Juan Bautista Plaza and Musical Nationalism in Venezuela

12. The Mature Journalist; Writings on Nationalism in Music (1929–1948)

12 The Mature Journalist; Writings on Nationalism in Music (1929–1948) Plaza’s Newspaper Articles Promoting Music and Musicians Plaza took seriously his self-appointed responsibility to educate the public about developments in Caracas concert life. Fortunately, local periodicals welcomed his articles about musical events and specific composers. Articles on these subjects make up the majority of his journalistic output. In contrast, Plaza seldom published articles on music appreciation or music history. He preferred to lecture on those subjects, probably because he could illustrate his remarks with live or recorded musical examples. In 1932, however, he decided to write a series of articles on music appreciation and history for El Nuevo Diario. These twelve pieces appeared more or less weekly between March and July of 1932.1 One purpose of the series was to encourage readers to expand their listening habits to include contemporary music. Some of the articles mentioned current European trends, and two were devoted entirely to contemporary harmony, rhythm, timbre, form, and aesthetic.2 Aware that modern idioms sounded strange or foreign to the majority of his compatriots, Plaza used those two articles to stress the necessity of submitting one’s ear to a patient, methodical process of education guided by an ample and tolerant spirit. Most of Plaza’s other articles from the 1930s and early 1940s, however, dealt with concerts in Caracas. Whenever possible, he wrote to encourage promising efforts to improve concert life. For example, in 1933 he praised a recent improvement in programming at the School of Music and Declamation , casting the endeavor in a patriotic light: [I]t is necessary to note that the director of the School, Mr. Ascanio Negret[t]i —who has only been in the position for a few months—has succeeded in modifying in the most commendable way the approach which so far has presided in the preparation of the concert programs of the Institute. It was the inveterate custom, in fact, that said programs only consisted of very well-known arias belonging to the most popular operas (the majority Italian) and with regard to instrumental music, pieces for piano or violin of little artistic value, although generally of great brilliance and virtuosity in order to show off the student, even though he might still not be sufficiently prepared for such feats. . . . It is evident that in the coming year, if work continues with ever-increasing enthusiasm in support of a true artistic ideal, our National Academy of Music will carry out even more interesting accomplishments, thus making itself each time more deserving of the approval of all who aspire to see the artistic culture of our Fatherland shine on high.3 More numerous than this type of article, however, were the approximately sixty-four pieces that Plaza published to develop educated audiences ; he wrote forty-two for El Universal alone. Most such articles appeared during the 1930s and were a reflection of the growing quantity and quality of concerts in the capital during that decade. Plaza’s articles about concerts in Caracas generally followed a basic format: (1) near the beginning they provided information about an unfamiliar genre, debunked a misconception, or scolded the public for poor attendance; (2) they spoke glowingly about the excellence of the artist(s) and described the works that were performed or were about to be performed; (3) if the concert had already taken place there was mention of the audience’s enthusiastic applause, even if attendance was sparse; (4) a brief concluding paragraph urged the public to attend the next concert of the artist or ensemble. A typical example is a piece about visiting Spanish guitarist Regino Sainz de la Maza. Written for El Universal in 1934, the lengthy article (drastically shortened below) seeks to counteract the popular misconception that the guitar is merely a folk instrument and to stimulate interest in Sainz de la Maza as a performer, musicologist, and composer: The worldwide fame enjoyed by Sainz de la Maza is due not only to his excellent qualities as interpreter—joined with his rare skill as a performer of very personal technique—but also to the fact that this notable artist has revealed himself, besides, as one of the highest figures representative of the “youthful sensibility of this great Spanish moment, renewed and powerful,” as César Arconada expresses it. . . . 132 / Plaza’s Life and Works In a general sense the guitar is nothing...