The music Ensemble Lipzodes performs for these programs is taken from
a collection of early 16th century Guatemalan manuscripts held in the
Lilly Library of Indiana University, Bloomington. The music's provenance
is from the state of Huehuetenango, which is located in the northwest
corner of Guatemala. The majority of the original manuscripts were found
in the pueblo of Santa Eulalia however several manuscripts were copied
or originate in San Juan Ixcoi and San Mateo Ixtatán. The great
peaks of the Cuchumatán mountain range dominate the area's landscape
and the rugged terrain is largely responsible for the isolation of the
indigenous peoples residing there. These communities were composed nearly
entirely of native peoples with the exception of a few Spanish missionaries.
A great variety of music is contained in these unassuming manuscripts.
Latin masses and motets, psalm settings, striking fabordones,
Spanish and vernacular villancicos, pabanillas, and
other more unusual forms all reside together. The majority of the music
is sacred and would have been used in church services. Music proved
to be a strong selling point for the church and remained an integral
part of the service. Antonio Vásquez de Espinosa visited the
area in the early seventeenth century, in his description of the diocese
of Guatemala are these paragraphs:
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The Indians are all naturally impassive and at the same time
ingenious; they learn easily whatever they see the Spaniards do,
and whatever handicraft exercises skill. The majority are good singers
and expert with all sorts of musical instruments – shawms,
recorders, sackbuts, dulcians, cornets and organs which they make
out of numerous reeds very cleverly and ingeniously joined together;
these they use to celebrate the divine service with greater solemnity.
….no matter how small the villages might be, they have distinguished
cantors and choir masters, who officiate with great seriousness
and piety at the Mass; they sing Vespers to organ music, and celebrate
saints’ days much better than Spaniards do. |
Although this music demonstrates clear Old World influence, many works
have no concordances outside of the Lilly Library Manuscripts and possess
a distinct and imaginative character. The majority of the texts are
in Latin or Spanish but the manuscripts also include works in Nahuatl
and Jacaltec-Chuj languages.
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