Incans, Liberators, and Jungle Princesses: The Development of Nationalism in the Art Music of Ecuador

Abstract

From its first appearance more than a hundred years ago, musical nationalism in Ecuadorean art music has developed in response to diverse influences and factors. At times, these expressions have been constructed around various notions of identity and consequently have been directed at different elements of society. Through large-scale compositions, such as symphonic works, operas, and ballets, it is possible to observe this development more clearly and to identify elements of national identity. In this article I seek to create a framework for understanding this development by examining such large-scale works and through a detailed reading of testimonial evidence both written and spoken by Ecuadorean musicians. resumen: Desde su primera aparicion hace mas de cien anos, se ha desarrollado el nacionalismo musical en la musica culta ecuatoriana en respuesta a diversas influencias y factores. A veces, estas expresiones han sido construidas alrededor de varias nociones de identidad y consecuentemente han sido destinadas a elementos distintos de la sociedad. A traves de las composiciones a gran escala, tales como las orquestales, operas y ballets, es posible observar este desarrollo mas claramente e identificar elementos de identidad nacional. En este articulo busco crear un marco para poder entender este desarrollo no solo a traves del analisis de esta composiciones, sino tambien a traves de una lectura detallada de la evidencia testimonial, tanto escrita como oral de los musicos ecuatorianos.