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April 27, 2007
Variations on a Mexican Folk Song
I’m writing this blog entry because I can’t concentrate enough to write my essay papers; Ben’s playing his trombone on roof and the sound is penetrating through the walls of this house. The arpeggios are sounding continuously—one after another without any end; here they come through the windows, moving towards my room and down the stairwell. Now and then the occasional “In the Hall of the Mountain King” is played or some jazz riff.
It’s 9 p.m. and the streets of Garcia Gineres were quiet.
The music of his trombone reminds me of a song we played in high school composed by John Barnes Chance: Variations on a Korean Folk Song, a song that I still listen to on my IPOD. Well, I suppose more than his music, it’s the fact that he’s playing in a foreign country that brings to mind the song. Variations on a Korean Folk Song begins with a traditional Korean folk melody line and places the phrase in different keys, sometimes played by different instruments, in different rhythms and styles.
Through the piece, images of nature come to mind—specific geographic spaces (like lakes, mountains, etc) as well as the changing of seasons. And sometimes, you get the impression that people are walking through forests. The music really seems to depict an image of Korea.
But tonight, we listen to the music of Benjamin. The same three tunes over and over. And arpeggios. What if he were to play a Mexican Folk Song? What would it sound like? What images would come to mind if there were such a piece?
Would the song start out slow or fast? Would it be a trova? Would it be a serenata? A cumbia? Would a Mexican folk song sound anything like Yucatan? Would it sound anything like Chiapas?
Would we be able to get a sense of the heat of the country? Or the poverty many of its people?
In the same way I consider this question, you might ask yourself: what would a newly-composed American folk song sound like? We’ve all heard American folk songs before, but do they really do justice to our country as we know it today? Can we really imagine the United States from listening to such songs today?
Posted by jlsumich at April 27, 2007 09:52 AM