Carlos Chávez
Sinfonía India
"The great expressive power of indigenous art lies in its rhythmic variety, in the freedom and scope of its scales and modes, in the richness of the sonorous instrumental element, in the simplicity and purity of its melodies, and in its moral condition.” - Carlos Chávez
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Carlos Chávez (1899 – 1978) was an absolute powerhouse creator, performer, and educator of Mexican classical music. He was heavily influenced by pre Hispanic native Mexican history and culture, incorporating these elements into his compositions and exporting these sounds to the world. Chávez was also instrumental (punny me!) in bringing composers from around the world to experience Mexican music and for Mexican people to experience their music. As a result he developed a very close working relationship with U.S. composer Aaron Copland , and had the respect of composer/conductor Leonard Bernstein as well as his student/mentee Mexican composer Salvador Contreras.
Live performance by Minnesota Orchestra led by Carlos Miguel Prieto
HIGHLIGHTS
Carlos Chávez composed many works for large and small ensembles, including 6 symphonies. Sinfonía india is the second of these and is among his most performed works overall.
Sinfonía india is considered to be one of Chávez's most 'Mexican' works, which is interesting since he composed it during a stay in New York City in 1935, premiered it with the CBS Symphony during a live radio broadcast in January 1936, and in April 1936 conducted the first public stage performance with the Boston Symphony. It wasn't performed in Mexico until July 1936.
In composing Sinfonía india Chávez incorporated melodies similar to those of the Huicholes, Yaqui, and Seris peoples, as well as pre Hispanic and pre Columbian percussion instruments including the teponaztli (a large bass drum), huehuetl (a log drum with two distinct pitches), jicara de agua (a gourd partially submerged in water), tenabari and grijutian (strung butterfly cocoons and deer hooves), and cascabeles (an instrument meant to imitate the sound of a rattlesnake).
The symphony is in a single movement but is built around a fast-slow-fast 3 part structure similar to a multi movement work. Each section represents the different indigenous cultures he was inspired by.
A typical performance lasts about 12 minutes.
Leonard Bernstein
Chichester Psalms
“If there would be one piece to make/have someone listen and say here is what Leonard Bernstein can do as a composer, I believe I would choose the Chichester Psalms. He had this goal all his life to bring people together regardless of their religions, origins, generations, and aspirations in life." - Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Music Director of Philadelphia Orchestra and Metropolitan Opera.
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Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) was a U.S. composer, conductor, and educator. He was the son of Ukrainian Jewish immigrants and grew up to be considered to one of the most influential composers and conductors of his time. He composed in multiple genres, cross pollinating classical music with jazz, and American musical theater, to create music for orchestra, ballet, chorus, chamber music, film and theater. Chichester Psalms is an excellent example of this skill set.
HIGHLIGHTS
Chichester Psalms is a composition for chorus, boy soprano, and orchestra. It is sung entirely in Hebrew using texts from the Book of Psalms with a theme reminiscent of Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" - brotherhood of man and our relationship to the divine.
The work is in three movements, with dance-like elements alongside moments of tension, serenity, and hope. The middle movement quotes the entire 23rd Psalm, "The Lord Is My Shepherd", and features the boy soprano.
Bernstein completed Chichester Psalms in 1965. He had spent 6 months working with a team of collaborators on a new musical theater piece The Skin of Our Teeth which was ultimately abandoned, but instead took some of that material, plus music that had been cut from his 1957 hit West Side Story, and recycled it to form Chichester Psalms.
Brett Mitchell and the Colorado Symphony Orchestra and Chorus share excerpts highlighting the origins of the material for Chichester Psalms
Bernstein wrote Chichester Psalms just 2 years after his "Kaddish" symphony about death and grief which he dedicated to President John F Kennedy after his assassination. Even though it's scored similarly and uses Hebrew religious texts, Chichester Psalms is decidedly more hopeful and centered in light than the "Kaddish" symphony. In fact, in 1977 Bernstein described Chichester Psalms as “the most accessible, B-flat major-ish tonal piece I’ve ever written.”
The orchestra is made up of 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, 2 harps, timpani, a lot of percussion, and the usual string section of violins, violas, cellos, and basses.
For the chorus, Bernstein notes that the soprano and alto parts were written "with boys' voices in mind," and that it is "possible but not preferable" to use women's voices instead. He stipulates that the male alto solo "must not be sung by a woman," but either by a boy or a countertenor in order to preserve the quality of sound the biblical David would portray in the 23rd Psalm.
A typical performance lasts about 20 minutes.
Radio France Philharmonic live performance
Historic recording with Bernstein conducting the Boys and Men's Choir of the Poznan Philharmonic featuring boy soprano soloist Markus Baur
Hebrew text and English translation
Movement I. Psalm 108, verse 2:
Urah, hanevel, v’chinor! Awake, psaltery and harp!
A-irah shaḥar! I will rouse the dawn!
Psalm 100, entire:
Hariu l’Adonai kol haarets. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord all ye lands.
Iv'du et Adonai b’simḥa. Serve the Lord with gladness.
Bo-u l’fanav bir’nanah. Come before His presence with singing.
D’u ki Adonai Hu Elohim. Know ye that the Lord, He is God.
Hu asanu v'lo anaḥnu. It is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves.
Amo v’tson mar’ito. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Bo-u sh’arav b’todah, Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
Ḥatseirotav bit'hilah, And into His courts with praise,
Hodu lo, bar’chu sh’mo. Be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.
Ki tov Adonai, l'olam ḥas'do, For the Lord is good, His mercy is everlasting,
V’ad dor vador emunato. And His truth endureth to all generations.
Movement II. Psalm 23, entire:
Adonai ro-i, lo eḥsar. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
Bin’ot deshe yarbitseini, He maketh me to lie down in green pastures,
Al mei m'nuḥot y'nahaleini, He leadeth me beside the still waters,
Naf’shi y’shovev, He restoreth my soul,
Yan'ḥeini b'ma'aglei tsedek, He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness,
L’ma’an sh’mo. For His name’s sake.
Gam ki eilech Yea, though I walk
B’gei tsalmavet, Through the valley of the shadow of death,
Lo ira ra, I will fear no evil, Ki Atah imadi. For Thou art with me.
Shiv’t’cha umishan’techa Thy rod and Thy staff
Hemah y'naḥamuni. They comfort me.
(Tenors and basses - Psalm 2, vs. 1-4)
Lamah rag'shu goyim Why do the nations rage,
Ul'umim yeh'gu rik? And the people imagine a vain thing?
Yit'yats'vu malchei erets, The kings of the earth set themselves,
V'roznim nos'du yaḥad And the rulers take counsel together
Al Adonai v'al m'shiḥo. Against the Lord and against His anointed.
N'natkah et mos'roteimo, Saying, let us break their bands asunder
V'nashlichah mimenu avoteimo. And cast away their cords from us.
Yoshev bashamayim He that sitteth in the heavens
Yis'ḥak, Adonai Shall laugh, and the Lord
Yil'ag lamo! Shall have them in derision!
(Sopranos continue with Psalm 23)
Ta’aroch l’fanai shulchan. Thou preparest a table before me.
Neged tsor’rai, In the presence of mine enemies,
Dishanta vashemen roshi Thou anointest my head with oil,
Cosi r’vayah. My cup runneth over.
Ach tov vaḥesed Surely goodness and mercy
Yird'funi kol y'mei ḥayai, Shall follow me all the days of my life,
V’shav’ti b’veit Adonai And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
L’orech yamim. Forever.
Movement III. Psalm 131, entire:
Adonai, Adonai, Lord, Lord,
Lo gavah libi, My heart is not haughty,
V’lo ramu einai, Nor mine eyes lofty,
V’lo hilachti Neither do I exercise myself
Big’dolot uv’niflaot In great matters or in things
Mimeni. Too wonderful for me.
Im lo shiviti Surely I have calmed
V’domam’ti, And quieted myself,
Naf’shi k’gamul alei imo, As a child that is weaned of his mother,
Kagamul alai naf’shi. My soul is even as a weaned child.
Yaḥel Yis'rael el Adonai Let Israel hope in the Lord
Me’atah v’ad olam. From henceforth and forever.
Psalm 133, verse 1:
Hineh mah tov, Behold how good,
Umah nayim, And how pleasant it is,
Shevet aḥim For brethren to dwell
Gam yaḥad. Together in unity.
NERD ALERT! EXtra cool stuff...
Musicologist Paul Laird presents a lecture on the history and context of Chichester Psalms
Full length staged Kennedy Center Opera House performance of Bernstein’s 1971 MASS
Salvador Contreras
Corridos
DIVE IN!
Salvador Contreras (1910-1982) was a Mexican composer and violinist, a member of the influential "Grupo de los cuatro" along with composers Daniel Ayala, José Pablo Moncayo, and Blas Galindo - all students at Mexico City Conservatory learning from renowned composers Silvestre Revueltas and Carlos Chávez.
HIGHLIGHTS
Salvador Contreras composed Corridos for chorus, soprano, and orchestra in 1941 after discovering research on the tradition of corridos by musicologist Vicente Mendoza.
Corridos are songs which originated in 19th century Mexico and became popular during the early 20th century Mexican revolution with themes of including history, elevating workers, and dealing with oppression.
For his Corridos composition, Contreras selected three 19th century corridos and a Spanish version of a Mexican romance from the 16th and 17th centuries. The romance is performed by soprano soloist with orchestra between the second and third corrido. All three corridos are performed by a full chorus and orchestra.
The first corrido, "La Indita" (The Indian Girl), is a canacua dance tune from the Purépecha culture of Michoacán. The second corrido, "Las dos Marías" (The Two Marias), is a tune originally written by the early 20th century Michoacán folklorist Alfonso del Río. The final corrido, "Los Dorados" (The Golden Ones"), is a lively and boisterous tune written by the Chihuahua colonel José Uribe during the Mexican Revolution after enlisting in Panco Villa's army.
Corridos was premiered in 1941 at the Palacio de Bellas Artes during the Festival of Traditional Mexican Music by the Mexico Symphony Orchestra with Carlos Chávez conducting. That same concert featured premieres of two other "Grupo de los cuatro" composers: Sones de Mariachi by Blas Galindo, and Huapango by José Pablo Moncayo, both for orchestra without chorus and both which have become wildly popular to perform worldwide since then.
A recording of Corridos by the National Symphony Orchestra of Mexico
translated Text
Corrido 1: La Indita (the Indian girl)
An Indian girl in her water garden
Was cutting flowers,
While the Indian boy who watered them
Enjoyed flirting with her.
Note: This second verse has no literal meaning; it is onomatopoeic and has no English translation.
Tarimbá, de blanca me dio,
de blanca me sesa, de sesa manesa,
de entrar y salir,
de doministrai, de doministrai, de pípili hui.
I saw an Indian carrying a load
Wearing a simple bow tie.
I am not surprised by the Indian boy
But rather by how skinny he is.
My sweet girl, I will provide
For your blue petticoats,
But you have to go out with me,
Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
Corrido 2: Las Dos Marías (The Two Marias)
I had a Maria who was so cold, so cold,
That she was pure ice both night and day.
I had another Maria who was on fire, on fire
So much that she was dripping butter.
Oh, my friend, sir!
Oh, how well my work is going!
If step by step I earn it soon,
Without hesitation I will look for a love.
Since I am a rancher of few words,
I tell little lies, but not long ones.
One girlfriend cheats, two make fools,
Three will play tricks and four make two yokes.
Roman Castillo’s Romance
Where are you going, Roman Castillo,
Where are you going? Poor man!
Don’t look for more feuds,
For our ladies here.
Your horse is already injured,
Your sword is broken,
Your exploits are unique,
And your love has no bounds.
Have mercy, Roman Castillo!
Have mercy, poor me!
If you persist in your life,
I will die from pain.
You are noble, you are brave,
A man with a great heart.
Your exploits are unique,
And your love has no bounds.
Corrido 3: Los Dorados (The Golden Ones)
I am one of the Golden Ones
Of my General Villa;
I have earned ten ranks,
And soon will be made leader.
The heart of El Dorado
Was made to suffer
With his well-wrapped pistol,
He has nothing to fear.
My rifle and my mare
They are my faithful companions;
I have to walk twenty leagues
To kill pale-skinned rats.
Aaron Copland
Symphony No. 3
DIVE IN!
Aaron Copland (1900-1990) was a US born composer, educator, and conductor who studied and trained in European classical music traditions, yet applied his composition skills in helping template an “American” classical music sound. He is credited not only with that but also with learning from, and helping amplify to the world, the richness of classical music from all of the Americas. His primary contemporaries in this arena include US composer Leonard Bernstein and Mexican composer Carlos Chávez. Copland's monumental Symphony No. 3 stands as a testament to this US "American" sound.
highlights
Aaron Copland was the son of Lithuanian Jewish immigrants. He grew up in Brooklyn, NY and received support for his musical training in childhood from his mother and from his older sister Laurine. He began composing around the age of 8 and by 15 had decided he wanted to focus on composition as a career pursuit.
Copland studied composition in Paris with the extremely highly respected Nadia Boulanger for three years. Following his interview with her she remarked "One could tell his talent immediately."
Copland shifted from avant garde style to a more populist style that connected with listeners around the same time that he became part of an artist led movement in the US to underscore distinctly "American" qualities and characteristics. This, along with his frequent visits to Mexico and his strategic friendship with influential Mexican composer Carlos Chávez led to some of his most enduring and popular works: Billy the Kid, El Salon México, Appalachian Spring, and Fanfare for the Common Man.
Notably, Copland began work on Symphony No. 3 in the village of Tepoztlán and likely not only discussed ideas with Chávez but also previewed bits of the score with him.
Fanfare for the Common Man, composed in 1942, became an instant success and propelled Copland to his powerfully optimistic and hopeful Symphony No. 3 which he composed between 1944 and 1946. The final movement of the symphony incorporates this fanfare and indeed the symphony seems to have been constructed to guide the listener to a slow realization of the presence of that material having been there all along from the beginning of the first movement all the way through the second and third movements to its inevitable arrival in the fourth.
Excerpt of Fanfare for the Common Man at BBC proms led by Marin Alsop
Fourth movement recording for comparison to Fanfare for the Common Man
Milwaukee Symphony French Horn player Darcy Hamlin & Principal Trombone Megumi Kanda speak about the symphony
Live performance by TON led by Leon Botstein
🎉FUN FACT ALERT🎉
There are some beautiful friend and mentor relationships present in this program. Carlos Chávez was an influential teacher and mentor to Salvador Contreras, Aaron Copland and Carlos Chávez had a friendship and mutually beneficial supportive professional relationship, Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Copland both conducted many performances of Chávez's Sinfonía india, and most poignantly Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Copland remained lifelong friends following a romantic relationship from 1937 to 1940, both dying in 1990 just a few months apart. Their written correspondence tells a story of love, respect, and a joyous friendship for the ages.
ActivitY for the common human!
(see what i did there... 😎)
All of the works in this program relate to our own sense of self, place, and belonging. Explore this notion for yourself and/or with your nerd crew using poet/author George Ella Lyon's Where I'm From as inspiration. Read her poem and then write your own, fashioned after Lyon's. For extra credit in the nerdosphere, imagine how you might set it to music!
I love getting feedback and would ADORE seeing your creative work. Feel free to send it to me and/or add it in the comments below!
Where I’m From by George Ella Lyon
I am from clothespins,
from Clorox and carbon-tetrachloride.
I am from the dirt under the back porch.
(Black, glistening,
it tasted like beets.)
I am from the forsythia bush,
the Dutch elm
whose long gone limbs I remember
as if they were my own.
I am from fudge and eyeglasses,
from Imogene and Alafair.
I'm from the know-it -alls
and the pass -it -ons,
from Perk up! and Pipe down!
I'm from He restoreth my soul
with a cottonball lamb
and ten verses I can say myself.
I'm from Artemus and Billie's Branch,
fried corn and strong coffee.
From the finger my grandfather lost
to the auger,
the eye my father shut to keep his sight.
Under my bed was a dress box
spilling old pictures,
a sift of lost faces
to drift beneath my dreams.
I am from those moments --
snapped before I budded --
leaf-fall from the family tree.
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