Document Type
Other
Publication Date
2024
Abstract
“Tradition is a living fountain of knowledge and of character” (Chávez, “The Music of Mexico” 168). These are words from Mexican composer Carlos Chávez about the musical world of his country. Chávez lived and created in the most musically vibrant era of Mexican history, the post-revolutionary era, which drew extensively from Mexican tradition to build for the country a new image with respect to politics as well as the arts. Chávez found himself in a unique role as one of the foremost figures of this movement due to his government connections. This essay will explore how Carlos Chávez used his exceptional position to cultivate the “Mexican sound,” featuring a blend of modern, traditional, and indigenous elements. Chávez’s second symphony, Sinfonía india, will be analyzed and used to exemplify Mexican nationalism as it appeared in classical music. Finally, this essay will reveal how the nationalization of music was in line with the social, cultural, and political movements of Mexico at the time as well as weigh its implications for the Mexican classical music scene.
Publisher
South Dakota State University
Rights
Copyright © 2024 Eden Hodgins
Recommended Citation
Hodgins, Eden, "Carlos Chávez and the “Mexican Sound”" (2024). Schultz-Werth Award Papers. 65.
https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/schultz-werth/65