Luis Zubillaga
Encyclopedia
Luis Zubillaga was an Argentine composer and educator. He was born in Flores, Buenos Aires
. As an adolescent, he felt that music, especially jazz
, was his calling. From 1948 to 1952, he studied trumpet
, theory and harmony with Bernardo Barbará; piano, harmony and composition with Cayetano Marcolli; and from 1955 to 1959, he studied composition with Juan Carlos Paz
.
After living in Venezuela from 1960–1963, Zubillaga returned to Argentina and took up lectureship at the National University of Tucuman in 1964. Further appointments were held at the National University of La Plata, the Central University of Venezuela
and the Conservatory of Music in Moron, Argentina.
. Gurdjieff’s teachings remained with him through his entire life. Nevertheless, Zubillaga’s music does not only intend to re-enact highly charged emotional inner landscapes, but also envelops his political militancy and the cultural struggle of 20th-century Latin America
.
A composer of more than 30 works, Zubillaga himself divides his output into three stages. Notable works from his first period (1961–1966) include "Haiku", "Passages in Fluctuation", both for solo piano, "Directions" for String Quartet, as well as "Music for 10 Instruments" for the film El Huerco (Hell). The turning point arrived in 1967, with his music taking on more expressive nuances of the imagery, such as the effects of "Ambientes" for solo piano, composed in 1967. In 1968, he became a member of the New Music Group (Agrupacion Nueva Musica) presided by his teacher Juan Carlos Paz.
His third period began from 1970 when his music becomes more improvisatory, perhaps due to his experiences playing in the Group of Improvisation (Grupo de Improvisacion) with Enrique Gerardi and Jorge Blarduni. Representative pieces include "Cuando estamos, cuando no estamos" for 8 instruments including the sitar
and "Todos los dias… ninguno" for chamber ensemble, which won the composition award at the Simon Bolivar University in 1978.
Sounds of the trumpet and brasses
continue to be featured in his compositions from the 1980s, cumulating in the piece "Trumpets in September", composed in 1991. Music from this final period often reminiscence on events or places from the past with titles like "That Afternoon in That House" and "Once…" Two other pieces were dedicated to his wife and one to his son; the latter has yet to be performed.
His son, the filmmaker Luciano Zubillaga, based his short film entitled Music for a Missing Film (Musica para un pelicula perdido) on the 1963 film score for El Huerco. The short film was presented the London Artists Film and Video Awards (LAFVA) in 2008 and debuted at the 48th Ann Harbor Film Festival in April 2010.
Flores, Buenos Aires
Flores is a middle class barrio or district in the centre part of Buenos Aires city, Argentina. Flores was considered a rural area of the Province of Buenos Aires until 1888 when it was integrated to the City....
. As an adolescent, he felt that music, especially jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, was his calling. From 1948 to 1952, he studied trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
, theory and harmony with Bernardo Barbará; piano, harmony and composition with Cayetano Marcolli; and from 1955 to 1959, he studied composition with Juan Carlos Paz
Juan Carlos Paz
Juan Carlos Paz was an Argentine composer and music theorist.Paz was born in Buenos Aires, where he studied piano with Roberto Nery and composition with Constantino Gaito and Fornarini...
.
After living in Venezuela from 1960–1963, Zubillaga returned to Argentina and took up lectureship at the National University of Tucuman in 1964. Further appointments were held at the National University of La Plata, the Central University of Venezuela
Central University of Venezuela
The Central University of Venezuela is a premier public University of Venezuela located in Caracas...
and the Conservatory of Music in Moron, Argentina.
Zubillaga as composer
Zubillaga's passion and uniqueness as a composer is inseparable from his spiritual search. As a youth, he felt deeply moved by the music of George Gurdjieff and Thomas de HartmannThomas de Hartmann
Thomas Alexandrovich de Hartmann September 21, 1885March 28, 1956 was a Russian composer and prominent student and collaborator of George Gurdjieff.-Biography:...
. Gurdjieff’s teachings remained with him through his entire life. Nevertheless, Zubillaga’s music does not only intend to re-enact highly charged emotional inner landscapes, but also envelops his political militancy and the cultural struggle of 20th-century Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
.
A composer of more than 30 works, Zubillaga himself divides his output into three stages. Notable works from his first period (1961–1966) include "Haiku", "Passages in Fluctuation", both for solo piano, "Directions" for String Quartet, as well as "Music for 10 Instruments" for the film El Huerco (Hell). The turning point arrived in 1967, with his music taking on more expressive nuances of the imagery, such as the effects of "Ambientes" for solo piano, composed in 1967. In 1968, he became a member of the New Music Group (Agrupacion Nueva Musica) presided by his teacher Juan Carlos Paz.
His third period began from 1970 when his music becomes more improvisatory, perhaps due to his experiences playing in the Group of Improvisation (Grupo de Improvisacion) with Enrique Gerardi and Jorge Blarduni. Representative pieces include "Cuando estamos, cuando no estamos" for 8 instruments including the sitar
Sitar
The 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
and "Todos los dias… ninguno" for chamber ensemble, which won the composition award at the Simon Bolivar University in 1978.
Sounds of the trumpet and brasses
Brass instrument
A brass instrument is a musical instrument whose sound is produced by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips...
continue to be featured in his compositions from the 1980s, cumulating in the piece "Trumpets in September", composed in 1991. Music from this final period often reminiscence on events or places from the past with titles like "That Afternoon in That House" and "Once…" Two other pieces were dedicated to his wife and one to his son; the latter has yet to be performed.
Zubillaga as educator
As the founding member and artistic director of the Young Symphonic Orchestra (Orquesta Sinfonica Juvenil) at the University of La Plata, he organised the Second Meeting of Latin American Young Symphonic Orchestras, Critics and Composers, in 1985. He further established a couple of associations, becoming the president of CULTRUN Composers Association in 1989 and vice president of the Argentine Federation of Composers in 1991.His son, the filmmaker Luciano Zubillaga, based his short film entitled Music for a Missing Film (Musica para un pelicula perdido) on the 1963 film score for El Huerco. The short film was presented the London Artists Film and Video Awards (LAFVA) in 2008 and debuted at the 48th Ann Harbor Film Festival in April 2010.