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Scan 147
Harvard Dictionary Of Music(1950), 1950
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1CHILEAN MUSIC
3Himno de Yunguay. In 1842 he founded a symphony orchestra in Santiago and in 1864 was appointed choirmaster of the cathedral there. Other important musical pioneers were Federico Guzmán (1837–85), pianist and composer of over 200 works in Romantic style; Guillermo Frick (1813–96), amateur composer and founder of the Club Musical of Valdivia; and Francisco Oliva, from 1860 director of the National Conservatory (founded in 1850).
5Chile occupies a prominent place in the contemporary musical scene of South America, thanks to a notable group of composers born in the 1880’s and ’90’s. Most of these composers, while not neglecting “pure” or abstract music, have imbued their works with national traits derived largely from Chilean folk music. The dean of this nationalist school is Humberto Allende (b. 1885), who studied at the National Conservatory in Santiago and has been active as a teacher of violin and composition. Among his major compositions are the symphonic poems Escenas Campesinas Chilenas and La Voz de las Calles, and Tres Tonadas for soli, chorus, and orchestra. Among his piano works, the Tonadas de carácter popular chileno have been widely played. He has also written a violin concerto, chamber music (incl. a String Quartet, 1926), songs, etc. His younger brother, Adolfo Allende (b. 1892), is also esteemed as a composer. Carlos Isamitt (b. 1885), who is both painter and composer, has written a notable orchestral work entitled Friso Araucano (the Araucanian Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of Chile), some chamber music (incl. 3 string quartets), Childhood Scenes for piano, etc. Samuel Negrete (b. 1893), Hector Melo (b. 1899), Prospero Bisquerrt (b. 1881), Alfonso Leng (b. 1884), Carlos Lavín (b. 1883), and Enrique Soro (b. 1884) are other notable composers. Most promising of the younger composers are Jorge Urrutia (b. 1905), René Amengual (b. 1911), and Alfonso Letelier (b. 1912).
7Domingo Santa Cruz Wilson (b. 1899) is the leader of organized musical activity in Chile as well as an outstanding composer in the modern vein. A pupil of Soro in Chile and of Del Campo in Spain, he founded the Bach Society of Chile and in 1933 became dean of the faculty of fine arts of the University of Chile. He is also professor of composition and musicology at the National Conservatory, and since 1940 president of the newly-created Institute of Musical Extension, which centralizes and controls virtually the whole of Chile’s concert activity (orchestra, chorus, chamber music, and ballet). As a composer Santa Cruz has written a Suite for Strings, a string quartet, choruses, Cinco Poemas Trágicos for piano, songs, etc. His music has depth and distinction, with polytonal tendencies.
9Chile’s principal conductor is Armando Carvajal (b. 1893), director of the National Symphony Orchestra. Claudio Arrau (b. 1904) is the best-known Chilean pianist, while the younger pianist Arnaldo Tapia-Caballero has gained favorable recognition.
11There is no indigenous influence in the popular music of Chile, since the descendants of the aboriginal inhabitants have remained in isolation, preserving their own arts and customs instead of mixing with the Spanish population.
13Chilean dances are the *cueca and the *esquinazo.
15Lit.: E. Pereira Salas, Los orígenes del arte musical en Chile (Santiago, 1941); H. Allende, “Chilean Folk Music” (Bull. of the Pan American Union, vol. 65, no. 9); N. Slonimsky, “Chilean Composers” (Musical America, vol. 63, no. 10); C. S. Smith, “The Composers of Chile” (MM xix, no. 1).
17G. C.
19Chimes. See *Percussion instruments A, 5. The term is also loosely used for a set of bells (gongs, etc.) and for the orchestral *glockenspiel. Cf. W. W. Starmer, in PMA xxxiv, xxxvi.
21Chiming. See under *Bell.
23Ch’in. An important traditional instrument of the Chinese and of the Japanese, who call it koto. It is frequently referred to as “Chinese lute,” although actually it is a long zither, consisting of a lengthy
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