Rafael Antonio Castellanos

Rafael Antonio Castellanos (* around 1725 in Santiago de Guatemala , † 1791 in Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción ) was a Guatemalan composer and cathedral music director of the late baroque and pre-classical periods .

Life

Rafael Antonio Castellanos was born in Santiago de Guatemala, now Antigua Guatemala . His parents were Antonio Castellanos and Marcela de Quiròs. His musical career was entrusted to his uncle, the cathedral music director Manuel Joseph de Quirós . As an apprentice he practiced the violin and the harp and was instructed and trained by his master in composition and church music . His "Second Lamentation" on the biblical text of the prophet Jeremias , which he composed as early as 1740 as a minor apprentice to the master Quirós, already shows an unusual skill and expressiveness.

From 1745 he became a journeyman and as such was incorporated into the cathedral orchestra as first violinist. His first successes as a composer date from this time , when various of his works were performed. After the death of his master Quirós in 1765 , he was appointed Kapellmeister by the church council. His duties included directing the music for mass and Vespers, as well as composing new works for the individual liturgies of the church year . After the severe earthquake of 1773, the capital was on the orders of King Charles III. moved from Spain to a nearby valley (where it is to this day).

The Archbishop Pedro Cortés y Larraz refused to relocate with, and so were the members of the clergy as well as Kapellmeister Castellanos and his musicians on the side until the end of 1779 were forced to leave the damaged city and to the new capital which was just under construction. Despite the difficult circumstances, Castellanos was able to maintain the high quality of church music . From 1780 until his death in August 1791 he created a number of high-quality compositions, which from then on were performed in the cathedral and various churches in Central America .

plant

176 of his compositions have been preserved. This is exclusively vocal music for one or different singing voices, as well as for choirs or double choirs. The accompaniment is always for continuo ( harpsichord , harp , baroque guitar plus viol , bassoon and violone ) with two violins , these are often choral.

In addition, in several works there are pairs of flutes , oboes , horns and trumpets , and occasionally instruments that have come out of use such as psalter , hurdy-gurdy or viola d'amore . In addition to a number of compositions on Latin texts for the Vespers service, the main part of his work consists of cantatas and Villancicos for the Matin liturgy. Stylistically, the music can be assigned to the late baroque and pre-classical periods , with three layers consisting of melody (including second voices), bass and harmonic accompaniment.

Cantatas

Adalides Bizarros , 1765 Serafines alados , 1765 Los aires con silbos , 1766 Conformes los astros , 1767 Todo era confusiones , 1767 Oh qué asombro , 1770? Fénix raro , 1770? Arca misteriosa , 1770? Cefiros blandos , 1771 Por valles y por montes , 1771

Gozosa está la Madre , 1771 Si eres fénix sagrado , 1774 Al Norte fija , 1780 Dulces filomenas , 1780 Albricias cuidadosas , 1780 Bendito el Señor , 1787 Resonad instrumentos , 1787 Perlas suplicando , 1787 Mil veces venturoso , 1788 Qué es esto , 1788

Roma es, Pedro, tu silla , 1789 Esa ostia soberana , 1789? Alma dichosa Cambiad el triste llanto , 1789 Tus glorias se extienden Logre el triunfo Con repetidos gozos Cielos abra la esfera

Compositions based on Latin texts

Aleph quomodo , 1740 Dixit Dominus , 1770 Invitatory , 4th mode, 1772 Invitatory , 1st mode, 1774

Invitatory , 8th mode, 1774 Incipit lamentationem , 1788? Subvenite sancti Dei , 1788-89

Libera me Domine de viis inferni , 1789 Domine, quando veneris , 1789 Qui Lazarum , 1789

Villancicos

Bonetero , 1758 Diga plimiya , 1761 Antón que se halla este año Divino atlante , 1765 Adalides Bizarros , 1765 Pastorcitas del alma , 1765 Serafines alados , 1765 Enfurecido el orbe , 1766 Hoy un maestro de niños , 1766 Ese pan del Cielo , 1767 Entre tres estudiantes , 1767 Señores yo soy Pascual , 1767 Gertrudis Siemens Hermosa , 1768 Vuestros timbres, Señor , 1768 Paranomasías , 1768 Tierno llorar , 1768 Montes de Palestina , 1768 Al prognóstico nuevo , 1768 Al demonio una vaya , 1769 Unos pobres herreritos , 1769 Navecita que al mar , 1770 El negro maitinero , 1770? Esta noche es noche y día , 1770 Pues mi Dios ha nacido , 1773? A siñola plima mía , 1773 Viuda de Onofre , 1774

Las pastoras , 1774 Atención que un extranjero , 1774 La maternidad sacra , 1775 Cómo ha llegado el Señor , 1775 Bato con Bras, y Bartolo , 1775 Gitanillas , 1775 Oh pastor que has perdido , 1776 Ay, ténganmele, señores , 1776 Cántese de María , 1776 Claro pastor divino , 1777 En Adán todos pecaron , 1777 Oigan, oigan , 1777 Oigan un silogismo , 1778 Pastoras alegres , 1778 Bato vamos al portal , 1778 Un francés y un gallego , 1779 Aquel contador divino , 1780 De los prodigios que son , 1780 Salvador de mi vida , 1780 Si por la primera culpa , 1780 En tropa esta Noche Buena , 1780 Con regocijo y contento , 1781 Si perfecciona , 1782 En esdrújulos claros , 1783 El alcalde de Belén , 1783 A Belén aquesta noche , 1784?

Ay de pucha , 1784 Hoy el dómine , 1784 Jilguerillos acordes , 1785 Cuatro infantes monacillos , 1785 Jesús, María y Joseph , 1785 Hoy sube a los cielos , 1786 Qué tormenta , 1786 Ya ha venido Francisquini , 1786 Mercaderes del Cielo , 1787 Decidme flores , 1787 Dejando tristes los campos , 1787 Lo neglo que somo gente , 1787 Antón no quiere este año , 1787 Triste caudal de lágrimas , 1788 Afuela, afuela , 1788 Negros de Guaranganá , 1788 Los músicos de los reyes , 1788? Ocupen alegres , 1788? Ängeles del Cielo , 1789 Llama a Pedro , 1789 A de los cielos , 1790 Ausencia tirana , 1790 Ay, que se sube a los cielos , 1791 La Ascensión triunfante , 1791 Llevando el compás , 1791?

Recordings

• Al Norte fija, Oigan una jacarilla, Dulces filomenas, A la tierna María, La maternidad sacra, Ay, que se sube a los cielos and Jilguerillos acordes . CD Joyas del Barroco in Guatemala . Cristina Altamira, Ensemble Millennium, Dieter Lehnhoff , Dir. Guatemala: Universidad Rafael Landívar, 2006.
• Pastoras alegres, Gitanillas, Negros de Guaranganá , CD Tesoros de la Antigua Guatemala . Cristina Altamira, mezzo-soprano; Ensemble Millennium, Dieter Lehnhoff , Dir. Guatemala: Universidad Rafael Landívar, 2003, IM 1103.

literature

• Dieter Lehnhoff , Rafael Antonio Castellanos. Vida y obra de un musico guatemalteco . Universidad Rafael Landívar, Instituto de Musicología, Guatemala 1995.
• Dieter Lehnhoff: Creación musical en Guatemala. Universidad Rafael Landívar y Fundación G&T Continental, Guatemala 2005, pp. 74–113, ISBN 99922-704-7-0 .
• Alfred E. Lemmon (Ed.): Music from the 18th century Guatemala (La música de Guatemala en el siglo XVIII). Plumsock Mesoamerican Studies, South Woodstock, Vermont 1986, pp. 1-5. ISBN 0-910443-03-3 .
• Robert M. Stevenson: Guatemala Cathedral to 1803 . In: Inter-American Music Review , Vol. 2 (1980), No. 2, pp. 27-72, ISSN  0195-6655 .