Juan Bautista Plaza and Musical Nationalism in Venezuela

7. The Educator, Part 1 (1923–1928)

7 The Educator, Part 1 (1923–1928) As a student in Rome, Plaza had reflected seriously on what needed to be accomplished in Venezuela in order to modernize art music culture. He had been particularly disturbed by the prevalence of poor taste in music, widespread ignorance of the masterworks of Western art music, and a general laziness that made Venezuelans disinclined to learn about new kinds of music. Education, he came to understand, was the best way to correct this situation. After returning to Caracas he dedicated himself to instructing his countrymen about music, and for the rest of his professional life he taught by any means possible—in the classroom, in public lectures, on radio, in newspapers and magazines, and even in music appreciation kits designed for schools in poor areas of the country.1 Plaza began seeking students shortly after returning from Rome in July 1923. He placed an announcement in a Caracas newspaper advertising private lessons in musicianship, harmony, counterpoint, fugue, and sacred and secular composition, as well as complementary studies in instrumental style and interpretation, especially piano.2 Not long afterward he accepted a position as professor of harmony and composition at the only state-supported music institute in Venezuela, the School of Music and Declamation. The appointment began on January 3, 1924, and ended in late 1928 or early 1929, when he evidently resigned because his courses were underenrolled. This is not necessarily a reflection on the quality of his instruction, however . Composition study in Venezuela was not systematized, so his courses may have been perceived as optional. As it turned out, that short-lived ap- pointment marked the beginning of an association with the school that was to last more than thirty-five years. In 1931 he renewed his ties with the institution , as Venezuela’s first professor of music history. Harmony and composition no longer formed part of his teaching responsibilities, although sixteen years later he expanded his duties to include a course in musical aesthetics . During 1924, Plaza’s first year at the school, he published his only educational translation: Robert Schumann’s Rules for Young Musicians, a collection of aesthetic and pedagogical aphorisms.3 Schumann’s maxims express much of Plaza’s own philosophy about good musical taste, the value of masterpieces of music literature, and the importance of discipline and perseverance in musical study. Schumann dealt with a number of themes that were dear to Plaza and that would soon recur in his newspaper articles . For example, Schumann wrote:4 Do not judge a work after the first hearing; what pleases at first is not always the best. The masters must be studied. There are many things that you will not see clearly until you are older. (Number 51) Children fed on pastries and candy do not grow up healthy. The food of the spirit, like that of the body, should be simple and fortifying. The great masters have provided abundantly; avail yourself of their works. (Number 19) Schumann shared Plaza’s estimation of national folk music: Listen with attention to folk melodies, which constitute a rich source of most beautiful melodies that lend themselves to facilitating the study of the special character of the different nations. (Number 47) Some of Schumann’s thoughts concerning a balanced education had already occurred to Plaza. These are articulated in aphorisms such as the following : Rest from your musical studies with the reading of good poets. And accustom yourself to walking often in the countryside. (Number 36) Study life attentively and also acquire knowledge of other arts and sciences. (Number 58) Educational Lecturer, 1927–1964 In 1927 Plaza began lecturing publicly on music. His lectures included public talks, radio programs, and informative presentations to concert audiences . Typically he dealt with music appreciation, history of Western The Educator, Part 1 / 75 music, individual composers, Venezuelan colonial music, or musical nationalism . Whenever possible he supplemented his commentary with recorded or live musical examples. After about 1940, he occasionally presented groups of lectures that covered a broader subject area than could be dealt with in a single talk. Some of these series were actually conceived as music appreciation courses and were advertised as such.5 Plaza’s thirty-seven-year career as an educational lecturer began gradually . His first public lecture was “The Origins of Opera in Italy,” given in the concert hall of the School of Music and Declamation on December...