Sinfonía india

A black and white portrait of a middle aged man wearing a dark suit, glasses and looking down.
Portrait of Chávez by Carl van Vechten, taken the year after the premiere of the Sinfonía india

Sinfonía india is Carlos Chávez's Symphony No. 2, composed in 1935–36. In a single movement, its sections nevertheless follow the traditional pattern for a three-movement symphony. The title signifies the fact that the thematic material consists of three melodies originating from native-American tribes of northern Mexico. The symphony is Chávez's most popular composition.

History

The Sinfonía india was begun in December 1935, during the composer's first tour of the United States as a conductor, and finished early in the following year. It was premiered under Chávez's direction in a radio performance by the Columbia Broadcasting Orchestra on 23 January 1936, and given its first concert performance by the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by the composer on 10 April 1936. The Mexican premiere took place in the capital on 31 July 1936 (Slonimsky 1945, 234).

This symphony has become immensely popular, and so the primary source of the composer's identity with the public, comparable in this respect with Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and Ravel's Bolero (Parker 1983, 70).

In 1971 G. Schirmer, the publisher of the work, issued an arrangement for wind band by Frank Erickson. Although Chávez had not authorised this version, he did conduct it himself in performances, though with some revisions of his own (Parker 1983, 72).

Instrumentation

Aztec musicians playing teponaztli (foreground) and huéhuetl, both called for in the Sinfonía india

The symphony is scored for two piccolos (the second interchangeable with third flute), two flutes, three oboes, E♭ clarinet, two clarinets, bass clarinet, three bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, two trombones, timpani, percussion (four players), harp, and strings.

The percussion section originally included a large number of indigenous Mexican instruments, for example the jicara de agua (half of a gourd inverted and partly submerged in a basin of water, struck with sticks), güiro, cascabeles (a pellet rattle), tenabari (a string of butterfly cocoons), a pair of teponaxtles, tlapanhuéhuetl, and grijutian (string of deer hooves). When the score was published, the composer substituted their nearest equivalents in commonly used orchestral percussion, but requested that the originals be used wherever possible (Chávez 1950; García Morillo 1960, 91; Slonimsky 1945, 44, 216, 234).

Analysis

The symphony is based on three Indian melodies (hence the title), which supply the ideas for what are in effect three movements, though they are played without a break (Slonimsky 1945, 234). The composer regarded this as a condensation of the traditional three-movement variety of the symphony, in which a third theme takes on the function of a slow movement (Orbón 1987b, 84). This slow, third theme (starting at rehearsal-number 43 in the score) is supported by an austere succession of chords built from fourths (Orbón 1987b, 86). The three main themes are melodies from the Huicholes (or Cora) of Nayarit (the principal theme, beginning at rehearsal number 9), the Yaquis of Sonora (the second and third themes, beginning at rehearsal-numbers 27 and 43, respectively), and the Seris of Tiburón Island in Baja California (theme of the finale, beginning at rehearsal-number 88), supplemented by secondary themes, some of which are also quoted from folklore (García Morillo 1960, 92–93).

Introduction theme A
\relative c' \new Staff { \key bes \major \clef "treble" \set Staff.midiInstrument = "clarinet" \tempo "Vivo" 4 = 176 \time 5/8 f8-.\f d-. bes-. g'-. es-. | \time 2/4 f-. d-. g-. es-. | \time 5/8 f8-. d-. bes-. g'-. es-. | \time 2/4 f-. d-. g-. es-. | f-. d-. g-. es-. | }

Introduction theme B (trumpet)
\relative c'' \new Staff { \key bes \major \clef "treble" \set Staff.midiInstrument = "trumpet" \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo 4 = 176 \set Score.currentBarNumber = #9 \bar "" \mark \markup \sans 2 \time 3/4 f8_\markup { \dynamic mf \italic "cantando" } d ~ d2 | \time 5/8 g4. f4 ~ | f4. ~ f4 | g4. ~ g4 ~ | g4. g4 | \time 3/4 f8\mf-> d-> ~ d2 | f8-> d-> ~  % \override LaissezVibrerTieColumn #'tie-configuration = #'((2 . 1) (2 . -1)) d2\laissezVibrer | \time 5/8 g4.-> f4-> | \once \override DynamicTextSpanner #'minimum-length = #10 g4.->\mf\cresc g4-> | g8\staccatissimo^>\f }

Introduction theme C
\relative c''' \new Staff { \key bes \major \clef "treble" \set Staff.midiInstrument = "flute" \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo 4 = 176 \set Score.currentBarNumber = #18 \bar "" \mark \markup \sans 4 \time 5/8 bes8\f c4 bes8( g) | \time 2/4 d'-. c-. bes-. g-. | \time 5/8 bes c4 bes8( g) | \time 2/4 d'-. c-. bes-. g-. | d'-. c-. bes-. g-. | \time 5/8 d' c4 bes8 g | f8 g4 a | c4. d4 | c8 d4 c | }

First theme (oboes, 1st violins)
\relative c'' \new Staff { \key bes \major \clef "treble" \set Staff.midiInstrument = "oboe" \tempo "Allegro" 2 = 96 \set Score.currentBarNumber = #42 \bar "" \override Score.RehearsalMark #'self-alignment-X = #1 \mark \markup \sans 9 \time 3/2 d8\ff bes bes4 bes8 bes f' f f4 d | c8 c c4 a8 bes c c bes4 a | bes8 bes bes f f f f' f f4 es8 d | d c c4 bes8 bes c c bes4 a | }

Second theme (E♭ clarinet solo, B♭ clarinets, tenor drum)
<< \relative c'' \new Staff { \key bes \major \clef "treble" \set Staff.midiInstrument = "clarinet" \tempo "Allegretto cantabile" 4 = 80 \set Score.currentBarNumber = #120 \bar "" \override Score.RehearsalMark #'self-alignment-X = #1 \mark \markup \sans 27 \set tupletSpannerDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 4) \override TupletBracket #'direction = #1 \override TupletBracket #'stencil = ##f \override TextScript #'X-offset = #-2 \time 2/4 \times 2/3 { es4\f ( bes'8 c)_\markup { \italic cantando } c c | bes4( f8 } es) es \times 2/3 { es4( g8 as bes as | f4 es8 } bes) bes | \override TupletNumber #'stencil = ##f \times 2/3 { bes8(\< es) es es es es | g(\! f es) es( bes) bes | es\> es es } es es | es4\! es } \relative c'' \new Staff { \key bes \major \clef "treble" \set Staff.midiInstrument = "clarinet" \override TextScript #'X-offset = #-2 c4(\f( bes_\markup { \italic cantando } | g c,) | as'( f d as) | g'( es | c as) | f-> g-> | es-> bes'-> | } \new DrumStaff \with { \override StaffSymbol #'line-count = #1 } { \set DrumStaff.drumStyleTable = #(alist->hash-table '((tomh default #t 0))) \drummode { tomh4\mf r | tomh8 tomh tomh4 | tomh8 tomh tomh4 | tomh tomh | tomh r | tomh8 tomh tomh4 | tomh8\> tomh tomh4 | tomh\! tomh | } } >>

Third (slow) theme (horn and flute, over muted trumpets and trombone)
\new StaffGroup << \relative c'' \new Staff { \key a \minor \clef "treble" \set Staff.midiInstrument = "french horn" \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo 4 = 48 \once \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f \override TextScript #'X-offset = #1 \time 2/4 \partial 4 c8\mf c_\markup { \italic "cantando" } | \once \override Score.BarNumber #'break-visibility = ##(#f #t #t) \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##f \tempo "Poco lento" 4 = 48 \set Score.currentBarNumber = #183 \bar "|" \mark \markup \sans 43 \time 3/4 c2 d8 c | b4. a8 b b | a2 a8 a | e4 r c'8 c | c2 d8( c | b4.) a8( b) b | a2 a8 a | \time 2/4 e4 r | } \relative c' \new Staff { \key a \minor \clef "treble" \set Staff.midiInstrument = "muted trumpet" \set Staff.midiMaximumVolume = #0.5 r4 | <a d>4--\mp q-- q-- | <c f>-- q-- <b e>-- | <d g>-- <c f>-- <b e>-- | <a d>-- q-- <a d ~>_- | d2. ~ | d2 d4-- | <b e>-- q-- q-- | <a d>-- q-- | } \relative c' \new Staff { \key a \minor \clef "tenor" \set Staff.midiInstrument = "trombone" r4 | g\mp-- g-- g-- | b-- b-- a-- | c-- b-- a-- | g-- g-- g-- | R2. | R2. | a4-- a-- a-- | g-- g-- | } >>

Finale theme (E♭ clarinet, muted trumpet, and güiro)
<< \relative c''' \new Staff { \key f \major \clef "treble" \set Staff.midiInstrument = "clarinet"  %\set Score.currentBarNumber = #120 \bar "" \mark \markup \sans 88 \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo \markup { "Poco Più Vivo" \medium { " (" \note-by-number #2 #1 #1 "= 138, sempre giusto)" }} 4. = 138 \override TextScript #'X-offset = #3 \time 6/8 f8\ff_\markup \italic "sempre" f f f f c | f4 a,8 a g f | f4 f8 \times 3/2 { f( c) } | f' f f f f c | f4 a,8 a g f | f4 f8 \times 3/2 { f( c) } | \break g' g f f c g' | f4 f8 \times 3/2 { f f } | g g f f c g' | f4 f8 f f f | } \relative c'' \new Staff { \key f \major \clef "treble" \set Staff.midiInstrument = "muted trumpet" \time 6/8 f8\mf^\markup "con sordino" f f f f c | f4 a,8 a g f | f4\f f8 \times 3/2 { f( c)\glissando } | \override TextScript #'X-offset = #2 f'\mf f f f f c | f4 a,8 a g f | f4\f_\markup \italic "sempre" f8 \times 3/2 { f( c)\glissando } | g' g f f c g' | f4 f8 \times 3/2 { f f } | g g f f c g' | f4 f8 f f f | } \new DrumStaff \with { \override StaffSymbol #'line-count = #1 } { \set DrumStaff.drumStyleTable = #(alist->hash-table '((gui default #t 0))) \drummode { gui\mf-. gui-. gui-. gui-. gui-. gui-. | gui-. gui-. gui-. gui-. gui-. gui-. | \override Script #'stencil = ##f gui-. gui-. gui-. gui-. gui-. gui-. | gui-. gui-. gui-. gui-. gui-. gui-. | gui-. gui-. gui-. gui-. gui-. gui-. | gui-. gui-. gui-. gui-. gui-. gui-. | gui\mp-. gui-. gui-. gui-. gui-. gui-. | gui-. gui-. gui-. gui-. gui-. gui-. | gui-. gui-. gui-. gui-. gui-. gui-. | gui-. gui-. gui-. gui-. gui-. gui-. | } } >>

Discography

In chronological order of recording.

References

Further reading

External links

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