THE ART SONGS OF JAIME LEÓN: A TEXTUAL AND MUSICAL ANALYSIS A THESIS IN Musicology Presented to the Faculty of the University of Missouri-Kansas City in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree MASTER OF MUSIC by VICTORIA SOFIA BOTERO B.M., The Catholic University of America, 1997 M.A., The University of Missouri-Kansas City, 2009 Kansas City, Missouri 2011 ©2011 VICTORIA SOFIA BOTERO ALL RIGHTS RESERVED THE ART SONGS OF JAIME LEÓN: A TEXTUAL AND MUSICAL ANALYSIS Victoria Sofia Botero, Candidate for the Master of Music Degree University of Missouri-Kansas City, 2011 ABSTRACT The thirty-six art songs of Colombian composer Jaime León (b. 1921) represent an important addition to the art song repertory. Chapter 1 introduces the topic and the literature on Jaime León and Latin American art song. Jaime León‘s biography forms Chapter 2, including his training as a pianist and conductor at The Juilliard School, his affiliations with Broadway musicals, the American Ballet Theatre, and the Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá, and his evolution as a song composer. To date this chapter represents the most comprehensive biography of Jaime León to appear in either Spanish or English. Biographical sketches of each of the poets that León set to music forms Chapter 3. Every León song is analyzed in Chapter 4 from a textual, melodic, harmonic, rhythmic and formal standpoint. Original translations of each poem into English accompanies the analyses. Edited portions of the author‘s interviews with Jaime León appear in the appendix. iii The faculty listed below, appointed by the Dean of the Conservatory of Music and Dance, have examined a thesis titled ―The Art Songs of Jaime León: A Textual and Musical Analysis‖ presented by Victoria Sofia Botero, candidate for the Master of Musicology degree, and hereby certify that in their opinion it is worthy of acceptance. Supervisory Committee William A. Everett, Ph.D Associate Professor of Musicology Conservatory of Music and Dance Sarah Tyrrell, Ph.D Assistant Teaching Professor of Musicology Conservatory of Music and Dance S. Andrew Granade, Ph.D Assistant Professor of Musicology Conservatory of Music and Dance Deborah Schwartz-Kates, Ph.D Associate Professor of Musicology Frost School of Music University of Miami iv CONTENTS ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………………... iii LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES...……………………………………………………. ix LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS……………………………………………………………. xiii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS xiv Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………….. 1 2. BIOGRAPHY OF JAIME LEÓN……………………………………………….. 10 3. BIOGRAPHIES OF THE POETS……………………………..………………… 41 Eduardo Carranza…………………………………...…………………… 43 Jorge Carrera Andrade…………………………………………………… 51 José Joaquín Casas…………………………………….…………………. 52 Dora Castellanos……………………………………….………………… 54 Eduardo Castillo……………………………………….………………… 55 Rigoberto Cordero y León………………………………..……………… 57 Francisco Delgado Santos…………………………………..…………… 58 Julio Flórez………………………………………………………………. 58 Alfredo Gómez Jaime……………………………………….…………… 60 Daniel Lemaitre………………………………………………..………… 62 Antonio Llanos…………………………………………………...……… 63 Isabel Lleras Restrepo…………………………………………………… 65 Luis Carlos López…………………………………………………...…… 66 Rafael Maya……………………………………………………………… 67 v Candelario Obeso……………………………………………………...… 70 Adalberto Ortiz…………………………………………………………... 72 Jose Asunción Silva……………………………………………………… 74 Renán de la Torre………………………………………………………... 77 Maruja Vieria…………………………………………………………….. 78 4. SONG ANALYSIS………………..…………………………………………….. 80 ―Aves y ensueños‖……………………………………………………….. 83 ―La campesina‖…………………………………………………………... 92 ―Canción de Noel‖……………………………………………………….. 97 ―Cancioncilla‖………………………………………………………........ 102 ―Serenata‖…………………………………………...…………………… 106 ―Cuando lejos, muy lejos‖……………………………………..………… 110 ―Los maderos de San Juan‖……………………………………………… 113 ―A mi ciudad nativa‖…………………………………………..………… 118 ―A ti―……………………………………………………………...……… 122 ―Rima‖…………………………………………………………….……... 125 The Villancico Cycle…………………………………………………….. 129 ―Villancico de la estrella‖………………………………………….…….. 130 ―El asnillo y el buey‖………………………………………………..…… 132 ―Cancioncilla de Navidad‖………………………………………….…… 135 ―Villancico de las campanas‖……………………………………….…… 138 ―Letra para cantar al son del arpa‖…………………………………….… 141 vi ―Tu amor es como la piel de las manzanas‖……………………………... 145 ―Todo pasó‖……………………………………………………………… 148 ―Algún día‖………………………………………………….…………… 152 ―Más que nunca‖………………………………………………………… 156 ―Siempre‖…………………………………………………….………….. 160 ―Si no fuera por ti‖…………………………………………….…….…… 163 Las Canciones de Pequeña, Pequeñita…………………………..….…… 166 ―Pequeña, pequeñita‖…………………………………………….….…… 167 ―El muñeco dormilón‖……………………………………………..…….. 170 ―Viaje‖……………………………………………………………….…... 173 ―Caballito de madera‖…………………………………………………… 176 ―La tunda para el negrito‖……………………………………………..… 179 ―El Columpio‖………………………………………………………….... 183 ―Canción‖…………………………………………………..….………… 187 ―Tu madre en la fuente‖……………………………………….………… 191 ―Evocación‖……………………………………………………..……….. 195 ―Canción del boga ausente‖……………………………………………… 198 ―Canción de cuna‖……………………………………………………….. 202 ―Don Paramplín‖………………………………………………………… 205 ―Ojuelos de miel‖………………………………………………………... 208 ―Vago soneto‖…………………………………………………………… 211 ―La casa del lucero‖……………………………………………………... 213 vii 5. CONCLUSION…..………………..…………………………………………… 216 Appendix A. LETTER OF PERMISSION…………………………………… 220 B. CONVERSATIONS WITH JAIME LEÓN ………………………… 221 REFERENCE LIST………..…………………………………………………………... 243 viii MUSICAL EXAMPLES Example Page 1. ―Aves y ensueños,‖ complete score………………………………………... 88 2. ―La Campesina,‖ mm. 36-39……………………………………………….. 94 3. ―La Campesina,‖ mm. 4-6………………………………………………….. 95 4. ―Canción de Noel,‖ mm. 41-46……………………………………………. 100 5. ―Canción de Noel,‖ mm. 10-16……………………………………………. 101 6. ―Cancioncilla,‖ mm. 21-25………………………………………………… 104 7. ―Serenata,‖ mm. 1-6…...…………………………………………………… 108 8. ―Cuando lejos, muy lejos,‖ mm. 10-15…………………………………….. 111 9. ―Cuando lejos, muy lejos,‖ mm. 18-21…………………………………….. 112 10 ―Cuando lejos, muy lejos,‖ mm. 64-67…………………………………….. 112 11. ―Los maderos de San Juan,‖ mm. 1-10…………………………………….. 115 12. ―Los maderos de San Juan,‖ mm. 76-87…………………………………… 116 13. ―A mi ciudad nativa,‖ mm. 1-4…………………………………………… 119 14. ―A mi ciudad nativa,‖ mm. 28-31………………………………………… 121 15. ―A ti,‖ mm. 6-11……………………………………………………………. 124 16. ―A ti,‖ mm. 32-37……………………………………………………..……. 124 17. ―Rima,‖ mm. 33-40………………………………………………………… 127 18. ―Villancico de la estrella,‖ mm. 1-3………………………………………... 131 19. ―El asnillo y el buey,‖ m. 7……………………………………………...…. 133 20. ―El asnillo y el buey,‖ mm. 13-17……………………………………..…… 134 ix 21. ―El asnillo y el buey,‖ mm. 44-49…………………………………………. 134 22. ―Cancioncilla de Navidad,‖ mm. 1-6………………………………………. 136 23. ―Cancioncilla de Navidad,‖ mm. 68-77……………………………………. 137 24. ―Villancico de las campanas,‖ mm. 12-15…………………………………. 139 25. ―Villancico de las campanas,‖ mm. 37-40…………………………………. 140 26. ―Letra para cantar al son del arpa,‖ mm. 1-5………………………………. 143 27. ―Letra para cantar al son del arpa,‖ mm. 24-28……………………………. 144 28. ―Tu amor es como la piel de las manzanas,‖ mm. 1-4…………………….. 146 29. ―Tu amor es como la piel de las manzanas,‖ mm. 12-17………………….. 147 30. ―Todo pasó,‖ mm. 1-4……………………………………………………… 150 31. ―Algún día,‖ mm. 5-6………………………………………………………. 153 32. ―Algún día,‖ mm. 33-39…………………………………………………..... 154 33. ―Mas que nunca,‖ mm. 1-2………………………………………………… 157 34. ―Mas que nunca,‖ mm. 31-38 ……………………………………………... 159 35. ―Siempre,‖ mm. 11-15……………………………………………………... 161 36. ―Siempre,‖ mm. 80-86……………………………………………………... 162 37. ―Si no fuera por ti,‖ mm. 36-46……………………………………………. 165 38. ―Pequeña, pequeñita,‖ mm. 33-36………………………………………….. 168 39. ―El muñeco dormilón,‖ mm. 29-33…………………...……………………. 171 40. ―Viaje,‖ mm. 25-31………………………………………………………… 174 41. ―Caballito de madera,‖ mm. 30-34. ……………………………………….. 178 42. Ostinato rhythm in ―La tunda para el negrito‖ mm. 1-16…………...……... 181 x 43. ―La tunda para el negrito‖ mm. 74-77…...…………………………………. 182 44. ―El Columpio,‖ mm 1-2……………………………………………………. 184 45. ―El Columpio,‖ mm. 49-51………………………………………………… 184 46. ―El Columpio,‖ mm. 20……………………………………………………. 185 47. ―El Columpio,‖ mm. 53-55………………………………………………… 186 48. ―Canción,‖ mm. 3-4………………………………………………...……… 188 49. ―Canción,‖ mm. 33-37…………………………………………………… 189 50. ―Canción,‖ mm. 57-59……………………………………………………... 190 51. ―Tu madre en la fuente,‖ m. 1……………………………………………… 192 52. ―Tu madre en la fuente,‖ m. 3……………………………………………… 192 53. ―Tu madre en la fuente,‖ m. 22…………………………………………….. 193 54. ―Evocación ,‖ mm. 3-10……………………………………………………. 196 55. ―Cancion del boga ausente,‖ mm. 26-32…………………………………… 200 56. ―Canción del boga ausente,‖ mm. 66-70…………………………………… 201 57. ―Canción de cuna,‖ mm. 11-13…………………………...………………... 203 58. ―Canción de cuna,‖ mm. 32-34…………………………………………….. 204 59. ―Don Paramplín,‖ mm. 1-4………………………………………………… 207 60. ―Don Paramplín,‖ mm. 26-28………………………...……………………. 207 61. ―Ojuelos de miel,‖ mm. 19-22……………………………………………... 210 62. ―Ojuelos de miel,‖ m. 2…………………………………………………….. 210 63. ―Vago soneto,‖ mm. 2-3……………………………………………………. 212 64. ―Vago soneto,‖ mm. 9-10…………………………………………………... 212 xi 65. ―La casa del lucero,‖ mm. 29-30…………………………………………… 214 66. ―La casa del lucero,‖ mm. 44-48…………………………………………… 215 xii ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1. Jaime León and Victoria Botero, 2005………………………………… 40 2. ―Monumento a los Zapatos Viejos‖ Cartagena de Indias, Colombia….. 118 xiii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am forever indebted to maestro Jaime León for opening the door to a stranger who was curious about his songs, and to his gracious wife Beatriz who gave me so much insight into their