String Quartets by Revueltas: In Search of a Critical Edition in "Musica de Feria"

<p>Música de Feria (1932) is the fourth and last string quartet written by the Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas Sánchez (1899-1940). The descriptive title of the piece, given by the composer himself, suggests the depiction of a Mexican “Fair” or “Festival” with its implied chaos, crowds, noises, dances, and of course, music. The single movement piece takes the listeners into a high energized journey with its sudden changes of tempo, color, and texture, all of this achieved in just under ten minutes of music. This quartet is by far the most popular, performed, and recorded of all four. Nevertheless, Música de Feria, along with the other quartets, remains largely unknown outside of the reduced, but enthusiastic, circle of Revueltas followers around the world, with the expected exception of his home country Mexico and some Latin American countries. In order to help us understand this work better, as well as to make a case for its inclusion to the twentieth-century string quartet canon, this dissertation provides a comprehensive research based on three different perspectives: An Overview of Revueltas’ life and Musical Style, a General Description of the Quartets with a particular emphasis on the String Quartet No. 4, and a Critical Commentary on the Published Edition and the Manuscript. This last part, a Critical Commentary, closely examines and identifies errors in the Published Edition when compare to the Manuscript. It also focuses on ambiguous markings made by Revueltas himself, highlights possible mistakes in the Manuscript, and finally proposes informed solutions to performers.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA)

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Music

Grantor

Music

Year dc:date.available

2016

Author dc:creator

• Galvan-Herrera, Rafael

• manuscripts
• critical editions
• mexican music
• string quartets
• musica de feria
• revueltas

Statement dc:rights

• Student has submitted appropriate documentation to restrict access to LSU for 365 days after which the document will be released for worldwide access.

Identifier

etd-04112016-145117
https://repository.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/1024

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repository.lsu.edu:gradschool_dissertations-2023