Arturo Márquez
Encyclopedia
Arturo Márquez is a renowned Mexican
composer
of orchestra music who is well known for using musical forms and styles of his native Mexico and incorporating them into his compositions.
musician in Mexico and later in Los Angeles and his paternal grandfather was a Mexican folk musician in the northern states of Sonora and Chihuahua. Because of Marquez's father and grandfather, he was exposed to several musical styles in his childhood, particularly Mexican "salon music" which would be the impetus for his later musical repertoire.
In his late childhood the family immigrated to Southern California
settling in La Puente, a suburb of Los Angeles. There he attended Fairgrove Junior High school and William Workman High School
. In junior high school he began to play the trombone under the direction of Mr. Rossetti, the school's band director, and continued playing in high school. While living in La Puente he started formal studies in music enrolling in violin
and trombone
lessons. He had started piano studies in Alamos, Sonora and when the family immigrated to the U.S. he continued more extensive piano
lessons in the home of Mrs. Eva McGowan, a local piano teacher. He started composing at the age of 16 and then attended the Mexican Music Conservatory where he studied with Federico Ibarra, Joaquín Gutiérrez Heras and Héctor Quintanar. Márquez was then awarded a scholarship by the French government to study composition in Paris with Jacques Casterede. Subsequently, in the U.S., he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship and obtained a MFA
in composition from California Institute of the Arts
in Valencia, California. There he studied with Morton Subotnick, Mel Powell, Lucky Mosko, and James Newton.
Although Márquez was already an accomplished composer in Mexico, his music started to reach the international stage with the introduction of his series of Danzones in the early 1990s. The Danzones are based on the music of Cuba
and the Veracruz
region of Mexico. In particular, Danzón no. 2
has received international acclaim and has catapulted the popularity of the composer. Danzón no. 2 was commissioned by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM
) and was debuted in 1994 in Mexico City by the Orchestra Filarmonica de la UNAM under the direction of Francisco Savin. Due to the popularity of this piece, Danzón no. 2 has been nicknamed, along with Huapango
by Pablo Moncayo, as the second national anthem by the Mexican people. Danzon no. 2 was included on the program of the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra conducted by Gustavo Dudamel
on their 2007 tour of Europe and the United States. As a result of the strong public response to the orchestra's performance of the piece, Danzon no. 2 has established itself as one of the signature pieces performed by the orchestra. It has also opened the door for the discovery of other pieces by the composer that are increasingly being performed throughout the world and extensively in Latin America. Son a Tamayo for harp, percussion and tape was featured at the 1996 World Harp Congress.
Marquez's music has been performed and recorded worldwide by a variety of chamber ensembles, symphony orchestras and soloists. He has composed numerous scores for film and dance works. He has received commissions and fellowships from among others, the Universidad Metropolitana de Mexico, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico, Festival Cervantino, Festival del Caribe, the World's Fair
in Sevilla in 1992, the Rockefeller Foundation
and Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes, (CONACULTA). He currently works at the National University of Mexico, Superior School of Music and CENIDIM (National Center of Research, Documentation and Information of Mexican Music). He lives with his family in Mexico City.
, California Institute of the Arts Distinguished Alumnus Award, Union de Cronistas de Musica y de Teatro, and many others. In 2000, the German public paid homage to the composer at a concert in his honor in Berlin.
Marquez has also been honored at several musical festivals throughout Latin America where his music has been performed extensively and has obtained a large following. In 2005, the Arturo Marquez International Music Festival was commenced in Caracas, Venezuela in honor of the composer. His Danzones are increasingly being used for ballet
productions throughout the world. Although regarded by many as a controversial composer for his use of Latin American styles in his compositions, he is a popular composer among the Latin American public and is widely recognized as one of the most important and admired Mexican composers of his generation.
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
of orchestra music who is well known for using musical forms and styles of his native Mexico and incorporating them into his compositions.
Life
Márquez was born in Álamos, Sonora, in 1950 where his interest in music began. Marquez is the first born of nine children of Arturo Marquez and Aurora Marquez Navarro. Marquez was the only one of the nine siblings who became a musician. Marquez's father was a mariachiMariachi
Mariachi is a genre of music that originated in the State of Jalisco, in Mexico. It is an integration of stringed instruments highly influenced by the cultural impacts of the historical development of Western Mexico. Throughout the history of mariachi, musicians have experimented with brass, wind,...
musician in Mexico and later in Los Angeles and his paternal grandfather was a Mexican folk musician in the northern states of Sonora and Chihuahua. Because of Marquez's father and grandfather, he was exposed to several musical styles in his childhood, particularly Mexican "salon music" which would be the impetus for his later musical repertoire.
In his late childhood the family immigrated to Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
settling in La Puente, a suburb of Los Angeles. There he attended Fairgrove Junior High school and William Workman High School
William Workman High School
William Workman High School is a public high school located in City of Industry, California. It is one of four high schools in the Hacienda La Puente Unified School District.- Students :...
. In junior high school he began to play the trombone under the direction of Mr. Rossetti, the school's band director, and continued playing in high school. While living in La Puente he started formal studies in music enrolling in violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
and trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
lessons. He had started piano studies in Alamos, Sonora and when the family immigrated to the U.S. he continued more extensive piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
lessons in the home of Mrs. Eva McGowan, a local piano teacher. He started composing at the age of 16 and then attended the Mexican Music Conservatory where he studied with Federico Ibarra, Joaquín Gutiérrez Heras and Héctor Quintanar. Márquez was then awarded a scholarship by the French government to study composition in Paris with Jacques Casterede. Subsequently, in the U.S., he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship and obtained a MFA
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
in composition from California Institute of the Arts
California Institute of the Arts
The California Institute of the Arts, commonly referred to as CalArts, is located in Valencia, in Los Angeles County, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the United States created specifically for students of both the visual and the...
in Valencia, California. There he studied with Morton Subotnick, Mel Powell, Lucky Mosko, and James Newton.
Although Márquez was already an accomplished composer in Mexico, his music started to reach the international stage with the introduction of his series of Danzones in the early 1990s. The Danzones are based on the music of Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
and the Veracruz
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
region of Mexico. In particular, Danzón no. 2
Danzon no. 2
Danzón No. 2 for orchestra is a composition by prominent Mexican composer Arturo Márquez. It is, along with José Pablo Moncayo's Huapango, Carlos Chávez's Sinfonia India and Silvestre Revueltas' Sensemaya, one of the most popular and significant frequently performed Mexican contemporary classical...
has received international acclaim and has catapulted the popularity of the composer. Danzón no. 2 was commissioned by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM
Unam
UNAM or UNaM may refer to:* National University of Misiones, a National University in Posadas, Argentina*National Autonomous University of Mexico , the large public autonomous university based in Mexico City...
) and was debuted in 1994 in Mexico City by the Orchestra Filarmonica de la UNAM under the direction of Francisco Savin. Due to the popularity of this piece, Danzón no. 2 has been nicknamed, along with Huapango
Huapango
Huapango is a corruption of the Nahuatl word huapanco that textually means on top of the wood platform according to the dictionary of the Real Academia Española . Today huapango refers to a musical style that originated in and is played throughout the La Huasteca region in Mexico...
by Pablo Moncayo, as the second national anthem by the Mexican people. Danzon no. 2 was included on the program of the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra conducted by Gustavo Dudamel
Gustavo Dudamel
Gustavo Adolfo Dudamel Ramírez is a Venezuelan conductor and violinist. He is currently the principal conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony in Gothenburg, Sweden, and music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic in Los Angeles, California...
on their 2007 tour of Europe and the United States. As a result of the strong public response to the orchestra's performance of the piece, Danzon no. 2 has established itself as one of the signature pieces performed by the orchestra. It has also opened the door for the discovery of other pieces by the composer that are increasingly being performed throughout the world and extensively in Latin America. Son a Tamayo for harp, percussion and tape was featured at the 1996 World Harp Congress.
Marquez's music has been performed and recorded worldwide by a variety of chamber ensembles, symphony orchestras and soloists. He has composed numerous scores for film and dance works. He has received commissions and fellowships from among others, the Universidad Metropolitana de Mexico, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico, Festival Cervantino, Festival del Caribe, the World's Fair
World's Fair
World's fair, World fair, Universal Exposition, and World Expo are various large public exhibitions held in different parts of the world. The first Expo was held in The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, United Kingdom, in 1851, under the title "Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All...
in Sevilla in 1992, the Rockefeller Foundation
Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is a prominent philanthropic organization and private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The preeminent institution established by the six-generation Rockefeller family, it was founded by John D. Rockefeller , along with his son John D. Rockefeller, Jr...
and Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes, (CONACULTA). He currently works at the National University of Mexico, Superior School of Music and CENIDIM (National Center of Research, Documentation and Information of Mexican Music). He lives with his family in Mexico City.
Awards
Márquez has been the recipient of several prestigious awards and honors. Marquez was awarded the National Arts and Sciences (Premio Nacional de Artes y Sciences) award of Mexico by President Felipe Calderon on December 14, 2009. In February 2006, he made history when he became the first musician to receive "La Medalla De Oro De Bellas Artes de Mexico" (Gold Medal of Fine Arts of Mexico), one of Mexico's most coveted award for career accomplishments in the fine arts. Other awards have included the Medalla Mozart (awarded by the Austrian embassy), Medalla Dr. Alfonso Ortiz TiradoAlfonso Ortiz Tirado
Alfonso Ortiz Tirado was an opera singer and doctor born in Álamos, Sonora, Mexico in 1893. His musical talent was apparent early in life, but he studied at the Escuela Nacional Preparatoria and university to become a doctor. He specialized in gynecology as well as general medicine, and eventually...
, California Institute of the Arts Distinguished Alumnus Award, Union de Cronistas de Musica y de Teatro, and many others. In 2000, the German public paid homage to the composer at a concert in his honor in Berlin.
Marquez has also been honored at several musical festivals throughout Latin America where his music has been performed extensively and has obtained a large following. In 2005, the Arturo Marquez International Music Festival was commenced in Caracas, Venezuela in honor of the composer. His Danzones are increasingly being used for ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
productions throughout the world. Although regarded by many as a controversial composer for his use of Latin American styles in his compositions, he is a popular composer among the Latin American public and is widely recognized as one of the most important and admired Mexican composers of his generation.
Music
- Leyenda De Miliano, for orchestra
- Danzón No. 1, for orchestra
- Danzón no. 2Danzon no. 2Danzón No. 2 for orchestra is a composition by prominent Mexican composer Arturo Márquez. It is, along with José Pablo Moncayo's Huapango, Carlos Chávez's Sinfonia India and Silvestre Revueltas' Sensemaya, one of the most popular and significant frequently performed Mexican contemporary classical...
, Orchestra and Symphonic Band - Marcha a Sonora
- Espejos en la Arena, for celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
and orchestra - Danzón no. 3, for fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and small orchestra - Danzón no. 4, for chamber orchestra
- Danzón no. 5, portales de madrugada
- Zarabandeo, for clarinetClarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
and piano - Son a tamayo, for harpHarpThe harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
and percussion and tapeMagnetic tape sound recordingThe use of magnetic tape for sound recording originated around 1930. Magnetizable tape revolutionized both the radio broadcast and music recording industries. It did this by giving artists and producers the power to record and re-record audio with minimal loss in quality as well as edit and...
(featured at the 1996 World Harp Congress), which, along with Música para Mandinga, is an electroacoustic composition - Octeto Malandro
- Danza de Mediodía, for wind quintetWind quintetA wind quintet, also sometimes known as a woodwind quintet, is a group of five wind players . The term also applies to a composition for such a group....
- Días de Mar y Río
- En Clave, for piano
- Homenaje a Gismonti, for string quartetString quartetA string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string players – usually two violin players, a violist and a cellist – or a piece written to be performed by such a group...
- Paisajes bajo el signo de cosmos, for orchestra
- Noche de luna, for chorus and orchestra
- La pasión según San Juán de Letrán, De máscaras
- Danzón No. 8, Homenaje to Maurice, for orchestra
- Conga del Fuego Nuevo, for orchestra
External links
- http://www.peermusicclassical.com/composer/composerdetail.cfm?detail=marquez Peermusic Classical: Arturo Marquez] Composer's Publisher and Bio
- Arturo Márquez (same in Spanish)
- Making Of Danzón No. 2 Interview about the making of a short film with his famous piece, in Spanish.