Souvenir de Porto Rico
Encyclopedia
Souvenir de Porto Rico, Op. 31, D. 147, is a musical composition by Louis Moreau Gottschalk
for solo piano in 1857, during a tour in Puerto Rico
. It is based on the folk song Si me dan pasteles, demenlos calientes, performed by the local peasants known as Jibaros
. The piece makes free use of Latin
and Afro-American melodies and rhythms almost fifty years before early ragtime
and jazz
would popularize its use.
. At the time, Gottschalk was on vacation with singer Adelina Patti
and her father. Gottschalk would decide not to leave Puerto Rico, but instead decided to remain there for what would become another five years. During this period, he composed a number of additional songs that took after the local musical styles.
Gottschalk had this to say about the setting where he composed Souvenir de Porto Rico: "[I was] perched upon the edge of a crater, [and] my cabin overlooked the whole country. Every evening I moved my piano out upon the terrace, and played for myself alone, everything that the scene opened up before me inspired. It was there that I composed 'Marche des Gibaros.'"
In his variations of the A theme, Gottschalk makes use of four Afro-Caribbean rhythms he learned during his time in the West Indies. These rhythms consist of a tresillo, a pattern of three unequal notes, two cinquillos, patterns of five unequal notes, and the habanera, a dance rhythm he had heard in Havana
. Additionally, he varies both themes with examples of typical European virtuoso
style. The combination of these two styles creates a piece with incredible rhythmic complexity. The syncopation of Gottschalk's Latin rhythms coupled with the furious virtuosic lines of his European background come together to create a sound unprecedented at the time .
Louis Moreau Gottschalk
Louis Moreau Gottschalk was an American composer and pianist, best known as a virtuoso performer of his own romantic piano works...
for solo piano in 1857, during a tour in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. It is based on the folk song Si me dan pasteles, demenlos calientes, performed by the local peasants known as Jibaros
Jíbaro
Jíbaro is a term from the Taíno words "jiba" and "ro", that means forest people, commonly used in Puerto Rico to refer to mountain-dwelling peasants, but in modern times it has gained a broader cultural meaning.-History:...
. The piece makes free use of Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
and Afro-American melodies and rhythms almost fifty years before early ragtime
Ragtime
Ragtime is an original musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918. Its main characteristic trait is its syncopated, or "ragged," rhythm. It began as dance music in the red-light districts of American cities such as St. Louis and New Orleans years before being published...
and 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...
would popularize its use.
Composition History
Souvenir de Porto Rico was written in the fall of 1857 at a sugar plantation just outside the village of Barceloneta, Puerto RicoBarceloneta, Puerto Rico
Barceloneta is a municipality in Puerto Rico and is located in the north region, bordering the Atlantic Ocean, north of Florida, east of Arecibo and west of Manati. Barceloneta is spread over 3 wards and Barceloneta Pueblo...
. At the time, Gottschalk was on vacation with singer Adelina Patti
Adelina Patti
Adelina Patti was a highly acclaimed 19th-century opera singer, earning huge fees at the height of her career in the music capitals of Europe and America. She first sang in public as a child in 1851 and gave her last performance before an audience in 1914...
and her father. Gottschalk would decide not to leave Puerto Rico, but instead decided to remain there for what would become another five years. During this period, he composed a number of additional songs that took after the local musical styles.
Gottschalk had this to say about the setting where he composed Souvenir de Porto Rico: "[I was] perched upon the edge of a crater, [and] my cabin overlooked the whole country. Every evening I moved my piano out upon the terrace, and played for myself alone, everything that the scene opened up before me inspired. It was there that I composed 'Marche des Gibaros.'"
Form
The piece consists of a repetition of two specific themes. The first "A" theme, borrowed from a Puerto Rican folk song, is introduced piano or softly. The second "B" theme, marked maliconico (melancholy) in the score, provides contrast by switching to a higher register and a major mode . Both themes are accompanied by a traditional march rhythm, the pattern being a simple long, long, short, short, long. Gottschalk then proceeds to repeat the two themes in seven following variations. Each variation is louder and more rhythmically complex than the previous until the fifth variation. At this point, the piece reaches its climax, and the following variations return to a softer and less dense variation of the two themes.In his variations of the A theme, Gottschalk makes use of four Afro-Caribbean rhythms he learned during his time in the West Indies. These rhythms consist of a tresillo, a pattern of three unequal notes, two cinquillos, patterns of five unequal notes, and the habanera, a dance rhythm he had heard in Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
. Additionally, he varies both themes with examples of typical European virtuoso
Virtuoso
A virtuoso is an individual who possesses outstanding technical ability in the fine arts, at singing or playing a musical instrument. The plural form is either virtuosi or the Anglicisation, virtuosos, and the feminine form sometimes used is virtuosa...
style. The combination of these two styles creates a piece with incredible rhythmic complexity. The syncopation of Gottschalk's Latin rhythms coupled with the furious virtuosic lines of his European background come together to create a sound unprecedented at the time .