#ClassicsaDay #ClassicalMexico Week 3, 2024
Mexico has a long classical music tradition, extending back to the late 1500s. Composers emigrated from Spain to supply the great Mexican cathedrals with music. Within a generation, native-born composers assumed those roles.
The Classics a Day team realizes that Cinco de Mayo is more of an American than a Mexican holiday. But it is an opportunity to celebrate Mexican culture. And so, the challenge for May is to post examples of Mexican classical music on your social media platforms.
Right from the beginning the traditional music of the native population influenced the classical composers. As a result, Mexican classical music has become a natural expression of the national character.
Here are my selections for the third week of #ClassicalMexico.
05/13/24 Alfonso de Elias (1902-1984): Sinfonia No. 3
Elias’s style remained solidly Post-Romantic, even as the century progressed. He was also an important pianist and piano pedagogue.
05/14/24 Manuel de Sumaya (1678–1755): Missa a 8 de tercer tono
Sumaya was the most famous Mexican composer in the New Spain colony. He was the first to write an opera in North America, modeled after Italian grand opera.
05/15/24 Graciela Agudelo (1945–2018): Parajes de la Memoria: La Selva
Agudelo avoided folk elements in her music. She helped found the Mexican Society of New Music and started the contemporary music group Onix Ensemble.
05/16/24 Felipe Villanueva (1862–1893): Amar (Nocturno)
Villanueva was a gifted pianist and violinist, as well as a composer. Although he died at 31, he’s still considered one of the major figures of Mexican music during the Romantic Era.
