Mexico’s Diverse Music Heritage
The history of Mexican classical music is deeply rooted in the Baroque era, a pivotal period of artistic style that emerged around 1600 in Rome, Italy, and subsequently spread across Europe. The Baroque style, known for its dynamic motion and intricate detail, was instrumental in creating a sense of drama, exuberance, and grandeur in various art forms, including sculpture, painting, architecture, literature, dance, and music. This era laid the foundation for Mexico’s rich and diverse musical heritage.
During colonial times when Mexico was a viceroyalty of Spain, many musical and documentary works describe the musical activity around the Catholic Church, which, in response to the Protestant Reformation, decreed that the arts should communicate religious themes and direct emotional involvement.
The cities most influenced by European classical music were Mexico City, the City of Puebla, Oaxaca, Tepotzotlán, and ancient Valladolid (today Morelia) where it was enriched with local rhythms and cadences.
Enjoy these classical music concerts!
Juan Gutiérrez de Padilla – Tambalagumbá
Melesio Morales – La Farfalletta
Arturo Márquez (Gustavo Dudamel) – La Conga del Fuego Nuevo
Rodrigo y Gabriela – ‘Tamacun’
Despedida Carlos Miguel Prieto – Sinfónica Nacional de México – Huapango de Moncayo (final)
Lucha Reyes Caminito De Contreras
References:
Musica Clasica En Mexico, by Rosa Clotilde Fuentes Herrera, July 10, 2016
Classical Music from Mexico: A Starter Playlist, by Brian Wise, August 17, 2018
The Baroque Period, Libre Text Humanities, human.libretexts.org
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