Sensemayá is a composition for orchestra by the Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas, which is based on the poem of the same title by the Cuban poet Nicolás Guillén. It is one of Revueltas's most famous compositions.
Guillén's poem evokes a ritual Afro-Caribbean chant performed while killing a snake:
Canto para matar una culebra :¡Mayombe-bombe-mayombé! :¡Mayombe-bombe-mayombé! :¡Mayombe-bombe-mayombé! :La culebra tiene los ojos de vidrio :la culebra viene y se enreda en un palo :Con sus ojos de vidrio, en un palo :Con sus ojos de vidrio :La culebra camina sin patas :La culebra se esconde en la yerba :Caminando se esconde en la yerba :Caminando sin patas :¡Mayombe-bombe-mayombe! :¡Mayombe-bombe-mayombé! :¡Mayombe-bombe-mayombé!
The poem "Sensemayá" is based on Afro-Cuban religious cults, preserved in the cabildos, self-organized social clubs for the African slaves. African religions were transmitted from generation to generation. In this poem we meet an adept known as the mayombero. He is knowledgeable in the area of herbal medicine, as well as being the leader of rituals. In Sensemayá, the mayombero leads a ritual which offers the sacrifice of a snake to a god. One of the main motives in Sensemayá is based on this word mayombero. This chant "mayombe, bombe mayombé", is an example of Guillén's use of repetition, derived from an actual ceremony.[1]
Orchestral composition
Revueltas first composed Sensemayá in Mexico City in 1937, in a version for small orchestra. In 1938, he expanded it into a full-scale orchestral work for 27 wind instruments (woodwinds and brass), 14 percussion instruments, and strings. As one advertising blurb for the score describes it:
The work begins with a slow trill in the bass clarinet as the percussion plays the sinuous, syncopated rhythm that drives the work. Soon a solo bassoon enters playing an eerie but rhythmic ostinato bassline. The tuba then enters playing the first of this work's two major themes, a muscular, ominous motif. Other brass join in to play the theme, growing louder and more emphatic, but rigorously yoked to the underlying rhythm. Eventually the horns blast as loudly as they can, with obsessive trills on the low clarinets far underneath, and the strings enter with the slashing second theme. The brass take up this new theme and bring it to a climax, after which the music returns to its opening texture. This recapitulation brings with it a mood of foreboding. The rhythm becomes even more obsessive, and finally the music reaches a massive climax during which both themes are played, overlapping, sometimes in part and sometimes in whole, by the entire orchestra in what sounds like a musical riot. The coda feels like the final dropping of a knife.[2]
Instrumentation
The score of the second version of Revueltas's composition calls for a large orchestra consisting of:
Dean, Jack Lee. 1992. "Silvestre Revueltas: A Discussion of the Background and Influences Affecting His Compositional Style". Ph.D. thesis. Austin: University of Texas at Austin.
Further reading
Ellis, Keith. 1983. Cuba's Nicolás Guillén: Poetry and Ideology. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
González Aktories, Susana, and Roberto Kolb. 1997. Sensemayá: Un juego de espejos entre música y poesía. México: JGH Editores. ISBN9789687860039.
González Aktories, Susana, and Roberto Kolb. 2011. "Sensemayá, entre rito, palabra y sonido: transposición intersemiótica y ecfrasis como condiciones de una mitopoiesis literaria y musical". In Entre artes, entre actos: Écfrasis e intermedialidad, edited by Susana Gonzáles Aktories and Irene Artigas, 293–316. México: UNAM.
Hoag, Charles K. 1987. "Sensemayá: A Chant for Killing a Snake." Latin American Music Review / Revista de Música Latinoamericana 8, no. 2 (Autumn): 172–84.
Jacobs, Glenn. Cuba's Bola de Nieve: A Creative Looking Glass for Culture and the Artistic Self. Latin American Music Review / Revista de Música Latinoamericana 9, no. 1 (Spring–Summer): 18–49.
Kaufman, Christopher. 1991. "Sensemayá: The Layer Procedures of Silvestre Revueltas". DMA thesis. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University.
Malone, Andrew Lindemann. n.d. "Sensemaya, for orchestra". Allmusic.com (accessed 30 October 2015).
Mayer-Serra, Otto. 1941. "Silvestre Revueltas and Musical Nationalism in Mexico." Musical Quarterly 27:123–45.
Rodríguez, Nilo. 1974. "Guillén va con la música". In Recopilación de textos sobre Nicolás Guillén, edited by Nancy Morejón, 171–75. Serie Valoración Múltiple. Havana: Casa de las Américas.
Sardinha, Dennis. 1976. The Poetry of Nicolás Guillén: An Introduction. London and Port of Spain: New Beacon Books. ISBN9780901241184; ISBN9780901241191.
Williams, Lorna V. 1982. Self and Society in the Poetry of Nicolás Guillén. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Zohn-Muldoon, Ricardo. 1998. "The Song of the Snake: Silvestre Revueltas' Sensemayá." Latin American Music Review / Revista de Música Latinoamericana 19, no. 2 (Autumn): 133–59.
Revueltas's Sensemayá, Leonard Bernstein's marked copy of the published study score (Schirmer). Leon Levy Digital Collection: International Era 1943–1970. New York Philharmonic Digital Archive (Accessed 6 July 2012).
Revueltas's Sensemayá, Leonard Bernstein's marked copy of the manuscript full score. Leon Levy Digital Collection: International Era 1943–1970. New York Philharmonic Digital Archive (Accessed 6 July 2012).
January 06, 2023
sensemayá, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, 2022, learn, whe. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Sensemaya news newspapers books scholar JSTOR May 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message Sensemaya is a composition for orchestra by the Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas which is based on the poem of the same title by the Cuban poet Nicolas Guillen It is one of Revueltas s most famous compositions Contents 1 Poem 2 Orchestral composition 2 1 Instrumentation 3 Notes 4 Sources 5 Further reading 6 External linksPoem EditGuillen s poem evokes a ritual Afro Caribbean chant performed while killing a snake Canto para matar una culebra Mayombe bombe mayombe Mayombe bombe mayombe Mayombe bombe mayombe La culebra tiene los ojos de vidrio la culebra viene y se enreda en un palo Con sus ojos de vidrio en un palo Con sus ojos de vidrio La culebra camina sin patas La culebra se esconde en la yerba Caminando se esconde en la yerba Caminando sin patas Mayombe bombe mayombe Mayombe bombe mayombe Mayombe bombe mayombe The poem Sensemaya is based on Afro Cuban religious cults preserved in the cabildos self organized social clubs for the African slaves African religions were transmitted from generation to generation In this poem we meet an adept known as the mayombero He is knowledgeable in the area of herbal medicine as well as being the leader of rituals In Sensemaya the mayombero leads a ritual which offers the sacrifice of a snake to a god One of the main motives in Sensemaya is based on this word mayombero This chant mayombe bombe mayombe is an example of Guillen s use of repetition derived from an actual ceremony 1 Orchestral composition EditRevueltas first composed Sensemaya in Mexico City in 1937 in a version for small orchestra In 1938 he expanded it into a full scale orchestral work for 27 wind instruments woodwinds and brass 14 percussion instruments and strings As one advertising blurb for the score describes it The work begins with a slow trill in the bass clarinet as the percussion plays the sinuous syncopated rhythm that drives the work Soon a solo bassoon enters playing an eerie but rhythmic ostinato bassline The tuba then enters playing the first of this work s two major themes a muscular ominous motif Other brass join in to play the theme growing louder and more emphatic but rigorously yoked to the underlying rhythm Eventually the horns blast as loudly as they can with obsessive trills on the low clarinets far underneath and the strings enter with the slashing second theme The brass take up this new theme and bring it to a climax after which the music returns to its opening texture This recapitulation brings with it a mood of foreboding The rhythm becomes even more obsessive and finally the music reaches a massive climax during which both themes are played overlapping sometimes in part and sometimes in whole by the entire orchestra in what sounds like a musical riot The coda feels like the final dropping of a knife 2 Instrumentation Edit The score of the second version of Revueltas s composition calls for a large orchestra consisting of woodwinds 4 flutes 2 doubling piccolos 2 oboes an English horn a piccolo clarinet in E flat 2 soprano clarinets in B flat a bass clarinet 3 bassoons a contrabassoon brasses 4 horns in F 4 trumpets in C 3 trombones and a tuba timpani and percussion 3 players xylophone claves maracas raspador gourd small Indian drum bass drum 2 tom toms high and low cymbals 2 gongs large and small a glockenspiel keyboards a piano a celesta strings violins 1st and 2nd violas violoncellos and basses Notes Edit Dean 1992 57 Anonymous Silvestre Revueltas Sensemaya score Musicroom comSources EditDean Jack Lee 1992 Silvestre Revueltas A Discussion of the Background and Influences Affecting His Compositional Style Ph D thesis Austin University of Texas at Austin Further reading EditEllis Keith 1983 Cuba s Nicolas Guillen Poetry and Ideology Toronto University of Toronto Press Gonzalez Aktories Susana and Roberto Kolb 1997 Sensemaya Un juego de espejos entre musica y poesia Mexico JGH Editores ISBN 9789687860039 Gonzalez Aktories Susana and Roberto Kolb 2011 Sensemaya entre rito palabra y sonido transposicion intersemiotica y ecfrasis como condiciones de una mitopoiesis literaria y musical In Entre artes entre actos Ecfrasis e intermedialidad edited by Susana Gonzales Aktories and Irene Artigas 293 316 Mexico UNAM Hoag Charles K 1987 Sensemaya A Chant for Killing a Snake Latin American Music Review Revista de Musica Latinoamericana 8 no 2 Autumn 172 84 Jacobs Glenn Cuba s Bola de Nieve A Creative Looking Glass for Culture and the Artistic Self Latin American Music Review Revista de Musica Latinoamericana 9 no 1 Spring Summer 18 49 Kaufman Christopher 1991 Sensemaya The Layer Procedures of Silvestre Revueltas DMA thesis Ithaca New York Cornell University Malone Andrew Lindemann n d Sensemaya for orchestra Allmusic com accessed 30 October 2015 Mayer Serra Otto 1941 Silvestre Revueltas and Musical Nationalism in Mexico Musical Quarterly 27 123 45 Rodriguez Nilo 1974 Guillen va con la musica In Recopilacion de textos sobre Nicolas Guillen edited by Nancy Morejon 171 75 Serie Valoracion Multiple Havana Casa de las Americas Sardinha Dennis 1976 The Poetry of Nicolas Guillen An Introduction London and Port of Spain New Beacon Books ISBN 9780901241184 ISBN 9780901241191 Williams Lorna V 1982 Self and Society in the Poetry of Nicolas Guillen Baltimore Johns Hopkins University Press Zohn Muldoon Ricardo 1998 The Song of the Snake Silvestre Revueltas Sensemaya Latin American Music Review Revista de Musica Latinoamericana 19 no 2 Autumn 133 59 External links EditText of the poem English and Spanish Sensemaya on YouTube Revueltas s Sensemaya Leonard Bernstein s marked copy of the published study score Schirmer Leon Levy Digital Collection International Era 1943 1970 New York Philharmonic Digital Archive Accessed 6 July 2012 Revueltas s Sensemaya Leonard Bernstein s marked copy of the manuscript full score Leon Levy Digital Collection International Era 1943 1970 New York Philharmonic Digital Archive Accessed 6 July 2012 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Sensemaya amp oldid 1087064381, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
