Luna de Xelajú is a very popular
Guatemalan
waltz
The waltz ( ), meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position.
History
There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the w ...
composed by
Paco Pérez in 1944.
The title translates as "Moon of Xelajú". "Xelajú" (pronounced sheh-lah-HOO) is the
Kʼicheʼ Maya name for the Guatemalan city
Quetzaltenango
Quetzaltenango (, also known by its Maya name Xelajú or Xela ) is both the seat of the namesake Department and municipality, in Guatemala.
The city is located in a mountain valley at an elevation of above sea level at its lowest part. It m ...
, still often popularly called "Xelajú" or "Xela".
The song was written to Miss Eugenia Cohen, a beautiful Jewish lady who stole the writer's heart, but eventually left him because Eugenia's parents disapproved of the relationship. She lives in Quetzaltenango and Guatemala City to this day.
All of the great marimba bands of Guatemala have played it to great success. Perhaps one of the most popular recent versions is as the first selection of the CD ''Valses inolvidables de Guatemala'', with the Guatemalan
Millennium Orchestra
A millennium (plural millennia or millenniums) is a period of one thousand years, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting point (ini ...
under the baton of Maestro
Dieter Lehnhoff
Dieter Lehnhoff Temme (born 27 May 1955) is a German-Guatemalan composer, conductor, and musicologist.
Life
Dieter Lehnhoff Temme was born in Guatemala City, Guatemala to German settlers in 1955. He has been a pupil of Klaus Ager, Gerhard Wim ...
.
The song has been performed by several musical acts, including Guatemalan singer and Grammy Award nominee,
Gaby Moreno
Gaby Moreno is a Guatemalan singer-songwriter, producer, film composer and guitarist. Singing in both English and Spanish, Moreno's music covers many genres including Latin, Alternative, Blues, Folk and Americana.
Biography
Moreno was born i ...
. In 2023, she did a collaboration with actor
Oscar Isaac
Óscar Isaac Hernández Estrada (born March 9, 1979) is a Guatemalan-born American actor. Known for his versatility, he has been credited with breaking stereotypes about Latino characters in Hollywood. He was named the best actor of his gene ...
, which was released first as a single, and later as a part of her album “X Mí (Vol. 1).”
Song lyrics
Although the song has lyrics, it is frequently performed instrumentally.
Popular culture
Luna de Xelajú became a cult favorite among Macintosh users in the mid-1990s with the release of a novelty application called "Jared, the Butcher of Song" written and published by Freeverse Software. In the app, an 8-bit rendering of a smiley face attempts to sing the song with light guitar accompaniment.
[Archived a]
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine
References
External links
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Guatemalan music
Guatemalan culture
Spanish-language songs
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