Silvestre Revueltas Sánchez (December 31, 1899 – October 5, 1940) was a Mexican

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

, a

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

ist and a conductor.

Life

Revueltas was born in

Santiago Papasquiaro Santiago Papasquiaro is a city located in a valley situated on the eastern slopes of the Sierra Madre Occidental in the state of Durango, Mexico. As of 2010, the city of Santiago Papasquiaro had a population of 26,121, while the municipality has a ...

Durango Durango (), officially named Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Durango; Tepehuán: ''Korian''; Nahuatl: ''Tepēhuahcān''), is one of the 31 states which make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated in ...

, and studied at the National Conservatory in Mexico City,

St. Edward's University St. Edward's University is a private, Catholic university in Austin, Texas. It was founded and is operated in the Holy Cross tradition. History Founding and early history St. Edward's University was founded by the Reverend Edward Sorin, CSC ...

in Austin, Texas, and the Chicago College of Music. He gave violin recitals and in 1929 was invited by

Carlos Chávez Carlos Antonio de Padua Chávez y Ramírez (13 June 1899 – 2 August 1978) was a Mexican composer, conductor, music theorist, educator, journalist, and founder and director of the Mexican Symphonic Orchestra. He was influenced by nativ ...

to become assistant conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra of Mexico, a post he held until 1935. He and Chávez did much to promote contemporary Mexican music. It was around this time that Revueltas began to compose in earnest. He began his first film score, ''Redes'', in 1934, a commission which resulted in Revueltas and Chávez falling out. Chávez had originally expected to write the score, but political changes led to him losing his job in the

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

, which was behind the film project. Revueltas left Chávez's orchestra in 1935 to be the principal conductor of a newly created and short-lived rival orchestra, the '' Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional''. He was part of a family of artists, a number of whom were also famous and recognized in Mexico: his brother Fermín (1901–1935) and sister Consuelo (born before 1908, died before 1999) were painters, sister Rosaura (ca. 1909–1996) was an actress and dancer, and younger brother

José Revueltas José Revueltas Sánchez (November 20, 1914 in Santiago Papasquiaro, Durango – April 14, 1976 in Mexico City) was a Mexican writer, essayist, and political activist. He was part of an important artistic family that included his siblings Silves ...

(1914–1976) was a noted writer. His daughter from his first marriage to Jules Klarecy (née Hlavacek), Romano Carmen (later Montoya and Peers), enjoyed a successful career as a dancer, taught ballet and

flamenco Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and ...

in New York, and died on November 13, 1995, at age 73, in Athens, Greece. She is survived by three sons, and two kindred creative female heirs in

Oceanside, California Oceanside is a city on the South Coast (California), South Coast of California, located in San Diego County, California, San Diego County. The city had a population of 167,086 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. The city is a popular ...

. His daughter from his second marriage, Eugenia (born November 15, 1934), is an

essay An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal a ...

ist. His nephew Román Revueltas Retes, son of José, is a violinist, journalist, painter and conductor of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Aguascalientes (OSA). SilvestreRevueltastombDoloresDF

In 1937 Revueltas went to Spain during the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

, as part of a tour organized by the

leftist Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

organization

Liga de Escritores y Artistas Revolucionarios The Liga de Escritores y Artistas Revolucionarios (LEAR; League of Revolutionary Writers and Artists) was a Mexican association of revolutionary artists and writers. It was established in the house of its first president Leopoldo Méndez in 1933 fr ...

(LEAR); upon

Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War ...

's victory, he returned to Mexico. He earned little, and fell into poverty and alcoholism. He died in

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

(complicated by alcoholism), at the age of 40 on October 5, 1940, the day his ballet ''El renacuajo paseador'', written four years earlier, was premiered. His remains are kept at the Rotonda de los Hombres Ilustres in Mexico City.

Works

Revueltas wrote

film music A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to e ...

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small numb ...

song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetitio ...

s, and a number of other works. His best-known work is the 1960 arrangement by drawn from Revueltas' film score for the 1939 film '' La noche de los mayas'', although some dissenting opinions hold that the orchestral work ''

Sensemayá ''Sensemayá'' is a composition for orchestra by the Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas, which is based on the poem of the same title by the Cuban poet Nicolás Guillén. It is one of Revueltas's most famous compositions. Poem Guillén's poem e ...

'' is better known. In any case, it is ''Sensemayá'' that is considered Revueltas's masterpiece. He appeared briefly as a bar piano player in the movie ''¡Vámonos con Pancho Villa!'' (''

Let's Go with Pancho Villa ''Let's Go with Pancho Villa'' (Spanish: ''Vámonos con Pancho Villa'') is a Mexican motion picture directed by Fernando de Fuentes in 1936, the last of the director's '' Revolution Trilogy'', besides '' El prisionero trece'' and '' El compadre ...

'', Mexico, 1935), for which he composed the music. When shooting breaks out in the bar while he is playing "

La Cucaracha La Cucaracha ("The Cockroach") is a popular Mexican folk song about a cockroach who cannot walk. The song's origins are unclear, but it dates back at least to the 1910s during the Mexican Revolution. The song belongs to the Mexican genre. The s ...

", he holds up a sign reading "Se suplica no tirarle al pianista" ("Please don't shoot the pianist").

Music

Chamber works

*''El afilador'', 1924 *''Batik'', 1926 *''Four Little Pieces'' for two violins and cello, 1929 * String Quartet No. 1, 1930 * String Quartet No. 2, 1931 * String Quartet No. 3, 1931 *String Quartet No. 4, '' Música de feria'', 1932 *''Tres piezas'', for violin and piano, 1932 *''Tres pequeñas piezas serias'', for quintet of mixed winds, 1932–33 *''Ocho x radio'', 1933 *'' Planos'', 1934 *''

Homenaje a Federico García Lorca ' (Homage to Federico García Lorca) is a work for chamber orchestra by the Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas. History On 19 August 1936, the Spanish poet Federico García Lorca was murdered by fascist militia forces. Outraged, along with ...

'', 1936 *''Éste era un rey'' 1940 *''First Little Serious Piece'', for chamber ensemble, 1940 *''Second Little Serious Piece'', for chamber ensemble, 1940

Orchestral works

*''Pieza para orquesta'', 1929 *'' Cuauhnáhuac'', for string orchestra, 1931; revised for full orchestra, 1931; revised again for full orchestra 1932 *''

Esquinas ''Esquinas'' (Corners) is an orchestral composition by the Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas, written in 1931 and extensively revised in 1933. The first version is in two movements with a duration of about 11 minutes in performance; the secon ...

'', 1931 (rev. 1933) *'' Ventanas'', 1931 *''

Alcancías ''Alcancías'' ( Penny Banks) is a composition for small orchestra by the Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas, written in 1932. It is in three movements with a total duration in performance of about eight minutes. History ''Alcancías'' takes ...

'', 1932 *''

Colorines ''Colorines'' is a symphonic poem for chamber orchestra by the Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas, written in 1932. History The score of ''Colorines'' was completed in May 1932. Although Otto Mayer-Serra says it was composed in 1933, this ...

'', for chamber orchestra, 1932 *''

Janitzio Isla de Janitzio is the main island of Lake Pátzcuaro in the state of Michoacán, Mexico. The town of Janitzio, which means "where it rains", is located atop the hill. Janitzio can only be reached by boats which run regularly back and forth fr ...

'', 1933 (rev. 1936) *''Toccata (sin fuga)'', for violin and chamber orchestra 1933 *''Troka'', 1933 *''Caminos'', 1934 *'' Danza geométrica'' (orchestral version of ''Planos''), 1934 *''

'', 1938 *''Itinerarios'', 1938 *''Música para charlar'', 1938 (from the film score of ''Ferrocarriles de Baja California'')

Ballets

*''El renacuajo paseador'', 1936 *''La coronela'', 1939 (unfinished; orch. by Moncayo, arr. by Limantour; also completed by

Blas Galindo Blas Galindo Dimas (February 3, 1910 – April 19, 1993) was a Mexican composer. Biography Born in San Gabriel, Jalisco, Galindo studied intermittently from 1931 to 1944 at the National Conservatory in Mexico City, studying with Carlos Chávez ...

and Candelario Huízar, lost)

Film scores

*'' Redes'', 1935 *'' ¡Vámonos con Pancho Villa!'', 1936 *''El indio'', 1938 *''Ferrocarriles de Baja California'', 1938 **selections reworked as ''Música para charlar'' *''Bajo el signo de la muerte'', 1939 *'' La noche de los mayas'' (Night of the Mayas), 1939 *''Los de abajo'', 1940, directed by

Chano Urueta Santiago Eduardo Urueta Sierra (24 February 1904 – 23 March 1979), more commonly known as Chano Urueta, was a Mexican film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. Filmography Director *1928: '' El Destino'' *1933: '' Profanación'' *1934 ...

, based on the 1920 novel by

Mariano Azuela Mariano Azuela González (January 1, 1873 – March 1, 1952) was a Mexican author and physician, best known for his fictional stories of the Mexican Revolution of 1910. He wrote novels, works for theatre and literary criticism. He is the fi ...

*''¡Que viene mi marido!'', 1940

Songs

*''Duo para pato y canario'', voice and chamber orchestra, 1931 *"Ranas" (Frogs) and "El tecolote" (The Owl), voice and piano, 1931 *''Caminando'', 1937 *"Canto a una muchacha negra" (words: Langston Hughes), voice and piano 1938 *''Cinco canciones para niños y dos canciones profanas'', 1938–1939

Piano

*''Adagio'' *''Tragedia en forma de rábano (no es plagio)'' *''Allegro'' *''Canción'' (a passage used also in ''Cuauhnáhuac'')

References

Sources

* * * * * * * * *

*Avila, Jacqueline A. 2007."The Influence of the Cinematic in the Music of Silvestre Revueltas". DMA thesis. University of California (Riverside). * Barnard Baca, Roberto. 2008. "The String Quartets of Silvestre Revueltas." DMA diss. New York: CUNY GC. * Barnard Baca, Roberto. 2008. "Análisis de transformaciones en el cuarteto núm. 1 de Revueltas". Artículo. Guadalajara, Mexico * Dean, Jack Lee. 1992. "Silvestre Revueltas: A Discussion of the Background and Influences Affecting His Compositional Style". Ph.D thesis. University of Texas at Austin. * Espinosa, Sergio. 2001. "Silvestre Revuelta's Film for Redes". Ph.D. diss. University of Iowa. * Fanning, Richard. 2006. "The Rhetorical Use of the Trumpet in the Music of Silvestre Revueltas, An Introduction". DM document. Indiana University. * Garland, Peter. 1991. ''In Search of Silvestre Revueltas''. Essays 1978–1990. Soundings Press. * Hyslop, J. R. 1982. "An Analysis of Silvestre Revueltas's ''Sensemayá''". DMA thesis. Bloomington: University of Indiana. * Kaufman, Christopher. 1991. "''Sensemayá'': The Layer Procedures of Silvestre Revueltas". DMA thesis. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University. * Kolb Neuhaus, Roberto. 2006.
El vanguardismo de Silvestre Revueltas: una perspectiva semiótica
. DHA diss. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras,

Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México The National Autonomous University of Mexico ( es, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM) is a public research university in Mexico. It is consistently ranked as one of the best universities in Latin America, where it's also the bigges ...

(UNAM) * Kolb Neuhaus, Roberto. 1998. ''Silvestre Revueltas. Catálogo de sus obras''. Coyoacán, D.F.: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Escuela Nacional de Música. *Kolb Neuhaus, Roberto. 2014.
''La noche de los mayas'': crónica de una performance de otredad exótica
. ''Trans'' (Revista Transcultural de Música), no. 18 (October). (accessed 16 July 2017). * Kolb Neuhaus, Roberto, and José Wolffer (eds.). 2007. ''Silvestre Revueltas: sonidos en rebelión''. México: UNAM, Escuela Nacional de Música. * Leclair, Charmaine Francoise. 1995. "The Solo and Chamber Music of Silvestre Revueltas." Ph.D. diss. Eugene: University of Oregon. * Mayer-Serra, Otto. 1941. "Silvestre Revueltas and Musical Nationalism in Mexico." ''

The Musical Quarterly ''The Musical Quarterly'' is the oldest academic journal on music in America. Originally established in 1915 by Oscar Sonneck, the journal was edited by Sonneck until his death in 1928. Sonneck was succeeded by a number of editors, including Car ...

'' 27:123–145. * Moreno Rivas, Yolanda. 1995. ''Rostros del Nacionalismo en la música mexicana: un ensayo de interpretación'', 2nd edition. éxico, D.F. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Escuela Nacional de Música. * Porrit, Peter. 1983. "Nationalism in Twentieth Century Mexican Music". DMA thesis. Berkeley: University of California. * Revueltas, Silvestre. 1989. ''Silvestre Revueltas por él mismo: apuntes autobiográficos, diarios, correspondencia y otros escritos de un gran músico'', compiled by Rosaura Revueltas. México, D.F.: Ediciones Era. * Sanchez-Gutierrez, Carlos Daniel. 1996. ¨The Cooked and the Raw: Syncretism in the Music of Silvestre Revueltas". Ph.D. thesis. Princeton: Princeton University. * Teibler-Vondrak, Antonia. 2011. ''Silvestre Revueltas: Musik für Bühne und Film. Wien: Böhlau Verlag. * Vondrak, Antonia. 2000. "Silvestre Revueltas (1899–1940)". DMA thesis. University of Vienna. * Wilson-Spinalle, Katheleen L. 1983. "Selected Solo Songs of Carlos Chávez and Silvestre Revueltas. DMA thesis. University of Arizona. * Zohn-Muldoon, Ricardo. 1998. "The Song of the Snake: Silvestre Revueltas' ''Sensemayá''." '' Latin American Music Review / Revista de Música Latinoamericana'' 19, no. 2 (Autumn): 133–159.

External links

Silvestre Revueltas web site
at

National Autonomous University of Mexico The National Autonomous University of Mexico ( es, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM) is a public research university in Mexico. It is consistently ranked as one of the best universities in Latin America, where it's also the bigges ...

((UNAM)).
Foro Virtual Silvestre Revueltas
UNAM.

includes Revueltas' ''Musica de Feria'' (1932) performed by

Del Sol Quartet The Del Sol Quartet is a string quartet based in San Francisco, California that was founded in 1992 by violist Charlton Lee. Del Sol has commissioned and premiered thousands of works from a diverse range of international composers, including Terr ...

Silvestre Revueltas at ''Epdlp''

Peermusic classical : Composer Silvestre Revueltas
at www.peermusicclassical.com Silvestre Revueltas' web site at Peer Music Classical.

at www.wwnorton.com * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Revueltas, Silvestre 1899 births 1940 deaths 20th-century classical composers 20th-century conductors (music) 20th-century classical violinists 20th-century male musicians Mexican classical composers Mexican male classical composers Mexican film score composers Mexican conductors (music) Mexican classical violinists National Conservatory of Music of Mexico faculty Ballet composers Male film score composers Male conductors (music) Male classical violinists Musicians from Durango National Conservatory of Music of Mexico alumni People from Santiago Papasquiaro Writers from Durango Alcohol-related deaths in Mexico Deaths from pneumonia in Mexico