Dear Arthur, Thank you so much for the link, but I'm afraid that all the informatiuon they provide there is utterly wrong, beginning with the fact that Guatemala is not in Mexico (even at the time it was a separate Capitanía general), that the Spanish chacona has little to do with later chaconnes, as it also happens with the pasacalles and passacaglia, nor was king Philip III married in Tampico. There are certainly grounds to suppose that the chacona originated in New Spain, but no definite proof about this has surfaced yet.
Richard Hudson has made some excelent studies; I'm afraid I haven´t got the references handy, but it would be worthwhile, if you are interested, to find them. Besides, he links the evolution of several dance forms with the Baroque guitar (or "guitarra española" as it was called at the time) and its influence. Best regards, Antonio --- "Fossum, Arthur" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Some interesting stuff regarding the origin of > Chaconne and Passacaglia > and the new world. > > http://www.streetswing.com/histmain/z3chacna.htm > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Antonio Corona [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Friday, December 10, 2004 2:36 AM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: Renaissance america - a little more > lute related, maybe > > Dear all, > > > --- Carl Donsbach <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > Early colonial life was hard! The early English > and > > Spanish colonies in > > North America were not characterized by much > musical > > cultural growth, and > > there is little evidence of lute playing or making > > in those times. Musical > > instruments (lutes included) tended to get left at > > home by emigrating > > colonists. By the time much of any kind of > musical > > life was enjoyed by the > > residents of the colonies, we were pretty well > into > > the Baroque. > > > > The situation regarding Mexico is quite the > opposite: > musical activities, both liturgical and secular, > began > even as the conquest was taking place, and continued > to flourish during the whole of the Colonial period. > This process is well documented in numerous sources > and chronicles and is consistent with the fact that > the first printing press and the first university in > the American continent were founded in Mexico City. > Spaniards, despite their barbarous behaviour during > the conquest and the inhuman conduct of certain > nobles > and authorities towards natives, brought with them > their whole culture, including, of course, music > which > was shared freely with the Indian population - as an > aid to colonization, granted - but nevertheless > making > it part of the common culture being forged at the > time. The Indians appreciated the new music and > learned with amazing speed both how to play and how > to > make the instruments - which were also imported from > Spain; this process that went on, as I mentioned > above, throughout the whole of the Colonial period. > > The music in the archives from the cathedrals and > churches of Mexico City, Puebla, Oaxaca, Tlaxcala, > Durango, and many other places, furnishes ample > proof > that there was indeed a musical cultural growth. > Here > we can find music imported from Europe in great > quantities, but also a wealth of works composed > locally by the chapelmasters, of outstanding > quality, > not inferior to what was being composed in Spain at > the time. Nowadays there is a great number of > recordings of Mexican Colonial music, for those > interested in folowing up this topic. > > Incidentally, the Spanish "Ordenanzas de violeros", > that is, the regulations of the guild of > vihuela-makers (who also made lutes), first > published > in Seville in 1502, were reprinted verbatim for the > guild of Mexican "violeros" in 1568. This must > surely > mean that instrument-making -and buying- was > certainly > flourishing at the time. > > With best regards, > Antonio > > > > > > > > ___________________________________________________________ > > ALL-NEW Yahoo! Messenger - all new features - even > more fun! > http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com > > > > To get on or off this list see list information at > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > > > ___________________________________________________________ ALL-NEW Yahoo! Messenger - all new features - even more fun! http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com
