Download Slide 1

Mexican
Marimba Bands
vs.
Paul Creston
Musical Comparison By:
Joshua Frank
Region


The central American marimba has spread
through ought Guatemala, Mexico,
Nicaragua, Honduras, and Costa Rica.
Primary location for popular Mexican
marimba music is Chiapas, Mexico.
(state symbol of Chiapas)
Chiapas, Mexico (Demographics)
Size: 73,289 km2 (28,297 sq mi).
 Population: 4,293,459 (2005).
 Ethnicities: 55% Mestizo, 40%
indigenous (Mayan descent), 5% other.
 Religion: practice either Catholicism or
other faiths introduced through vast
immigration, very diverse area.
 Poor and undeveloped economy, its
population consists mostly of rural
farmers.
 Southern most state of Mexico, most
likely influenced by neighboring central
American countries.

Marimba Bands
of Mexico



This music is performed by small ensembles on the
streets and establishments of Mexico.
May feature additional instruments, but for the most part
consists solely of multiple performers on one or more
marimbas.
Tourists usually associate the sound of these musicians
as poolside vacation music, but marimba bands can vary
in both appearance and performance image.
Marimba
The Mexican marimbas used by
these bands are usually 4-5
octaves of carved wooden keys
secured over hanging resonators.
 Both keys and resonators vary in
size, coinciding with their distinct
pitch (lower pitches=bigger
keys/resonators, higher
pitches=smaller keys/resonators).
 Performers play on keys with
mallets, holding up to as many as 3
in each hand.

Additional Instruments
Guitar and Bass
– Both acoustic and electric, 4-6 string.
 Steel Drums
– Big metal containers hammered
inward/outward to produce a range of voices
from soprano to bass.
 Percussion
– Small acoustic hand drums (congas, cajon,
etc.), shakers, bells, rarely features actual
drum set.

(congas)
Mexican Marimba Music



In contrast to the more casual street performed
music, this is a professionally recorded piece.
“Jugo de Piña” (“Pineapple Juice”) performed by
La Marimba Orquesta de Chiapas.
Featuring harmonized marimba melody over
additional instruments traditionally played in
marimba bands.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_p1Y_
WOGNaw&feature=related
Paul Creston



Born October 10, 1906 in New York City as an Italian
American growing up in urban America.
Birth name was Giuseppe Guttoveggio, but changed to
Paul Creston once he entered the world of composing.
Died August 24, 1985 in San Diego, CA after his poor
recovery from surgery dealing with a malignant tumor.
Biography





Lived in a poor household of Italian immigrants,
occasionally visiting Sicily with his mother.
Creston took and surpassed elementary music
lessons as a child, but was forced to drop out of
school all together at age 15 to help support his
family.
Eventually found work as a church organist,
allowing him to create and publish his work
“Seven Theses” with the help of future advocate
Henry Cowell.
Accepted a teaching position at Cummington
School of the Arts in Massachusetts, launching his
popularity in the music community.
Finding success as a great American composer,
Creston wrote music for television shows and
approximately 121 original compositions.
“Concertino for Marimba”
Completed and dedicated to
Frederique Petrides, conductor of
the Orchestrette Classique, in
March of 1940.
 Written in 3 movements;
Vigorous, Calm, Lively.
 Using meters such as 4/4, 3/4,
and 6/8.
 This piece revolutionized the use
of percussive instruments in
classical musical.
 For the first time, percussion
carried the main melody.

Composition


Comparison will focus on “Vigorous”, the first movement
of Creston’s composition.
The piece revolves around a soloing marimba with
transitions (usually done by an orchestra) featuring a
rhythm piano part.
http://www.youtube.com/wat
ch?v=7fyY3bn0Ur8
Musical Comparison



“Jugo de Piña”
– constant flowing rhythm
– percussion to drive tempo, 4/4 meter
– harmonized consecutive melodies
– more simplistic scales and theory
“Concertino For Marimba”
– sudden phrase changes
– 3/4 meter
– solo melody
– complex scales and theory
Similarities
– marimba medium
– rolling sustains
– rhythms on the upbeat
– feature both melody and lead voice
Works Cited
http://open.salon.com/blog/berrycomposer/2009/10/02/
classical_music_review_american_composer_paul_cresto
n
 http://www.schirmer.com/default.aspx?TabId=2419&Sta
te_2872=2&ComposerId_2872=301
 http://www.travelchiapas.com/about/about-1.php
 http://arenagrouponline.com/pages/entertainment/availa
ble_entertainment.html
 http://www.steeldrumisland.com/steeldrums/
 http://www.schirmer.com/default.aspx?TabId=2420&Sta
te_2874=2&workId_2874=27060
 http://www.naxos.com/person/Paul_Creston/22406.htm
 http://library.umkc.edu/spec-col-collections/creston
