Classical Music of Mexico

Mexico has a range custom of classical music as far back as the 16^th century during the Spanish colony. Music of the New Spain became the significant wealth during the time when it was control by the Bishop Juan de Palafox y Mendoza and he was an enthusiastic patron of music. Composers during that time include Bernardo de Peralta Escudero who is most active around 1640 and Juan Gutierrez de Padilla who was also most popular composer of the 17^th century in Mexico. The building of the cathedral in Puebla created the composition and performance of polychoral music become possible especially the compositions of Venetian polychoral style. And later in the century, Miguel Matheo de Dallo y Lana made the verse of poet Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz.

source of picture: chicagoclassicalreview.com

In the 18^th century, Manuel de Sumaya, maestro de capilla at the cathedral in Mexico City wrote a lot of cantadas and villancicos and he became the first Mexican to compose an opera, La Partenope (1711) and later on Ignacio Jerusalem who is an Italian born composer also brought some of the newest operatic styles as well as the early classical (gallant) styles to Mexico. His renowned composition is probably known as Matins for the Virgin of Guadalupe (1764). Jerusalem was maestro de capilla at the cathedral in Mexico City until after the death of Sumaya in 1769.

In the 19^th century the Juventino Rosas waltzes gained the world credit. Manuel M. Ponce is also credited as a prominent composer for the Spanish classical guitar which was responsible for the wide collection for this instrument. Ponce also wrote a good collection for solo piano, piano and bands and piano and group building the first period of activist nationalism whereby using the Native American and European resources, but joining them into the modern and initial style.

In the 20^th century, Carlos Chavez is a prominent composer who wrote symphonies, ballets and a large list of chamber music within diverse esthetic orientations. Another renowned composer is known as Silvestre Revueltas who also wrote such pieces as the night of the mayas, Homenaje a Garcia Lorca, Sensemaya that based on the poem by Nicolas Guillen and orchestral suites such as Janitzio and Redes that initially wrote the motion pictures. Jose Pablo Moncayo with compositions like Huapango and Blas Galindo with Sones de Mariachi are also credited as adapters of Mexican sons into symphonic music.

A later donor to this custom is Arturo Marquez who is also internationally known by his instrumental mastery and melodic liveliness.

Julian Carrillo in 1922 is a violinist, composer, conductor, theoretician and initiator made the first microtonal system in the history of music. During the following years, he also built and invented harps and pianos that were able to play music in pieces of tone such as fourths, sixths, eighths and sixteenths. His pianos are still being produced in Germany and it is used in playing Carrillo’s music mainly in Europe and Mexico.

Another current Mexican composer is Conlon Nancarrow who is an American birth who made the system to play pianola music by using and building theories of politempo and polimetrics.

Some of the new composers who are leading the Mexican music during the second half of the 20^th century include Manuel Enriquez, Mario Lavista, Alicia Urreta and Julio Estrada. Some of them also support the academic development of music teaching in American universities and also some work were enriched by Daniel Catan, Carlos Sandoval, Carlos Sanchez-Gutierrez, Ignacio Baca-Lobera, Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon, Hebret Vazquez and Samuel Zyman. In other part of the Altantic the composers of the modern gemneration include Ana Lara, Juan Trigos, Javier Alvarez, Victor Rasgado, Hilda Paredes, Gabriel Pareyon, Georgina Derbez and Javier Torres Maldonado has also supported the academic and artistic life.