José Eulalio Samayoa

José Eulalio Samayoa (born December 1780 in Guatemala City , † uncertain: 1866 ) was a Guatemalan composer .

Life

José Eulalio Samayoa was born in Guatemala City in December 1780. As an apprentice he learned the trade of church musician , both instrumental ( cello ) and vocal (first boy's voice, then tenor ). The singer Manuel Mendilla Retalhuleu, member of the church chapel of the cathedral under Rafael Antonio Castellanos , gave him instruction in composition and encouraged the boy's first pieces, both two-part dance pieces in the folk tone ( sones ) for violin and bass , as well as shorter songs and pieces for the boy Church use. In his youth, Samayoa undertook liturgy and theology studies at the same time he was learning Catholic church music. On July 2, 1813, he founded the Philharmonic Society of Guatemala, which was dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This was one of the first Philharmonic Societies in the New World. At various times he also kept a diary , which is extremely important for today's historians , in which he not only made personal entries, such as B. his marriages u. Ä., But also the daily events of his time (independence uprisings, wars and the respective political situations) reported.

As a composer he outgrew the Spanish baroque and pre-classical traditions and was increasingly inspired by the symphonies of Joseph Haydn , of which he owned several and whose studies introduced him to the art of symphonic composition. So he became one of the first symphonists in the New World. Among his writings, his historical reflections on the music of Guatemala are of great interest.

Selected works

Symphonies

• Symphony No. 7, E flat major, dedicated to "Victory in the Battle of Xiquilisco"
• Sinfonía Cívica, C major
• Sinfonía Histórica, D major

Other orchestral works

• 9 orchestral pieces for church use
• 2 orchestral pieces for the church
• Allegro No. 9 in C major
• Divertimento No. 10 in C major

Instrumental music for a small ensemble

• Toccata No. 1, D major, 2 horns, 2 violins, bass
• Toccata No. 2, D major, 2 horns, 2 violins, bass
• Toccata No. 3, F major, 2 horns, 2 violins, bass
• Toccata No. 4, F major, 2 horns, 2 violins, bass
• Toccata No. 5, F major, 2 horns, 2 violins, bass
• Toccata No. 6, D major, 2 violins, bass
• Toccata No. 7, A major, 2 violins, bass
• Toccata No. 8, E minor, 2 violins, bass
• Toccata No. 9, A major, 2 violins, bass
• Toccata [C 212], C major, 2 horns, 2 violins, bass
• Toccata "Pastorela", C major, 2 horns, 2 violins, bass
• Toccata [C 214], C major, 2 horns, 2 violins, bass
• Toccata "La estatua ridícula" ("The ridiculous monument"), C major, 2 horns, 2 violins, bass
• Divertimento No. 1, D major, flute, 2 oboes, 2 horns, 2 violins and bass
• Divertimento No. 3, D major, 2 horns, 2 violins, bass
• Divertimento No. 7, D major, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 horns, 2 violins, bass
• Allegro No. 10, D major, 2 horns, 2 violins, bass
• Allegro No. 11, D major, 2 violins, bass
• 10 church pieces for organ

Vocal church music

• Missa a solo, soprano and organ
• Taedet animam meam, F minor, soprano, horns and strings
• Taedet animam meam, A minor, soprano, flutes and strings
• Missa a Duo, A major, 2 sopranos and organ
• Duos for the Holy Cross, E flat major, 2 sopranos, horns and strings
• Officium Defunctorum, D major, 2 sopranos, horns and strings
• Salve Regina, C minor, 2 sopranos, alto, strings
• Parcemihi, C major, three-part choir (S, A, T) and orchestra
• Vespers for our dear Holy Virgin, three-part choir and orchestra
• Two motets, three-part choir and orchestra
• Mass for Saint Joseph in A major, three-part choir and orchestra
• Liberame Domine "[C 112], four-part choir (S, S, A, T), strings.
• Liberame Domine "[C 113], 2 sopranos, horns and strings
• 5 Tonadas a la Loa de Concepción, choir, orchestra
• 2 cantatas for the Holy Sacrament, two-part choir, strings
• Requiem, E flat major, choir and orchestra [score lost]

Bibliography

• Víctor Miguel Díaz, Las bellas artes en Guatemala . Guatemala: Tipografía Nacional, 1934.
• Dieter Lehnhoff , "Samayoa, José Eulalio". Diccionario de la Música Española e Hispanoamericana , 10 vol. Madrid: Sociedad General de Autores y Editores SGAE, 2000, vol. IX, pp. 631-32.
• Dieter Lehnhoff , Creación musical en Guatemala . Guatemala: University of Rafael Landívar y Fundación G&T Continental, 2005, pp. 135–171. ISBN 99922-704-7-0 .
• José Sáenz Poggio, Historia de la música guatemalteca, desde la monarquía española hasta finales de 1877 . Guatemala: Imprenta de La Aurora, 1878.
• Rafael Vásquez A, Historia de la Música en Guatemala . Guatemala: Tipografía Nacional, 1950, pp. 20-21; 275-283.

To listen to

• Symphony No. 7; Mass for Saint Joseph; Toccata No. 6. Tesoros musicales de la antigua Guatemala , CD. Cristina Altamira, mezzo-soprano; Choir and Millennium Orchestra, Dieter Lehnhoff , Dir. Guatemala: University of Rafael Landívar , Institute for Musicology , 2003. IM 1103.