The Life of a Marimba Master: Zeferino Nandayapa Ralda; Composer, Band Leader, Soloist
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones 5-15-2018 The Life of a Marimba Master: Zeferino Nandayapa Ralda; Composer, Band Leader, Soloist Lindsay Michelle Whelan [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations Part of the Latin American Studies Commons, and the Music Commons Repository Citation Whelan, Lindsay Michelle, "The Life of a Marimba Master: Zeferino Nandayapa Ralda; Composer, Band Leader, Soloist" (2018). UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. 3342. https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations/3342 This Dissertation is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Dissertation in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/or on the work itself. This Dissertation has been accepted for inclusion in UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE LIFE OF A MARIMBA MASTER: ZEFERINO NANDAYAPA RALDA; COMPOSER, BAND LEADER, SOLOIST By Lindsay Michelle Whelan Bachelor of Music Education SUNY College at Buffalo 2008 Master of Music – Percussion Performance University of Southern California 2012 A doctoral document submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Musical Arts School of Music College of Fine Arts The Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas May 2018 Doctoral Project Approval The Graduate College The University of Nevada, Las Vegas May 7, 2018 This doctoral project prepared by Lindsay Michelle Whelan entitled The Life of a Marimba Master: Zeferino Nandayapa Ralda; Composer, Band Leader, Soloist is approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts School of Music Dean Gronemeier, D.M.A., J.D. Kathryn Hausbeck Korgan, Ph.D. Examination Committee Chair Graduate College Interim Dean Timothy Jones, D.M.A. Examination Committee Member Richard Miller, Ph.D. Examination Committee Member Thomas Leslie, M.S. Examination Committee Member Michael Tylo, M.F.A. Graduate College Faculty Representative ii Abstract Zeferino Nandayapa Ralda was the greatest Mexican marimba artist of the twentieth century. Born in Chiapas, Mexico, Zeferino was the youngest son of Norberto Nandayapa, the most well respected Mexican marimba builder of his time. Throughout Zeferino’s lifetime, he cultivated a career that made him well-known in Mexico and firmly established the name Nandayapa as being synonymous with the word marimba. Zeferino’s career consisted of appearances as a solo artist, as a featured soloist with symphony orchestras around Mexico, as leader of marimba bands, and, many appearances abroad. He wrote many arrangements of standard Mexican folk songs, classical literature, as well as composed many original pieces. Zeferino also lead several bands throughout his career, the most famous being Marimba Nandayapa. Zeferino’s greatest contribution to the tradition of Mexican marimba playing was his ability to keep the marimba current and appealing to the masses. He achieved this by programming popular styles of music with his marimba band. Additionally, Zeferino promoted the marimba through numerous recordings, radio, movies and television shows. This document has been written for marimbists and non-marimbists alike. It chronicles the life and career of Zeferino Nandayapa and is for anyone who has an interest in the tradition of Mexican Marimba playing, and what Zeferino Nandayapa Ralda accomplished throughout his life to promote and garner popularity for the instrument. iii Acknowledgements In September of 2017, I had the opportunity to travel to Tabasco, Mexico with the UNLV marimba band to perform as part of the XI Festival de Marimba y Percusiones de Tabasco. I knew of the existence of Mexican marimbas, but it was through this experience that I found myself exceedingly intrigued with the Mexican marimba and the Nandayapa family. Upon my return to Las Vegas, I could not stop thinking about the fantastic buzzing characteristic of the Mexican marimba and the master marimbist, Zeferino Nandayapa. I would like to thank Dr. Timothy Jones and Dr. Dean Gronemeier for arranging this trip to Mexico and introducing me to the Mexican marimba as well as the Nandayapas. Dr. Jones and Dr. Gronemeier have also assisted me immensely with the formulating, editing and refining of this document. I would like to thank Thomas Leslie for being a part of my committee and always inspiring me. Throughout my time at UNLV, and through the document writing process, Professor Leslie has been a great source of encouragement. To Michael Tylo, the Graduate College representative on my committee, thank you for your sense of humor and your willingness to never sugar coat the truth. I would also like to thank Dr. Richard Miller. Dr. Miller’s expertise of ethnomusicology was extremely helpful throughout the writing of this document, to ensure its historical accuracy. Most importantly, I would like to extend my most sincere gratitude to the Nandayapa brothers; Oscar, Norberto, and especially Javier for their willingness to contribute to this iv research. I would also like to thank Javier for all the information he was willing to share with me, and the countless questions he answered. Lastly, I would like to thank my parents Michael and Lynne Whelan for always believing in me, no matter how many road blocks I encountered, and Jorge Machain, my wonderful and loving partner, for countless hours of translation assistance and support. v Table of Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................ iv Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... vi List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ ix Chapter 1 ......................................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1 Chapter 2 ......................................................................................................................................... 3 Childhood, Birth to 21 (1931-1952) ........................................................................................... 3 Chapter 3 ....................................................................................................................................... 12 Young Adulthood 21-46 (1952-1977) ...................................................................................... 12 Chapter 4 ....................................................................................................................................... 26 Middle Age 46-69 (1977-2000) ................................................................................................ 26 Chapter 5 ....................................................................................................................................... 39 The Later Years 69-79 (2000-2010) ......................................................................................... 39 vi Chapter 6 ....................................................................................................................................... 45 The Death of a Marimba Master ............................................................................................... 45 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 54 Appendix A ................................................................................................................................... 56 Tours and Awards 1956-1977 ................................................................................................... 56 Appendix B ................................................................................................................................... 58 Tours and Awards 1977-2000 ................................................................................................... 58 Appendix C ................................................................................................................................... 65 Tours and Awards 2000-2010 ................................................................................................... 65 Appendix D ................................................................................................................................... 68 A Week in the Life of Zeferino Nandayapa.............................................................................. 68 Appendix E ..................................................................................................................................