A Guide to the Latin American Art Song Repertoire: An Annotated Catalog of Twentieth-Century Art Songs for Voice and Piano

6 Costa Rica

140 6 Costa Rica Art music in Costa Rica before the nineteenth century was primarily used in religious worship as part of Catholicism.1 Native Costa Rican composers first began composing art music in the nineteenth century, and by the second half of the century, the musical life of Costa Rica was largely shaped by European influences. The domination of Italian opera brought foreign opera companies on tour through San José, and teachers from Europe were brought in as music educators.2 There were several different types of vocal compositions prevalent at the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth . Songs for educational purposes, such as those by José Joa­quín Vargas Calvo (1879–1956), José Daniel Zuñiga Zeledón (1889–1981), and Alcides Prado Quesada (1900–1984), proved to be important not only for music education but also for Costa Rican nationalism.3 The main composers of art song during this time were Julio Fonseca and Julio Mata Oreamuno. Fonseca was considered to be a nationalistic composer , although his style is basically Romantic and Impressionistic in conception. Music in Costa Rica was able to flourish in a way that it could not in other Latin American countries, due to government funding. In the 1940s, the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Costa Rica and the Conservatorio Nacional de Música (now the Escuela de Artes Musicales de la Universidad de Costa Rica) were founded.4 Costa Rican composers in general use less folk material than other Latin American composers, perhaps in part because they are generally of European descent.5 Traditional folk music, which comes primarily from the northwest region of Guanacaste, has typical rhyth­mic and melodic elements as well as instruments. costa rica 141 Important figures extending into the latter part of the twentieth centuryincludeCarlosEnriqueVargas(1919–1998),BenjaminGutiérrez Sáenz (1937–), Bernal Flores (1937–), Rocío Sanz Quirós (1934–1993), Dolores Castegnaro (1900–1979), Ricardo Ulloa Barrenechea (1928–), and Jorge Luis Acevedo Vargas (1943–). The anthology Canciones costarricenses contains a selection of songs by the aforementioned composers that vary in texture, range, style, and difficulty. Published by the University of Costa Rica (CEDIM), the anthology is also available in the United States through interlibrary loan from Tulane University and Eastern Illinois University.6 Acevedo, Medardo Guido, 1913–2007 6.1, Canto a cañas, —, Medardo Guido Acevedo, A3–D5, Low-med, Arr. Jorge Acevedo Vargas, UCR, Antología de música guanacasteca, — 6.2, Despedida, —, Medardo Guido Acevedo, C#4–F#5, Med-high, Arr. Jorge Acevedo Vargas, UCR, Antología de música guanacasteca, — 6.3, Junto al tempisque (Danza), —, Medardo Guido Acevedo, C4–F5, Medhigh , Arr. Jorge Acevedo Vargas, UCR, Antología de música guanacasteca, — Acevedo, Medardo Guido and Guillermo Chaves 6.4, Espíritu guanacasteco, —, Medardo Guido Acevedo, C4–D5, Med, Arr. Jorge Acevedo Vargas, UCR, Antología de música guanacasteca, — Acevedo, Medardo Guido and José Ortiz 6.5, Bagaceñista, —, Medardo Guido Acevedo, A3–D5, Low-med, Arr. Jorge Luis Acevedo Vargas, UCR, Antología de música guanacasteca, — Acevedo Jácamo, Pasión 6.6, Pasión (Aire de pasillo guanacasteco), —, Roberto Arce, —, MC, Música tradicional costarricense, — Acevedo Vargas, Jorge Luis, 1943– 6.7, Los amanezqueros, —, Jorge Acevedo Vargas, C4–D5, Med, Arr. Jorge Acevedo Vargas, UCR, Antología de música guanacasteca , — 6.8, Quijonguito, —, Jorge Acevedo Vargas, C4–D5, Med, Arr. Gerardo Duarte R., UCR, Antología de música guanacasteca, — Alfagüell, Mario, 1948– 6.9, 30 Canciones para la patria de ayer y ma- ñana, op. 81, 1996, —, —, —, —, —, LCP, — 6.10, Canción integrata, op. 18, 1982, —, —, Female voice, —, —, LCP, — 6.11, Serenata, op. 33, 1989, —, —, Soprano, Juan Rulfo, —, LCP, — 6.12, Siete canciones amerindias, op. 165a, 2005, —, —, Soprano, Indigenous Costa Rican texts, —, LCP, — a guide to the latin ­american art song repertoire 142 Aráuz, Ramiro 6.13, Bienvenido y el barroso, —, Medardo Guido Acevedo, C4–E5, Med, Arr. Jorge Acevedo Vargas, UCR, Antología de música guanacasteca, — Bonilla Chavarria, Jesus, 1912– 6.14, Noche en la selva, —, Guillermo Ortiz S., —, —, —, ED, La patria canta, + Campabadal G., Roberto, 1881–? 6.15, En Puntarenas (Popular), —, Lisímaco Chavarría, —, —, —, ED, La patria canta, + Campos Chanto, Alirio 6.16, Caminamos, 1978, Emma Gamboa, E4–F5, Med-high, —, m, MEP, Ciclo de 26 canciones y 2 corales, — 6.17, Como abejas, 1978, Emma Gamboa, D4–D5, Med...