 1920-1927, 1927-1934, and 1934-1944. The first period, characterized by strong polyphony in a neo­ classical style, includes nine ballads and two sonatas for piano, and 81

Canto de Navidad for orchestra. He adopted atonal melodic idioms and polytonal harmony during the second period, and it includes Movimiento Sinfonico for orchestra, Three Inventions for piano, sonatina for clarinet and piano, sonatina for flute and clarinet, sonatina for oboe and basson, and overture for 12 solo instruments.

The third period is characterized by the adoption of the 12- tone system of composition. The works belonging to this period are

Passacaglia for orchestra; four Composiciones dodecafdnica for various instruments; 10 piano pieces on a 12-tone theme; a quartet for violin, clarinet, saxophone, and bass clarinet; and the Third piano sonata. After 1950 he modified his musical language, adopting a less rigid and more personal style of composition.

Pinto, Octavio (b. Sao Paulo, Nov. 3, 1890; d. Rome, May 18, 1950). Brazilian composer.

He wanted to pursue a full musical career but was urged by his family to pursue another profession. Trained as an architect, he designed and built apartment houses in Brazil. He studied piano with Isador Philipp and continued composing music as an avocation. In 1922 he married the Brazilian pianist Guiomar Novaes. Pinto published a number of effective piano miniatures, of which Scenas infantis and Children's Festival are best known. 82

Ponce, Manuel (Maria) (b. Fresnillo, Zacatecas, Dec. 8, 1882; d.

Mexico City, Apr. 24, 1948). Mexican composer and pianist.

Ponce took piano lessons from his older sister Josefina from the age of six, and with Cipriano Avila from the age of ten. He made first attempts to compose at the age of seven, when he wrote a little piece entitled La marcha del sarampion. In 1895 he became an assistant organist of S Diego,

Aguascalientes and two years later he became chief organist. When he was 15 he entered the Mexico City Conservatory and studied piano with Vicente Manas (1900-01). He taught in Aguascalientes for a period of time, giving concerts, composing piano bagatelles, and writing criticism for El observador. In 1904 he went to Europe, where he studied composition with Enrico Bossi at Bologna and piano with Martin Krause at the Stern Conservatory, Berlin, where he gave a recital at the Beethovensaal on June 18, 1906. Upon his return to Mexico, he succeeded Castro as piano teacher at the Mexico City Conservatory. Among his piano pupils was Carlos Chavez. From 1915 to 1917 he lived in Havana as music critic of El heraldo de Cuba and La reforma social. Returning to

Mexico, he married the singer, Clema Maurel. He taught again at the Mexico City Conservatory and his own Beethoven Academy, conducted the National Symphony Orchestra (1917-19), and edited the Revista musical de Mexico with Ruben M. Campos (1919-20). He then went to Paris in order to perfect his technique of composition, particularly in the field of counterpoint and ochestration. At the age 83 of 40 he joined the class of Paul Dukas at the Ecole Normale de Musique. He was profoundly impressed by Dukas' ideas on free thematic development and orchestral color. He returned to Mexico City in 1933. He resumed piano teaching at the Mexico City Conservatory, which he directed (1934-35), edited the conservatory's monthly Cultura musical (1936-37), and taught folklore on the newly established music faculty at the university (1933-38). He was the first Mexican composer honored with an official invitation to tour South America, conducting his own works.

He possessed a great gift of melody and his later works are more polyphonic in structure and more economical in form. He was the first Mexican composer of the 20th century to employ an identifiable modern musical language and he played an important role in the history of Mexican music.

Tauriello, Antonio (b. Buenos Aires, Mar. 20, 1931). Argentinian composer and conductor. Taureillo’s piano studies began with Raul Spivak and were completed with Walter Gieseking; he studied composition with Alberto Ginastera. In 1958, he began his career as a conductor when an Inter-American Festival was held in Argentina. Later he was invited to conduct opera and ballet at the Teatro Colon. He also conducted the percussion ensemble Ritmus. 84

In 1965 he appeared with the Chicago Lyric Opera as assistant director, and later he conducted the Washington Opera Society, the

New York City Opera, and the American Opera Center. He conducted his Obertura sinfdnica (1961), Transparencies for six Instrumental groups (1965), and his Piano Concerto (1968) at the Inter-American Festival, Washington, D.C. The concerto is notable for the extraordinary freedom of its solo part and very independent orchestration. Canti (1967) and Mansion de Tlaloc for piano, percussion, and strings were played in Spain at Festivals of Spanish and South American music, and Serenade for Orchestra was performed at the 1970 International Society for Contemporary Music Festival.

In 1969 he was awarded a Guggenheim scholarship and the International Composition Prize of Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine.

Villa-Lobos, Heitor (b. Rio de Janeiro, Mar. 5, 1887; d. Rio de Janeiro, Nov. 17, 1959). Brazilian composer.

He received his first lessons in the elements of music from his father, Raul, who was a writer and amateur musician. He began to play on the viola but studied cello seriously as his main instrument which he played in cafes and restaurants for a living after his father's death. 85

In 1907 he entered the National Institute of Music in Rio de

Janeiro, where he studied with Frederico Nascimento, Angelo Franga, and Francisco Braga, but his fervent temperament led him to leave

his school after a short while. He studied d'lndy's Composition Treatise with great interest which later provided him the principles

for his creativity. Between the ages of 18 and 25, Villa-Lobos traveled widely in Brazil in order to collect folk songs, seeking to establish the nature

of national musical resources. His first composition in the Brazilian manner was a suite entitled Canticos Sertanejos for small

orchestra (1909). On November 13, 1915 Villa-Lobos presented a concert of his compositions in Rio de Janeiro, and created a sensation by the daring character of his compositional techniques. He continued composing

a great amount of music in all genres. In 1918 he met Artur Rubinstein in Rio de Janeiro and composed the transcendentally difficult Rudepoema for the pianist,

who admired Villa-Lobos. In 1922 he received an official commission from Belgium for a work on the subject of World War I. He composed the Symphony No. 3 'a guerra', which he himself conducted at a gala concert to celebrate the centenary of Brazil's independence. Financial assistance from the state and from wealthy people enabled him to leave for Europe. During his Paris period (1923- 1930), he met the French composer Darius Milhaud and heard the 86 piano music of Debussy for the first time, which impressed him profoundly.

Upon returning to Brazil in 1930, Villa-Lobos devoted himself to musical education for young people. In 1932 he was appointed

Supervisor and director of Musical Education in Brazil by President Getulio Vargas, and took charge of organizing music teaching in the public schools of Rio. In 1942 he established a conservatory under the sponsorship of the Ministry of Education, to which students came from all over

Brazil. He introduced completly new and different instruction into the national program of music education, with an emphasis on the cultural resources of Brazil. He published Guia Pratico which includes his choral arrangements of folk songs of Brazil and other countries. He also organized the "orpheonic concentrations" of school children, whom he trained to sing according to his own method of solfeggio, in which the finger position indicates degrees of the scale.

In 1944 he made a first journey to the United States where he conducted his own works in Los Angeles, Boston, and New York. On his return from the USA in 1945 he established the Brazilian Academy of Music in Rio de Janeiro, serving as its president from 1 947 until his death.

His lack of formal academic training helped him to establish his originality and led him to use innovative techniques of composition well suited to his musical ideas. While he did not use 87 actual quotations from Brazilian popular songs, he was inspired by their melodic and rhythmic characteristics. In his Bachianas Brasileiras, one of his works to relate Brazilian folk materials to universal values, he treated Brazilian melo-rhythms in Bach-style counterpoint. In addition Chorus is distinguished for its Brazilian dance form as well as incisive rhythm and a ballad-like melody. He wrote The New York Skyline with his experimental graphic method of composition. The honors he received include the titles of commander in the

Brazilian Order of Merit and the French Legion d'honneur, corresponding membership of the Institut Frangais, and an honorary doctorate from the University of New York. In 1961 a Villa-Lobos Museum was founded in Rio de Janeiro under the direction of the composer's widow, Arminda Villa-Lobos. Villa-Lobos wrote many compositions for all genres, including orchestral, chamber music, solo vocal, and piano. His piano works include numerous pieces, dances, and suites. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Books

Apel, Willi, ed. Harvard Dictionary of Music. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1969.

Behague, Gerard. Music in Latin America: An introduction. Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice-Hall, 1979.

Bernstein, Leonard. The unanswered question. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1976.

Berrien, William. Latin American composers and their problems. Washington, D. C.: Pan American Union, 1938.

Chase, Gilbert. A guide to the music of Latin America, A joint publication of the Pan American Union and the Library of Congress. New York: AMS Press, 1972.

Chase, Gilbert. Partial list of Latin American music obtainable in the United States, with a supplementary list of books and a selective list of phonograph records. Washington, D. C.: Music division, Pan American Union, 1941.

Duran, Gustavo. Recordings of Latin American songs and dances : An annotated selected list of popular and folk music. Washington D. C.: Pan American Union, 1942.

Friskin, James and Irwin Freundlich. Music for the Piano. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1973.

Gillespie, John. Five centuries of keyboard music: A historical survey of music for harpsichord and piano. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1972.

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Hague, Eleanor. Latin American music: Past and present. Detroit, Michigan: B. Ethridge, 1982.

Hinson, Maurice. Guide to the pianist's repertoire. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1987.

Lange, Francisco Curt. Latin American art music for piano. New York: G. Schirmer, Inc., 1942.

Levine, Henry.South American piano music. New York: G. Ricordi & Co., 1958.

Orrego-Salas, Juan. Involvement with music: Music in Latin America. New York: Harper, 1976.

Orrego-Salas, Juan, ed. Music from Latin America available at Indiana University: scores, tapes and records. Bloomington, IN, 1971.

Pan American Union, Division of music and visual arts. Music o f Latin America. Washington: Pan American Union, 1953.

Sadie, Standley, ed. The Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians.. London: Macmillan Publishers Ltd., 1980.

Saminsky, Lazare. Living music of the America. New York: Howell, Soskin & Crown, 1949.

Seeger, Charles. Music in Latin America. Washington D. C.: Pan American Union, 1966.

Slonimsky, Nicolas. Music of Latin America. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1945.

Articles

Anson, George. "Contemporary piano music of the Americas," Inter- American Music Bulletion (September, 1959): pp. 4-24. 90

Arias, Enrique Alberto. "Latin American piano music," Clavier (February, 1991): pp. 21-23.

Chase, Gilbert. "Creative trends in Latin American music," Tempo, Vol. 48 (Summer, 1958), Vol. 50 (Winter, 1959).

Orrego-Salas, Juan. "The young generation of Latin American composers: Backgrounds and perspectives," Inter-American music bulletin, Vol. 38 (November, 1963): pp. 1-10.

Phillips, Charles P. "Latin-American Art music for the piano: A catalog of representative graded teaching materials," Inter- American music bulletin, Vol. 85 (November, 1972): pp. 1-11.

Dissertations

Montgomery, Particia. "The Latin American piano suite in the twentieth century." D. Mus. dissertation: Indiana University, 1978.

Scores

Aguirre, Julian. Cancion Argentina. Buenos Aires: Ricordi Americana, 1942.

Castro, Jose Maria. Cancion de Cuna (from Diez Piezas Breves), from Latin-American art music for the piano, ed. Francisco Curt Lange, New York: G. Schirmer, 1942.

Castro, Juan Jose. Quasi Polka. Buenos Aires: Editorial Argentina de Musica, 1947.

Chavez, Carlos. Sonatina. New York: Cos Cob Press, Inc., 1930.

Gianneo, Luis. Tres Danzas Argentinas. Buenos Aires: Editorial Argentina de Musica, 1948. 91

Gianneo, Luis. Villancico. Buenos Aires: Editorial Argentina de Musica, 1947.

Ginastera, Alberto. Rondo on Argentine Children's Folk-tunes. London and New York: Boosey & Hawkes, Inc., 1951.

Ginastera, Alberto. 12 American Preludes, Vol. I. New York: Carl Fischer, 1946.

Graetzer, Guillermo. Rondo. Buenos Aires: Editorial Argentina de Musica, 1947.

Guarnieri, Camargo. Ponteio No. 48. Buenos Aires: Ricordi Americana, 1959.

Guerra-Peixe, Cesar. Ponteado de Viola, No. 4. Rio de Janeiro: Irmaos vitale S/A. Ind. e Com., 1979.

Paz, Juan Carlos. Balada, Op. 31, No. 2 (from Canciones y Baladas), from Latin-American art music for the piano, ed. Francisco Curt Lange, New York: G. Schirmer, 1942.

Paz, Juan Carlos. Elegia (from Diez Piezas Sobre una Serie en los 12 tonos, Op. 30 ), from Boletin Latino-Americano de Musica: Supplemento musical, Vol. 4, ed. Francisco Curt Lange. Rio de Janeiro: Editorial Cooperativa Interamericana de Compositores, 1942-45.

Pinto, Octavio. Serenade. New York: G. Schirmer, 1939.

Pinto, Octavio. Scenas Infantis. New York: G. Schirmer, 1932.

Ponce, Manuel M. Tema Mexicano Variado. New York: Peer International Corporation, 1960.

Tauriello, Antonio. Toccata. Buenos Aires: Barry & Cia., 1952.

Villa-Lobos, Heitor. A Pombinha (from Guia Pracico). New York: Mercury Music Corporation, 1947. 92

Villa-Lobos, Heitor. The Three Maries. New York: Carl Fischer, 1941.

Villa-Lobos, Heitor. Prole do Bebe, Series I. New York: Edward B. Marks Music Corp., 1918.