The subject of this final Listening Log entry for the series on rhythm and percussion is the Argentine composer Alberto Ginastera, in particular the fourth movement of his piece for soprano voice and percussion titled ‘Cantata para América Mágica’, composed in 1960 and premiered the following year. This Listening Log entry ties up well with the previous entry on Carlos Chávez, as it served as a great introduction to music written for percussion ensemble and it led me to this composition by Ginastera. Having played some of Ginastera’s works on piano in the past, I was aware of the wide reach of Ginastera’s compositions, in terms of style, themes, and instrumentation, yet I was still taken aback by a piece with this particular instrumentation.
Alberto Ginastera (1916-1983) was a leading Argentine composer1 known for his extensive output of works including numerous operas, chamber pieces, piano sonatas, vocal pieces, as well as film and television music. Though his stylistic output evolved throughout his extensive career, there’s is an underlying traditionalist theme to his work which draws heavily from the folklore traditions of Argentina and, more broadly, from Latin America.
The cantata is made up of six movements, and the score details different 53 percussion instruments performed by 16 players, as well as a dramatic soprano voice. The piano and celesta is classed as a percussion instruments in this composition and two pianos feature in the score. I chose to focus on the fourth movement, titled ‘Interludio Fantástico’, which features percussion without the soprano lead.
Without having looked at the score, the first listen of this movement proved a bit easier to follow the percussion than in the previous movements, where the voice has a prominent leading role. The interaction between the instruments is at its most clear in this movement. However, this is a very challenging piece regardless for both listener and performer.
The score indicates that the piece should be played “sempre ppp” with no additional dynamic markings. However there are sections in the piece where the density of the instrumentation is such that the resulting perceived dynamics are significantly louder. The score includes very detailed descriptions about what mallets to be used and the sizes of drums needed to achieve these effects, but I would need to look further into this as I am not a percussionist myself and am not too familiar with them. This is definitely something to take from this, as I would like to explore percussion further in composition.
In the periods of densest instrumentation, the pitched percussion plays a very prominent role in this movement. There are very angular melodies overlapping in the pitched percussion instruments, where often the leaps are of a 7th or higher. Remarkably, the instruments handling these melodies do not move in parallel motion and seem to have been composed to mirror each other negatively.
Within the context of the entire piece, this movement stands out for the textures that are its main feature. The vast array of percussion instruments employed cover all families and includes two pianos, so a wide palette of textures is the result. Although all instruments seem to be played “traditionally” in this movement (as one would imagine them to be played), the compositional style is very modern and any elements of traditional Latin American traditions that form the basis of this composition have been heavily abstracted by the composer.
References: 1. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alberto-Ginastera Recording: Dupuis/Bugalo/Williams/Ensemble S/WDR SO Köln/Asbury, 2013. 'Cantata para América mágica, Op. 27: IV. Interludio Fantastico' Ginastera: Popol vuh - Cantata para América mágica. Munich: NEOS. [online] Sheet music: Ginastera, A. 1960. Cantata para América mágica. London: Boosey and Hawkes. [online]