Andanza del Ánima by E. Bayoán Ríos-Escribano
Inspired by the scenes of nature, composer Enrique Bayoán reminisces about the childhood memories of sounds, colors of Latin America. The text of this festive arrangement reminds us to find the small things that brings us joy in our lives. This piece was commissioned by Coral Cantigas, directed by Diana Saez to celebrate its 20th anniversary representing a “musical journey through Latin America, as well as a collective journey of the soul”.
Using folkloric rhythms from Argentina (malambo and chacarera), in Andanza del Ánima the composer creates a fair sentimental bridge between music and lyrics.
“In this composition Bayoán takes us on a musical journey celebrating the diversity of colors, rhythms and poetry of Latin America and encourages us to take a flight full of hope.”
Product Details
Recording
Transcription
Spanish
Sale el sol y un árbol me recuerda
semillas que sembramos
dos décadas atrás.
Recordar las calles caminadas,
la música en el alba,
las ganas de volar con esperanza.
Ver crecer la semilla con fortaleza y afán.
Gracias, Latinoamérica, por permitirme viajar,
por tus letras, tus acordes, tus colores,
tu frescura, por tus campos,
tus candencias, tu poesía,
paisajes, tu gente.
Sabor musical.
Sale el sol y el árbol de mi andanza,
de mi ánima festiva,
no cesa de cantar,
las ganas de volar.
English
The sun rises and a tree reminds me of
seeds we sow
two decades ago.
Remember the streets walked,
music at dawn,
the desire to fly with hope.
See the seed grow with strength and eagerness.
Thank you, Latin America, for allowing me to travel,
for your lyrics, your chords, your colors,
your freshness, for your fields,
your songs, your poetry,
landscapes, your people.
Musical flavor.
The sun rises and the tree of my wandering rises,
of my festive soul,
does not stop singing,
the desire to fly.
Composition
Sometimes, when composers receive an invitation to go on a music-creative journey, they also received some indications about how the composition should go, or the length of it, or simply just words and phrases to have direction. It’s a journey we are invited on, so it’s important to have a map. These indications can take us a little bit longer to connect and create, and sometimes they “dan en el clavo" (‘hit the nail on the head’).
With “Andanza del Ánima”, from the very first email I got from Dr. Diana V. Suárez, founder, artistic director and conductor of Coral Cantigas, I started imagining the universe I wanted to go, and the indications I was reading from Dr. Suárez where leading me there faster than light.
When the composition was finished, I realized the universe I traveled to was located in my very first memories enjoying and listening to music with my parents. These first memories during late-night rehearsals watching and listening them playing and singing songs from Violeta Parra, Victor Jara, Amparo Ochoa and many others, were my first attempts to make music. And not too far from that moment I started playing with Tepeu, a Latin-American and Andean music group founded by my father in 1974 in Mexico City.
That was the universe I traveled into to create this work. If it wasn’t for that, I wouldn’t by writing these notes and there will be no choral composition.
In terms of the composition, I knew from the very beginning I wanted to use and maintain the myxolydian mode in the whole work, typically used by Parra and Jara in their songs, to create a fair or sentimental bridge between music and lyrics. That lead me to the melody, just the notes, and the melody took me to the rhythm, a hybrid between argentinians styles of malambo and chacarera. When the moment came to write the lyrics, I remembered something Dr. Suárez wrote me in one of the first emails to have a sense of direction: “Un viaje musical por Latinoamérica, pero también un viaje colectivo del alma”. (A musical journey through Latin America, as well as a collective journey to the soul).
And that was it. I knew in that moment what to write to honor what this choir have been doing for twenty years and what my parents have been doing since I was aware of my existence, or even before that.
Sometimes, when composers receive the invitation to go on a music-creative journey, they found themselves.
Composer
Enrique Bayoán Ríos-Escribano is a Puerto Rican-Mexican film and concert composer, multi-instrumentalist, producer, folklorist, arranger, orchestrator and educator. Bayoán received the 2017 Grammy Award for 'Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alter- native Album’ with singer-songwriter iLe, and was nominated at the 2005 Latin Grammy Awards for 'Best Folkloric Album’ with Tepeu, a Latin-American music group founded in 1974 by his father Enrique Ríos Cortés.
Publisher
La Voz Music Publishing