Beautiful Stuff
GERALD FENECH admires vocal music from sixteenth century Guatemala
'... I could not but admire the sheer passion and enthusiasm of the Alvarado and Abramovich duo in their performances of this exceptional and plaintive repertoire ...'
In three remote mountain villages that were once not even accessible by road, a collection of eighteen small-format choir books has been preserved, which have been treasured by the communities for centuries. Today these valuable books are kept in American university libraries and bear the name of the department from which they originate – The Huehuetenango Manuscripts. The collection shows how music was integrated into the daily and spiritual life of these indigenous communities and became a symbol of resistance and forced adaptation to Catholicism and other external influences. It contains copies of numerous European pieces, but these European forms passed through the minds, hands and voices of the indigenous people and were transformed into original creations.
Listen — anon: Kyrie eleison (Primer Libro Ms 8, ff 8v - 9r)
(GCD 923542 track 3, 0:00-0:42) ℗ 2024 Note 1 Music GmbH :
The tenor Jonathan Alvarado and the vihuelist Ariel Abramovich leaf through the folios of the Huehuetenango singing manual and have selected mass movements, motets, chansons and villancicos from the more than three hundred and fifty works written down between 1582 and 1635. The programme is made up mainly from a number of anonymous pieces but also includes works by composers Juan de Anchieta (1450-1523), Pedro de Escobar (1465-1535), Cristóbal de Morales (circa 1500-1553) and Claudin de Sermisy (circa 1490-1562).
Listen — Claudin de Sermisy: Paratum cor meum
(Segundo Libro Ms 8, ff 48v - 49r)
(GCD 923542 track 8, 0:02-0:36) ℗ 2024 Note 1 Music GmbH :
This highly intriguing collection provides a deep insight into the intercontinental exchange of music between Europe and the missions in Mesoamerica on the eve of the Baroque Era.
Listen — anon: Romance (Tercer Libro Ms 2, ff 1v - 2r)
(GCD 923542 track 18, 0:58-1:56) ℗ 2024 Note 1 Music GmbH :
I must confess that my knowledge on this musical genre is scant indeed; still, I could not but admire the sheer passion and enthusiasm of the Alvarado and Abramovich duo in their performances of this exceptional and plaintive repertoire that takes us back in history to when music was starting to see the light of day in the New Continent.
Listen — Pedro de Escobar / Jonatan Alvarado: Cananea
(GCD 923542 track 13, 2:53-3:52) ℗ 2024 Note 1 Music GmbH :
Indeed, this is beautiful stuff all along, but it's not everyone's cup of tea. So approach with caution not to get disappointed. Sound and annotations are of the highest standards.
Copyright © 2 December 2024
Gerald Fenech,
Gzira, Malta
