Latin American Composer

Latin American Short Research
Order Description
Write a short research essay on the Latin American composer of your choice. Be sure to include the following:

Basic biographical data.
A work representative of that composer’s style, with specific reference to what can be heard in the score.

 

Solution

Latin American Composer: Alberto Evaristo Ginastera

Alberto Evaristo Ginastera was the most widely recognized Argentine composer of classical music, and he is considered as one of the greatest classical composers of the Americas in the 20^th century.

Ginastera was born in Buenos Aires in 1916. When he was a child, he took private music lessons. He graduated from the National Conservatory of Music in Buenos Aires and became a young professor in Liceo Militar General San Martín. He studied in the United States in 1945-47 and co-founded the League of Composers when he returned to his hometown. After that, he was a professor at the Argentine Catholic University as well as the University of La Plata. In 1983, he died in Geneva at 67 years old.

Ginastera’s music can be grouped into three periods: “Objective Nationalism” (1934–1948), “Subjective Nationalism” (1948–1958), and “Neo-Expressionism” (1958–1983). His writing style developed from overt nationalism to a flexible application of the serialist principles. He was a decidedly nationalist, which can be seen from his works in the 1930s and 40s (such as the ballets Estancia and Panambí), he usually integrated the Argentine folk themes in a straightforward and subtle way. In his later work periods, Ginastera put the European avant-garde style in it and paid more attention to the abstracted forms. His music was influenced by the Gauchesco tradition, which believes that the Gaucho or landless native horseman of the plains is a symbol of Argentina.

One of his classical pieces, his first opera Don Rodrigo, Op. 31, which was produced on July 24, 1964, and was the milestone of new development for Ginastera. In the opera, Ginastera used the classical instrumental forms such as rondo, suite, scherzo, and canonic progressions. Sprechstimme was also introduced. These pieces  combined many instruments and voices. In the opera, we can find the excellent ensemble of the classical instrumentation, for example, sop, mez, alto, ten, bar, bass, bells, cel, mand, harp, str, et al.; there are wonderful performers sing solo and chorus, too. His works have a profound influence, and most of his compositions are played and recorded frequently until nowadays.

Work Cited

1.Alberto Ginastera, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberto_Ginastera

2.Alberto Ginastera (Composer). http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Lib/Ginastera-Alberto.htm

3.Deborah Schwartz-Kates. Alberto Ginastera: A Research and Information Guide, P70. Online, https://books.google.com/books?id=FjekRHeqJtMC&pg=PA70&lpg=PA70&dq=Don+Rodrigo,+Op.+31+Ginastera+review&source=bl&ots=au25DT0S9R&sig=lB4X1GprbM5sNncbnLbhfLm4PEQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjLlKqe1o7LAhVO3mMKHZtjDdoQ6AEIIjAB#v=onepage&q=Don%20Rodrigo%2C%20Op.%2031%20Ginastera%20review&f=false

4. “OnMusic of the World” Standard Blackboard.

5.Latin American Guitar Classics. http://www.naxos.com/feature/Latin_American_Fiesta.asp

Hess, Dr. Carol. “The Many Voices of Latin American Concert Music.”Connect4Education.com. Web.