Luna de Xelajú
Encyclopedia
"Luna de Xelajú" is a very popular Guatemala
n waltz
, played on marimba
or any other instrument or ensemble; it was composed by Paco Pérez
.
The title translates as "Moon of Xelajú". "Xelajú" is the former K'iche'
Maya
name for the Guatemalan city Quetzaltenango
, 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 under the baton of Maestro Dieter Lehnhoff
.
A fairly notorious rendition by amateur musician Jared Smith
was made famous by its use in the "software toy" Jared: Butcher of Song.
Video
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
n waltz
Waltz
The waltz is a ballroom and folk dance in time, performed primarily in closed position.- History :There are several references to a sliding or gliding dance,- a waltz, from the 16th century including the representations of the printer H.S. Beheim...
, played on marimba
Marimba
The marimba is a musical instrument in the percussion family. It consists of a set of wooden keys or bars with resonators. The bars are struck with mallets to produce musical tones. The keys are arranged as those of a piano, with the accidentals raised vertically and overlapping the natural keys ...
or any other instrument or ensemble; it was composed by Paco Pérez
Paco Pérez
Paco Pérez was a Guatemalan singer, composer and guitarist.-Biography:Paco Pérez was born as Francisco Pérez Muñoz, on April 25, 1917 in Huehuetenango, Guatemala to José Pérez and Luz Muñoz. At the age of 6, he acted in the municipal theater...
.
The title translates as "Moon of Xelajú". "Xelajú" is the former K'iche'
K'iche' language
The K’iche’ language is a part of the Mayan language family. It is spoken by many K'iche' people in the central highlands of Guatemala. With close to a million speakers , it is the second-most widely spoken language in the country after Spanish...
Maya
Maya peoples
The Maya people constitute a diverse range of the Native American people of southern Mexico and northern Central America. The overarching term "Maya" is a collective designation to include the peoples of the region who share some degree of cultural and linguistic heritage; however, the term...
name for the Guatemalan city Quetzaltenango
Quetzaltenango
Quetzaltenango, also commonly known by its indigenous name, Xelajú , or more commonly, Xela , is the second largest city of Guatemala. It is both the capital of Quetzaltenango Department and the municipal seat of Quetzaltenango municipality....
, 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 under the baton of Maestro Dieter Lehnhoff
Dieter Lehnhoff
Dieter Lehnhoff is a composer, conductor, and musicologist.-Life:Born in Guatemala City to German settlers, 1955, Dieter Lehnhoff has been a pupil of Klaus Ager, Gerhard Wimberger, Josef Maria Horváth, and Dr. Friedrich C. Heller in Salzburg...
.
A fairly notorious rendition by amateur musician Jared Smith
Jared Smith
Jared Smith is an American amateur singer specializing in Spanish. His singing career achieved some attention in the mid-1990s when his brothers Colin and Ian of Freeverse Software combined a recording of his singing with an animated smiley face...
was made famous by its use in the "software toy" Jared: Butcher of Song.
Video