Early Latin American Guitar Composers

[MichaelS]

I'm looking for names of Latin American (particularly Mexican) composers for the guitar (and, ultimately, their music) from the 18th and 19th centuries. There were many in the 20th century, and the traditions must have sprung from somewhere! Also, references to documentation would be helpful.

Thanks for any help any of you can give.

[Klas Wounsch]

Have you seen the latin american songs at http://www.hebeonline.com ? I think trere are 25 songs from Span and latin America in facsimiles. Maybe the composers of those songs have composed something for guitar solo.
Best regards!
Klas W

[MichaelS]

Thanks very much for the information on this site, Klas. Although the "25 songs from Spain and the Americas" from the Madrid publication of about 1825 are arranged for voice with guitar or piano accompaniment and not solo guitar, the guitar parts are fascinating and can probably be turned into arrangements with the voice line added. The "american" songs from Brazil, Mexico, and Peru are a real find in any case as they illustrate what was happening musically at the time in the Latin American colonies (or former colonies in some cases).

And welcome to the forum! It's a great way to learn more and be inspired to play more.

[Wim Hoogewerf]

FWIW: Juan Antonio Vargas y Guzmán - 13 Sonatas for Guitar (1776), Schott GA 523 (Edited byMiguel Alcázar). This composer taught guitar in Vera-Cruz (Mexico) It's a set of refreshing classical sonatas, not without a reminescence to Scarlatti.

[MichaelS]

Thanks for this tip. I checked on the web and some of his music is available. I'm trying to develop a library (and, eventually, a repertoire) of guitar music that will represent Latin American music in some historical sequence up through the 20th C.

Vargas is a very important name here in New Mexico, so I was especially glad to hear of this one--since in Vera Cruz could well be related to others of the family.

Thanks again.

[Azalais]

In 2001 a large collection of baroque music manuscripts was found in Bolivia dating back to the early Jesuit missions (reducciones de indios) They arrived in 1550 and music was part of their PR kit throughout the 1600's. This past year, there were a number of Early Music festivals in Europe and the US with programs devoted to Latin American baroque composers and the influence they had on European music. You can also check out a composer named Santiago de Murcia, who arrived in Mexico around 1732. Cuba was also a cultural center in the early days. The influence of African slave music is also thought to have filtered back to Europe during the baroque and influenced certain types of european dance music.

One of my favorite CDs with a good anthology is Sol y Sombra by a group called Chatham Baroque. Richard Savino also has a couple of good guitar-centric CDs with early music from the new world. (Villancicos y Cantadas and his SdM CD called Dancas y Differencias) (the CD descriptions will give you a list of composers to check)

[MichaelS]

Thanks for the info! I'm aware of Santiago de Murcia (am working on learning several of his pieces) and some of the other baroque composers in Latin America (and the CDs you mention). The mystery to me is who were composers for guitar in Latin America after the baroque period, say from 1750 or so, until composers like Ponce and Barrios showed up. The earlier reference in this thread to Vargas y Guzman working in Vera Cruz in the later 1700s is a good example, and there must have been others. Guitar was clearly in wide use in Latin American popular/folk music throughout this period, and there must have been teachers who were writing pieces if not more serious composers--I just haven't found them.

I have a set of albums (vinyl) of Mexican music from the Colonial period purchased years ago in Mexico City. One album is guitar (or lute/vihuela) music, and it does include two pieces (transcribed and played by Miguel Alcazar) by Juan Antonio Vargas y Guzman from his 1776 group of sonatas, but nothing else later than pieces from a 1686 manuscript (including some Corelli).

[Wim Hoogewerf]

Philip J. Bone - The Guitar & Mandolin, published by Schott, London contains over 500 biographies of composers which have used guitar or mandolin in their works. It's a very nice book to have, full of anecdotes.

[MichaelS]

This sounds like an excellent book. I checked on-line and it's a bit expensive, so I'll first see whether one of the local libraries or colleges has it. Thanks, Wim.