Revista Musical Chilena

Musical life in the Archdiocese of Santiago de Chile during the second half of the nineteenth century: a reconstruction from the periphery

Margarita Pearce Pérez — 2024-12-31

This article deals with musical activity in the religious institutions of the Archdiocese of Santiago de Chile, during the second half of the nineteenth century, paying greater attention to suburban and rural areas. This research is a first approach to the phenomenon, from the documentary search carried out in the Government Fund of the Historical Archive of the Archdiocese of Santiago. The study of these sources yields novel information regarding the budgets of parishes and confraternities for worship; the salaries of organist-singers; the multiple employment and shortage of musicians in the parishes; and the failure to comply with the reform of religious music, both for the participation of women, and for the use of instruments prohibited by the Church.

History of Opera and Periodicals. Advances in the Knowledge of Hemerographic Sources for the Study of Lyric Music in Buenos Aires (1870-1910)

José Ignacio Weber — 2024-12-31

During the last quarter of the nineteenth century, lyrical performances occupied a central place within the cultural consumption in Buenos Aires. It is to be expected that a vigorous specialized press would have accompanied such a development of the genres of musical theatre. However, such a conjecture runs up against an elusive reality: we know only a handful of titles, primarily preserved in incomplete collections. This paper evaluates the progress made in the knowledge of periodical sources available for the study of lyrical activity between 1870 and the first decade of the 20th century. These sources are of interest as valuable historical documents and objects of study in their own right, since the specialized press played an essential role in the local and transnational theatre industry. First, we present an update of music history studies on and from periodical sources in Argentina, from the appearance of the Guía de revistas de música de la Argentina (Donozo 2009) up to the present. Then, we show the results of researching work carried out in different archives ―Biblioteca Nacional, Teatro Colón, Instituto de Investigación Musicológica “Carlos Vega” and online repositories― through an overview of periodicals relevant to the study of musical theatre in Buenos Aires between 1870 and 1910.

The Guitar in El Mercurio de Valparaíso (1900 – 1905)

Pablo Soto Hurtado — 2024-12-31

The following article presents the results of newspaper research concerning the presence of the guitar in El Mercurio de Valparaíso between 1900 and 1905. This investigation was carried out using the digital database "World Newspaper Archive: Historical Newspapers from Around the Globe," reviewing all mentions of the keyword "guitar" in the newspaper during that time period. The gathered information allows us to verify the widespread presence of the instrument in various social and cultural contexts. In this way, we identified the guitarists, composers, and teachers who were most active during those years, as well as background information regarding the production and circulation of guitar music, news about concerts, and the dynamics of guitar teaching. With all this, the article aims to explore through this newspaper how the guitar was viewed in Chilean society in Valparaíso at the beginning of the 20th century, and to assess the influence of the newspaper’s notes, ads, and reviews in shaping the social perception of the instrument.

Relationship between musical training, working memory, and verbal comprehension in adolescents aged 12 to 14 years

María Angélica Benítez — 2024-12-31

Recent research on the relationship between the brain and music has increasingly focused on understanding how active musical practice can produce lasting changes in various cognitive functions. Comparative studies of populations with and without musical training have examined whether such training fosters the transfer of music-related skills to other domains, regardless of their direct connection to music. As a result, beneficial effects on cognitive performance have been observed among individuals with musical training, even in areas not strictly related to music. Despite these findings, there is still a gap in our understanding of how musical training specifically affects working memory and verbal comprehension in adolescents. To address this issue, the present study evaluated the impact of a youth orchestra program in the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, on working memory and verbal comprehension, using standardized tests administered to adolescents aged 12 to 14 years. A cross-sectional study was conducted comparing two groups of adolescents—one with musical training and one without. The results showed significant differences favoring the musically trained group in both forward and backward digit span tests, as well as in the verbal comprehension subtests (Similarities, Vocabulary, and Comprehension). No significant differences were found in the remaining tests. These findings suggest that the youth orchestra program contributes positively to certain aspects of cognitive development, which may, in turn, have favorable implications for academic performance and, potentially, future professional endeavors.

Musical ethnographies in crisis contexts: definitions, strategies and setbacks

Christian Spencer Espinosa — 2024-12-31

The concept of musical ethnography has been widely used but scarcely discussed in Latin America. This article seeks to review the importance of this notion by reviewing its value as a strategy for gathering information in contexts of social crisis. My goal is to synthesize its main trends and modes of implementation and at the same time to highlight its methodological complexity, pointing out aspects that differentiate it from other forms of fieldwork.

The text is divided into two parts. In the first part I explain what ethnography is and how it differs from “musical” ethnographies. I shortly review the literature that has been developed on the subject in English and Spanish and classify ethnographic trends into five: anthropological, ethnomusicological, digital/audiovisual, partial fieldworks and ethnographies of social conflict.

In the second part I address the relationship between music and social crisis. For this I use my own field experience between 2019 and 2021, including my work with the Chilean street group, Banda Dignidad. I highlight the singular character of protest ethnography for its use of the body, forms of social interaction and the presence of ephemeral “live” music. On this last point I emphasize musical aspects that ethnography allows us to see in protest, such as musical arrangements, the sense of rhythm, dancing, the tendency to compress performance to pre-existing musical genres and the value of improvisation. I also highlight methodological problems that arise in political fieldwork, particularly the field design, information overload, the complexities of ethnography at home and the inevitable impact of political changes on the field itself. I close with some conclusions that repeat the above.

Social action and decolonization through music in Colombia: Collective practices, narratives of equality, and the armed conflict

Juan Sebastián Rojas Enciso — 2024-12-31

This article examines music programs and projects oriented towards social action in Colombia by studying the ideas expressed by music educators, who are central actors for the development and growth of such programs. Due to the implementation of neoliberal multicultural policies, this kind of projects have flourished in Colombia during the last thirty years, taking multiple forms. Such a diversity also reveals gaps in their scope (local, regional, national) and dimension (small, big), as well as in their identity-building character (focus on certain population groups). However, the analysis suggests that projects focused on music education as social action also share a series of structural features. This multiplicity of music practices —foundational in processes of cultural construction— displays varied spheres for the expression of multiculturalism in Colombia. Therefore, along with a variety of musical cultures in Colombia, diverse ideas about what music is are also plenty. In this article, I explore whether this epistemic diversity influences the implementation of said programs. Based on a survey with 109 participants and 23 semi-structured interviews, I critically analyze three issues that are key for music educators in Colombia: i) diverse ideas about collective and participatory music practices, ii) discourses about equality and equity, and iii) the roles of music in the internal armed conflict. The findings suggest that, despite shared interests, the consequences of colonial difference (Mignolo 1999) play an important role in drawing conceptual nuances that sustain these diverse practices. Here, I question the assumptions of some projects, the practice of which aligns with capitalistic, imposing, and westernizing notions of development. Studies like this one contribute to strengthening narratives and actions that acknowledge and value diversity, questioning hegemonic canons and providing opportunities to refine tools that bring music closer to social action.

Disruptive Voices and Bodies: Toward an Understanding of the Cuban Repa-Reggaeton Scene

Ligia Lavielle Pullés — 2024-12-31

One of the most influential socio-musical phenomena in the contemporary cultural and popular landscape of Latin America and the Caribbean emerges from the rise of genres known as urban music. In Cuba, the impact of reggaeton, trap, and, more recently, the so-called "reparto" genre is notable and continues to expand across diverse age groups. Since the late 20th century, this topic has sparked debates regarding its origins, its ties to the music industry, the role of women as both a theme and creators, and the defining characteristics of genres like reggaeton. However, less attention has been given to the dynamics of participation and creation among all the agents involved in this socio-musical activity. In this regard, we have found that adopting the post-subcultural concept of "scene" provides a better understanding of the relationships among consumers, distributors, creators/producers, and the overall participants within this ecosystem.

Our research, rooted in the fields of the sociology of music and ethnography, dissects the components of what we call the repa-reggaeton scene in one of Cuba's most important cities. A microsocial perspective allowed us to understand how these actors organize their work and to access their ideologies, interests, and translocal dimensions. Likewise, we explored how macro-social phenomena, such as migration and COVID-19, have influenced this scene—trends that may reflect similar dynamics in other Cuban and Latin American musical contexts.

“Mi estilo es todos los estilos”: genre fluidity in the music of C. Tangana and Nathy Peluso

Ugo Fellone — 2024-12-31

This article aims to analyze how C. Tangana and Nathy Peluso, two artists who initially gained recognition within rap-related contexts, transcend hip-hop culture to craft musical personas characterized by notable eclecticism. The goal is to determine whether the genre fluidity they advocate for is the result of an aesthetic shift within hip-hop itself or whether these artists have instead constructed an aura of generic exceptionality that cannot be generalized to other contemporary artists. To address this, the article examines how both artists create a distinctive metageneric framework, where engaging with diverse genres not only adds variety to their work but also helps them broaden their audiences and redefine their identities through a triangulation of Spanish, Latin, and African American identities. This, in turn, allows for reflection on how the generic framework of rap, historically quite monolithic, has been redefined over the past decade with the emergence of the "urban music" category.

Music and Paradise: an approach to the status of music in the thought of Gastón Soublette

Gabriel Gálvez Silva — 2024-12-31

The specific objective of our work is to illuminate the place of music in the thought of Gastón Soublette, investigating its relationship with the fundamental themes and problems that this author presents and investigates. The work is organized in two sections. The first is dedicated to the myth of Paradise according to its centrality in Soublette's work. In the second section, the perspective of this author regarding music is examined, in correspondence with the core elements of the mentioned myth. The conclusion aims to explain the participation that Soublette grants to music in the “Knowledge for Salvation” described at the beginning of the anthropological-philosophical current, presented as a spiritual itinerary whose purpose is to restore the unity between man and world.

Editorial

Cristian Guerra Rojas — 2024-12-31

Millapol Gajardo Acuña (La Calera, 19 de julio de 1929 – Santiago de Chile, 30 de abril de 2024)

Pedro Álvarez Muñoz — 2024-12-31

Jaime Soto León (Santiago de Chile, 8 de junio de 1947 - El Quisco, 15 de agosto de 2024)

Eduardo Carrasco Pirard — 2024-12-31

Jorge Arriagada Cousin (Santiago de Chile, 20 de agosto de 1943 – París, Francia, 8 de octubre de 2024)

Silvia Herrera Ortega — 2024-12-31

Toly Ramírez (La Serena, 5 de julio de 1938 – Santiago de Chile, 4 de junio de 2024)

Álvaro Menanteau Aravena — 2024-12-31

Hanns Stein Klein (Praga, 17 de noviembre de 1926 – Santiago de Chile, 26 de julio de 2024)

Daniela Fugellie Videla — 2024-12-31

Vera, Alejandro. Catálogo del fondo de música de la Catedral de Santiago de Chile. 2 vols. Santiago de Chile, Universidad Católica de Chile, 2024. EPUB.

Josefa Montero García — 2024-12-31

Javier Marín-López, Montserrat Capelán y Paulo Castagna (eds.). Músicas iberoamericanas interconectadas, caminos, circuitos y redes. Madrid/Frankfurt: Iberoamericana Vervuert, Ediciones de Iberoamericana 148, 2023. 648 pp.

Mariantonia Palacios — 2024-12-31

Diego Villela. Cuaderno de Oboe. Ideas, reflexiones y propuestas en torno a la enseñanza inicial del oboe en Chile. Diego Villela. Composiciones de Raúl Céspedes y Diego Villela. Santiago de Chile: Ediciones Universidad Alberto Hurtado. 2022. 87 pp.

Lorena Valdebenito Carrasco — 2024-12-31

Aliro Núñez Santibáñez. “Las orquestas latinoamericanas de Chile: Desde la diversidad cultural de América a los cimientos de la Corporación de Orquestas Latinoamericanas de Chile”. Tesis para optar al grado de Magíster en Musicología Latinoamericana. Santiago: Universidad Alberto Hurtado, Facultad de Filosofía y Humanidades, 2024. 184 pp. Directora de tesis: Dra. Daniela Fugellie Videla; Codirector: Dr. Ignacio Soto Silva.

Aliro Núñez Santibáñez — 2024-12-31

SIMUC Expo Lima

Juan Pablo Moreno Romero — 2024-12-31

Antecedentes de la organización del Primer Congreso de Teoría, Análisis, y Didáctica Musical, Universidad de la Serena, 2025: su importancia en el desarrollo de la disciplina en Chile

Enrique Sandoval-Cisternas — 2024-12-31

Encuentro del Guitarrón Chileno

Mario Gómez Yáñez — 2024-12-31

El Arte de la Fuga en Santiago de Chile – estreno histórico después de más de dos siglos y medio

Gabriel Matthey Correa — 2024-12-31

Creación musical chilena Cuadro sinóptico de obras de compositores chilenos interpretadas durante el período octubre 2023 – septiembre 2024 preparado por Daniel Ponce Ellwanger y Julio Garrido Letelier

Equipo de Redacción — 2024-12-31

Información para autoras y autores

Equipo de Redacción — 2024-12-31