Panamanian musicologist and composer. Staff Researcher at the Centro de Investigaciones Históricas, Antropológicas y Culturales AIP, Research Associate at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, National Researcher I (Sistema Nacional de Investigación SNI, SENACYT, Panama), member of Grupo Salamanca de Investigación en Museos y Patrimonio Iberoamericano.
The Panamanian cumbia is the result of a complex process of cultural dialogue that was unified in... more The Panamanian cumbia is the result of a complex process of cultural dialogue that was unified in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In this webinar, I examine the various influences — musical and social — that converged on the Azuero of the early 20th century and that resulted in a vibrant musical culture, constantly innovative and deeply influential in the identity perception of Panamanians. Talk presented as part of the Deep Dive Series for the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.
Medieval Polyphony Seminar, University of Chicago, 2001
In this paper, I explore the relationships between the motets of the IOHANNE tenor family found i... more In this paper, I explore the relationships between the motets of the IOHANNE tenor family found in the Wolfenbuttel, Florence, Roman de Fauvel, Montpelier and London manuscripts. Texts and musical style shed light on chronology, performance and multiple layers of meaning, closely related to the original plainchant while still apt for use in various liturgical contexts.
International Congress for Medieval Studies, Kalamazoo, MI, 2005
In this paper I explore musical works built on Gilles Binchois' chanson Comme femme desconfortée.... more In this paper I explore musical works built on Gilles Binchois' chanson Comme femme desconfortée. I propose that these works, read as a corpus, show an effort to communicate Mary’s suffering for the absence of her son, as expressed through the placement of these musical compositions in the liturgical calendar and through their ritual use. I propose that the new Marian celebrations, along with the music, visual art, and paraliturgical literature which accompanied them, were part of a seemingly systematic effort designed to provide a sense of “humanity,” or “earthliness,” to the Virgin Mary and to Christ himself. They were, furthermore, inspired to an extraordinary detail by the vitae compiled by Voragine. I employ the concept of semantic polyphony as an analytical point of departure in order to uncover and explore layers of meaning in works of art dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, particularly in the music, visual art, and moralités inspired by or composed on the secular chanson Comme femme desconfortée, by Gilles Binchois (ca. 1400-1460). I will present the polyphonic setting of the Stabat Mater by Franco-Flemish composer Josquin de Prez (ca. 1440-1521) as prime example of the use of secular imagery in an effort to “humanize” the Virgin Mother, paradoxically reinforcing her sainthood.
En este artículo presento una breve narrativa biográfica sobre la vida y obra de Santos Jorge Ama... more En este artículo presento una breve narrativa biográfica sobre la vida y obra de Santos Jorge Amatriain (1870-1941), autor de la música del himno nacional de Panamá y de un amplio repertorio de danzas y marchas. La narración se presenta en el contexto del Panamá musical finisecular y se discute cómo el activo ambiente cultural de la ciudad ofreció a Jorge una plataforma de creación y formación musical que le permitió convertirse en una de las figuras más importantes en la construcción del paisaje musical panameño del siglo XX. - - -
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In this article I present a brief biographical narrative on the life and work of Santos Jorge Amatriain (1870-1941), author of the music of Panama's national anthem and of an extensive repertoire of dances and marches. The narrative is presented in the context of fin-de-siecle musical Panama and discusses how the city's active cultural environment offered Jorge a platform for musical creation and training that allowed him to become one of the most important figures in the construction of the Panamanian musical landscape of the twentieth century.
In this article, I explore the processes of cultural dialogue through which European and Caribbea... more In this article, I explore the processes of cultural dialogue through which European and Caribbean dances such as the waltz, the pasillo, the polka, and the danzón became tributaries of Panamanian típico. These genres, particularly the thriving danzón culture in Panama, contributed in various degrees to the shaping of típico as local performers adopted, adapted and reinterpreted rhythms and melodic material from the context of existing musical traditions. Expanding on recent research, I show how this cultural dialogue developed into a platform for innovation from which típico emerges as a distinct genre in the mid 20th century, a reinterpretation of the dance rep- ertoire known as danzón–cumbia by composers which I collectively call the Azuero School. I examine how this repertoire and its performance practice became channels for discontinuous cultural dialogue, experimentation and reinterpretation of multiple influences in a context of political and social change in Panama.
Narciso Garay publicó en 1930 Tradiciones y cantares de Panamá, el cual contiene numerosas transc... more Narciso Garay publicó en 1930 Tradiciones y cantares de Panamá, el cual contiene numerosas transcripciones de músicas tradicionales que el autor recopiló en cinco años de viajes a lo largo del territorio panameño como parte de un esfuerzo de construcción de identidad. Los compositores panameños Alberto Galimany, Roque Cordero y Eduardo Charpentier participaron de un proceso resignificación de ese esfuerzo, citando dichas transcripciones y crearon obras en diversos estilos donde recontextualizan la música recopilada por Garay. En este estudio analizamos las citas de estos compositores desde la perspectiva de la formación consciente de identidades y la “Panamá imaginada” de Garay durante las primeras décadas de la república y de la influencia que este repertorio ejerció en la construcción de un paisaje musical “panameño” en el imaginario de las siguientes generaciones de compositores.
Panamanian composer Roque Cordero (1917-2008) is known for his use of twelve-tone technique but a... more Panamanian composer Roque Cordero (1917-2008) is known for his use of twelve-tone technique but also for the incorporation of Panamanian music into his compositions. However, his methods for doing so have largely remained unstudied. This article examines the methodic juxtaposition of dodecaphonic technique and Panamanian elements in Cordero’s Rapsodia Panameña (1988) for unaccompanied violin. An analysis of the work, informed by a survey of Panamanian traditions and previous works for violin by Cordero, reveals how the composer weaves together a twelve-tone row and diatonic material built from deconstructed traditional elements through a series of strategies guided by a unified pitch center. The article further discusses Cordero’s “musical Panama” and how his youthful experiences with popular music and the study of Narciso Garay’s transcriptions contributed to his methods.
South African Journal of Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 2011
The use of secular elements within sacred polyphony has been widely studied as a deliberate, comm... more The use of secular elements within sacred polyphony has been widely studied as a deliberate, common practice with exegetical purposes. Allegory was frequently used in music for certain feasts which lacked explicit support from the New Testament. These insertions were sometimes overt as in the addition of a new layer of text on top of a pre-existing chant. In many instances, the use of a well known popular melody as cantus firmus would suffice to recall a certain emotion or to 'humanize' a particular feast subject, thereby making it more accessible. In the thirteenth century, the practice of motets with several added voices -- each with its own text -- flourished as part of paraliturgical contexts. I suggest that the audience of these polytextual motets consisted of active listeners who were capable of not only discerning the various layers of text, but also performing simultaneous selection from the resulting matrix of meanings. I further propose that this simultaneity can be analyzed as an exercise of interactivity as defined by Liu and Shrum.
The Panamanian cumbia is the result of a complex process of cultural dialogue that was unified in... more The Panamanian cumbia is the result of a complex process of cultural dialogue that was unified in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In this webinar, I examine the various influences — musical and social — that converged on the Azuero of the early 20th century and that resulted in a vibrant musical culture, constantly innovative and deeply influential in the identity perception of Panamanians. Talk presented as part of the Deep Dive Series for the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.
Medieval Polyphony Seminar, University of Chicago, 2001
In this paper, I explore the relationships between the motets of the IOHANNE tenor family found i... more In this paper, I explore the relationships between the motets of the IOHANNE tenor family found in the Wolfenbuttel, Florence, Roman de Fauvel, Montpelier and London manuscripts. Texts and musical style shed light on chronology, performance and multiple layers of meaning, closely related to the original plainchant while still apt for use in various liturgical contexts.
International Congress for Medieval Studies, Kalamazoo, MI, 2005
In this paper I explore musical works built on Gilles Binchois' chanson Comme femme desconfortée.... more In this paper I explore musical works built on Gilles Binchois' chanson Comme femme desconfortée. I propose that these works, read as a corpus, show an effort to communicate Mary’s suffering for the absence of her son, as expressed through the placement of these musical compositions in the liturgical calendar and through their ritual use. I propose that the new Marian celebrations, along with the music, visual art, and paraliturgical literature which accompanied them, were part of a seemingly systematic effort designed to provide a sense of “humanity,” or “earthliness,” to the Virgin Mary and to Christ himself. They were, furthermore, inspired to an extraordinary detail by the vitae compiled by Voragine. I employ the concept of semantic polyphony as an analytical point of departure in order to uncover and explore layers of meaning in works of art dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, particularly in the music, visual art, and moralités inspired by or composed on the secular chanson Comme femme desconfortée, by Gilles Binchois (ca. 1400-1460). I will present the polyphonic setting of the Stabat Mater by Franco-Flemish composer Josquin de Prez (ca. 1440-1521) as prime example of the use of secular imagery in an effort to “humanize” the Virgin Mother, paradoxically reinforcing her sainthood.
En este artículo presento una breve narrativa biográfica sobre la vida y obra de Santos Jorge Ama... more En este artículo presento una breve narrativa biográfica sobre la vida y obra de Santos Jorge Amatriain (1870-1941), autor de la música del himno nacional de Panamá y de un amplio repertorio de danzas y marchas. La narración se presenta en el contexto del Panamá musical finisecular y se discute cómo el activo ambiente cultural de la ciudad ofreció a Jorge una plataforma de creación y formación musical que le permitió convertirse en una de las figuras más importantes en la construcción del paisaje musical panameño del siglo XX. - - -
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In this article I present a brief biographical narrative on the life and work of Santos Jorge Amatriain (1870-1941), author of the music of Panama's national anthem and of an extensive repertoire of dances and marches. The narrative is presented in the context of fin-de-siecle musical Panama and discusses how the city's active cultural environment offered Jorge a platform for musical creation and training that allowed him to become one of the most important figures in the construction of the Panamanian musical landscape of the twentieth century.
In this article, I explore the processes of cultural dialogue through which European and Caribbea... more In this article, I explore the processes of cultural dialogue through which European and Caribbean dances such as the waltz, the pasillo, the polka, and the danzón became tributaries of Panamanian típico. These genres, particularly the thriving danzón culture in Panama, contributed in various degrees to the shaping of típico as local performers adopted, adapted and reinterpreted rhythms and melodic material from the context of existing musical traditions. Expanding on recent research, I show how this cultural dialogue developed into a platform for innovation from which típico emerges as a distinct genre in the mid 20th century, a reinterpretation of the dance rep- ertoire known as danzón–cumbia by composers which I collectively call the Azuero School. I examine how this repertoire and its performance practice became channels for discontinuous cultural dialogue, experimentation and reinterpretation of multiple influences in a context of political and social change in Panama.
Narciso Garay publicó en 1930 Tradiciones y cantares de Panamá, el cual contiene numerosas transc... more Narciso Garay publicó en 1930 Tradiciones y cantares de Panamá, el cual contiene numerosas transcripciones de músicas tradicionales que el autor recopiló en cinco años de viajes a lo largo del territorio panameño como parte de un esfuerzo de construcción de identidad. Los compositores panameños Alberto Galimany, Roque Cordero y Eduardo Charpentier participaron de un proceso resignificación de ese esfuerzo, citando dichas transcripciones y crearon obras en diversos estilos donde recontextualizan la música recopilada por Garay. En este estudio analizamos las citas de estos compositores desde la perspectiva de la formación consciente de identidades y la “Panamá imaginada” de Garay durante las primeras décadas de la república y de la influencia que este repertorio ejerció en la construcción de un paisaje musical “panameño” en el imaginario de las siguientes generaciones de compositores.
Panamanian composer Roque Cordero (1917-2008) is known for his use of twelve-tone technique but a... more Panamanian composer Roque Cordero (1917-2008) is known for his use of twelve-tone technique but also for the incorporation of Panamanian music into his compositions. However, his methods for doing so have largely remained unstudied. This article examines the methodic juxtaposition of dodecaphonic technique and Panamanian elements in Cordero’s Rapsodia Panameña (1988) for unaccompanied violin. An analysis of the work, informed by a survey of Panamanian traditions and previous works for violin by Cordero, reveals how the composer weaves together a twelve-tone row and diatonic material built from deconstructed traditional elements through a series of strategies guided by a unified pitch center. The article further discusses Cordero’s “musical Panama” and how his youthful experiences with popular music and the study of Narciso Garay’s transcriptions contributed to his methods.
South African Journal of Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 2011
The use of secular elements within sacred polyphony has been widely studied as a deliberate, comm... more The use of secular elements within sacred polyphony has been widely studied as a deliberate, common practice with exegetical purposes. Allegory was frequently used in music for certain feasts which lacked explicit support from the New Testament. These insertions were sometimes overt as in the addition of a new layer of text on top of a pre-existing chant. In many instances, the use of a well known popular melody as cantus firmus would suffice to recall a certain emotion or to 'humanize' a particular feast subject, thereby making it more accessible. In the thirteenth century, the practice of motets with several added voices -- each with its own text -- flourished as part of paraliturgical contexts. I suggest that the audience of these polytextual motets consisted of active listeners who were capable of not only discerning the various layers of text, but also performing simultaneous selection from the resulting matrix of meanings. I further propose that this simultaneity can be analyzed as an exercise of interactivity as defined by Liu and Shrum.
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In this article I present a brief biographical narrative on the life and work of Santos Jorge Amatriain (1870-1941), author of the music of Panama's national anthem and of an extensive repertoire of dances and marches. The narrative is presented in the context of fin-de-siecle musical Panama and discusses how the city's active cultural environment offered Jorge a platform for musical creation and training that allowed him to become one of the most important figures in the construction of the Panamanian musical landscape of the twentieth century.
Palabras clave: Narciso Garay, nacionalismo musical, compositores panameños
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In this article I present a brief biographical narrative on the life and work of Santos Jorge Amatriain (1870-1941), author of the music of Panama's national anthem and of an extensive repertoire of dances and marches. The narrative is presented in the context of fin-de-siecle musical Panama and discusses how the city's active cultural environment offered Jorge a platform for musical creation and training that allowed him to become one of the most important figures in the construction of the Panamanian musical landscape of the twentieth century.
Palabras clave: Narciso Garay, nacionalismo musical, compositores panameños