Guadalupe: Virgen De Los Indios
The San Antonio Vocal Arts Ensemble hits a high mark with this recording of indigenous Mexican and Central American homages to the Virgin of Guadalupe. Historically, the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to Nahua Indian Juan Diego in 1531, prompting a flush of visual arts, crafts, and musical compositions. These 18 pieces reach back to the mid-16th century, and to approximate the period's likely fusion of formal, through-composed Spanish practices with indigenous improvisatory methods, SAVAE has scripted percussion and flute accompaniment to the European-tinged vocals. Culled from cathedral archives, the vocal parts are as richly reverential as almost any comparable work from continental Europe, centering their tones in the lower register and proceeding at loosely articulated intervals. The added instruments work well as nuance, accentuation, and contrasts: the clay flutes--used only occasionally--create at once an airiness and timbrally scouring undertones. The percussion (mostly log and clay drums) is similarly deep-toned and wispy, providing an often gently propulsive rhythmic framework. In many cases, these compositions have never before been recorded. Add to this historical value the mix of national styles, and this package is downright vital to Latin American music enthusiasts and early-music cognoscenti alike.--Andrew Bartlett