Mexican Art Song

AMY CANCHOLA, KAPPA, DALLAS ALUMNI AMY@AMYCANCHOLA.COM

Discover a rich tradition of music that honors culture, history

Ángela Peralta circa 1875 Historically, the canon of art song in Western classical music included French, German, Italian and English texts and compositions. Even as Spanish literature began to be incorporated, it represented primarily European composers. Mexico has its own rich tradition of music, culture and history. Mexican art song was influenced by European genres including opera and chamber works. Dance rhythms and folk songs also laid the foundation for this music. The Mexican Revolution inspired nationalism in music and elements of native cultures found its place in art.

Ángela Peralta circa 1875

The Mexican Nightingale

Angela Peralta (1845-1883), one of the first notable artists to come out of Mexico, was influenced by European composers. The prima donna opera singer, pianist, harpist and composer gained international fame as one of the country’s most critically acclaimed performers.

At 15, Peralta made her operatic debut at the Gran Teatro Nacional — one of 19th-century Mexico’s premier opera houses. The performance received such acclaim that it prompted Peralta to further refine her talent in Italy. As a teenager, Peralta toured across Europe and the United States garnering the nickname of Mexican Nightingale. Her life was cut tragically short — she died from yellow fever in 1883 at age 38 — but her contribution to the history of Mexican classical music is undeniable.

Manuel Ponce plays the piano circa 1910

Founding Figure

Manuel M. Ponce (1882-1948), one of the most prominent figures in Mexican music history, married traditional folk melodies and harmony with modern performance and classical sophistication. His work as a performer, composer and educator revolutionized Mexican art music. In A Guide to the Latin American Art Song Repertoire, editor Maya Hoover states, "Ponce paved the way with a compositional style that varied over decades from Romantic to Impressionistic and later incorporated dissonant harmonies within a consonant framework."

Jessica Rosas Lira, a Ponce scholar, writes about Ponce, "As for his vocal compositions, he composted over 150 songs, including early folk song arrangements for voice and piano, original songs for voice and piano and his modern song cycles for voice and piano.

Through his popular song arrangements, Ponce created a connection between Mexican vernacular music and classical art song. He borrowed many folk-motives and worked them into his classical compositions; these motives also served as inspiration for new works with an authentic local color that earned him recognition as a founding figure of Mexican musical nationalism.

“Experts refer to Ponce as a founding figure because, although other composers had made efforts to write nationalistic music before Ponce, he was among the first composers to research folk music, harmonize it and use it as inspiration for the majority of his classical works. In this way, Ponce paved the way for future composers to explore and develop the genre.”

Ponce gave a lecture on Mexican song, stating, “…I consider it the duty of every Mexican composer to ennoble the music of his native country, giving it artistic form, dressing it with polyphonic clothing and preserving with love the popular melodies which are the expression of the national soul.”

Ponce’s archives were left to his student former, composer and educator revolutionized Carlos Vazquez. When Vazquez died, some scores were donated to La Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. Some scores were donated to Ponce's home state of Zacatecas. Determining who holds the rights to Ponce's body of work is a difficult undertaking.

Many Mexican musicians who spend time in Europe studied with grate composers such as Debussy and Lehar and were introduced to prominent figures that included de Falla, Segovia and Turina. Sutdents of Ponce included Carlos Chavez and María Teresa Prieto among others. It was Ponce’s students who presented the first recital of Debussy’s music in Mexico.

Publicity photo of Mexican composer María Grever taken by Paramount Pictures or 20th-Century Fox Studios for whom she worked as a film composer from 1920 until her death in 1951

Madonna of Song

Another dynamic Mexican woman to change the course of Mexican music is María Grever. The life and work of Grever is fascinating and inspiring, yet her story is not widely known. She has been referred to as a “famous stranger” and labeled the Madonna of Song. Her melodies are familiar, yet her name is not. She overcame racism and gender bias during a pivotal era in American music history to become the first commercially successful Mexican female composer.

She was a pioneer of popular music during the first half of the 20th century, working alongside some of the greatest artists of the time. Composer and singer Nayeli Nesme states, “To recover the works of María Grever is to recover the sound memories of Mexico and of the world” and that Grever’s music is an “esthetic, emotional, sociological and cultural reference” because her music has gained a wide exposure from the popular to the academic fields.

Aside from her herculean efforts against racism and gender bias, Grever is also unique in that she wrote nearly all her own texts and poetry. Many of the texts are also inspired by personal events. The text, therefore, is passionate and authentic. Common themes in Grever’s poetry include romance, heartbreak, unrequited love and personal hardship.

Grever and Ponce had influence from European composers but felt a duty to maintain integrity of Mexican style and form. Ponce has songs written in five languages. Grever wrote almost exclusively in Spanish. While living in America she felt a duty to maintain her cultural identity. Once she was established in the U.S. she stated, “I had to leave the country and I am now interested in modern music. But I am interested most of all in my own Mexican music and I want to try to present it for the Americans. I do not think that they know very much about it. And it is worth knowing … There is a wealth of song-culture in Mexico. It is of Spanish and Indian origin and there is also the blend of the two. Melody and rhythm are there — idiomatic and distinct from the rhythm of other countries. It is my firm conviction that folk-music is the valid basis of all music.”

It is important to note that the compositions of these excellent musicians are as worthy of performance and study as any of the rest of the standard canon. They have a prolific output with hundreds of compositions to their credit.

Possible Challenges

Learning and assigning students repertoire from Mexican composers is an important and enjoyable endeavor. However, there are challenges facing the performance of historical Mexican art songs.

Lack of accessibility to scores: Determining which pieces are still under copyright and who currently owns the rights to certain publications can be difficult. It is easier to find the scores to the pieces that were more commercially successful because they may have been more widely distributed. Additionally, Mexican music does not default to being public domain and is protected 100 years after publication.

Not included in curriculums: As previously mentioned, if a Spanish piece is studied, most frequently it is from Spain. For better or worse, teachers typically assign pieces they already know, have performed themselves or are easily accessed in popular anthologies.

Neglect is a consequence of a lack of knowledge or immersion: In a cyclical manner, pieces are not as widely known so they are not as readily assigned and studied among students. Therefore, scholars must research Mexican composers and uncover the vast amount of work yet to be studied and performed. Sources may be published in Spanish: This may present difficulty to an American audience. Also, the greatest wealth of archives may only be accessed in the country of origin.

Some are still in manuscript form or unpublished: If the archives have not yet been digitized, some of the scores may still be in handwritten, manuscript form.

Opportunities to Perform

Although there are challenges facing the study of Mexican concert music, there are also excellent opportunities for programming Mexican art song:

Bridge the few familiar pieces with newer pieces or older pieces that have not been performed. By starting with the well- known, beloved compositions with mass distribution, you can open the doors for further examination of this repertoire. For instance, Consuelo Velazquez’s “Besame mucho” is widely known and popular but she wrote much more music. Including “Besame mucho” in a set of songs by Velazquez could help the audience connect a piece they are familiar with to the rest of Velazquez’s oeuvre.

Discover the many important Mexican and Latina composers. If the study of Mexican or Latin American composers is under-represented, the study of Latina or Mexican women is even more sparse. Angela Peralta, Ana Lara, Cuquita Ponce, Consuelo Velázquez, Maria Grever, Marcela Rodriguez, Laura Chavez-Blanco and Anastasia Guzman are just a few of the wonderful women composers that are worthy of study and performance.

Collaborate with piano, guitar or other instrumentation. The study and performance of Mexican music opens the doors for collaboration with a pianist, guitar, small ensemble or other instrumentation. Making ensembles of varying sizes creates opportunities for collaboration at any level. The beautiful, simplicity of a voice and guitar or voice and piano allows for authentic and intimate performances.

Learn from living composers. There are many wonderful, living composers to study and learn from such as Julio Cesar Oliva, Gabriela Ortiz and Arturo Rodriguez. It is a wonderful opportunity to communicate with the composer directly and properly convey the intentions for the music.

SEARCH FOR LIVING COMPOSERS AT The Living Composers Project composers21.com/country/mexico.htm

Include popular sounding music with credibility on a classical recital program. Many of the composers were classically trained but knew how to craft a beautiful melody and a hook that would capture an audience. Their songs are intelligently crafted but have a sound that could be considered popular. Classical sophistication with popular accessibility makes great recital repertoire.

Showcase Spanish, a very accessible foreign language. There is a large Spanish-speaking population in the USA and abroad. Spanish is often studied in schools and makes a very accessible foreign language for students.

The wealth of Mexican and Latin American music yet to be discovered is daunting. However, the study and performance of this repertoire is essential for representation and perseverance of this rich culture. It is an important time in history where minority voices are being given bigger platforms to be heard. It is our job as performers and pedagogues to do our part in researching and presenting this body of work and ensuring this rich, vibrant culture receives the attention and acknowledgment it deserves.

Duo Atesorado

Some of my efforts to increase the education and performance of Mexican and Latin American art song have been forming my voice and guitar duo, Duo Atesorado (“treasured duo”), with guitarist Noe Garcia. The partnership was formed on the belief that Latin American and Mexican music are too important to be overlooked and under-represented. The timeless beauty and sincere storytelling in this genre was meant to be shared. We share a common mission of education, performance and support of Latin American and Mexican music. www.duoatesorado.com

Amy Canchola holds a Doctorate in Vocal Performance from the University of North Texas, a master’s from Southern Methodist University and a bachelor’s in music from Butler University. She has performed opera and musical theater throughout the country and was selected to sing with the Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar, the Bach-Millennium Festival and various festivals and workshops. She was selected to present a lecture recital of her doctoral research on the life and music of Maria Grever at the National Association of Teachers of Singing national convention in June 2000. She will return to the NATS conference this summer to present Sueños de Esperanza (Mollicone) with collaborative pianist Valerie Trujillo. Canchola has studied with experts in classical voice such as Amelia Rollings Bigler, Christine Goerke and Molly Fillmore and contemporary commercial music including Natalie Weiss, Jeanie LoVetri and Matthew Edwards. She is certified in Somatic Voicework, NeuroVocal Method and various professional development courses. She strives to promote music of Latina women and Mexican composers. #siguecantando www.amycanchola.com