<![CDATA[ANTHONY LUIS SANCHEZ: Composer and Musicologist - Blog]]>Fri, 26 Jun 2026 11:16:41 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[Freedom's Past and Present (2026)]]>Wed, 17 Jun 2026 14:20:03 GMThttps://www.anthonyluissanchez.com/blog/freedoms-past-and-present-2026
for small orchestra

Music by Anthony L. Sanchez (b. 1988) and Dr. Joseph Warren (1741-1775), Public Domain

Copyright © 2026 by ZEKE SPILLED INK MUSIC (ASCAP), Savannah, GA

Created using MuseScore 4 - Not made with A.I.

Photograph by M. Goretti, taken in Fort Morris State Historic Site in Midway, GA in February 2026 - Not made with A.I.

Video edited and synchronized using YouCut (app)

​The full score and parts to this music are available now on my Patreon:
www.patreon.com/anthonylsanchezcomposer/posts/freedoms-past-161187681?utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=android_share

Freedom’s Past and Present (2026) functions as a companion piece to my solo piano work On the Legacy of Independence, which I composed earlier this year. Both works commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the “Declaration of Independence” and official establishment of the United States during the American Revolution (1775-1783). While I had set part of that historical document to music in my previous piece, I apply an instrumental “Theme and Variations” structure in Freedom’s Past and Present by gradually altering the pre-Revolutionary War tune “Free America” (1774) by Dr. Joseph Warren (1741-1775). The tune in question derives from a colonial “parody” of “British Grenadiers” (originally of Dutch origin, author unknown). I chose this tune for several reasons. While “The Star-Spangled Banner” has served as the United States national anthem, it did not exist in that condition during the American Revolution.  I also deemed “Free America”/“British Grenadiers” a more appropriate way to illustrate the complexities concerning the American Revolution and 1776 to show that, while most colonists fought against the British monarchy, others remained loyal to the Crown during the war. I also demonstrate how romanticized interpretations of American independence can alter its overall meaning over time.
]]><![CDATA[Songs from The Capeman (1997), by Paul Simon: Album Review]]>Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:30:10 GMThttps://www.anthonyluissanchez.com/blog/songs-from-the-capeman-1997-by-paul-simon-album-review
Warning: The following review describes graphic violence and features video clips with excessive and pervasive language. Viewer discretion advised.
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Songs from The Capeman presents an album that represents a stark departure for pop singer and songwriter Paul Simon (b. 1941). It features a preview of songs that were eventually included in the 1998 Broadway musical, The Capeman, which Simon collaborated on with Derek Walcott. The musical focuses on the life of Salvador Agron (1943-1986), a Puerto Rican poet and former member of the Vampires street gang who was charged with double murder in New York City in 1959 at age 16 for stabbing two children and served twenty years in prison. The Broadway production proved a colossal failure due to the negative critical reception from audiences regarding the thematic material and stylistic choices. Both the musical and album combine 1950s doo-wop with genres from the transnational Puerto Rican musical diaspora via salsa, bomba, musica jibara, and other genres.  

Evidence from the album liner notes and biographical information respectively indicate that Paul Simon grew dissatisfied with musicals in the late twentieth century that he perceived as lacking originality and wished to do something different with musical theater.[1] He began working on The Capeman in 1989 while writing songs for his Rhythm of the Saints album (1990). His decision to explore Salvador Agron’s life through music stemmed from the connection that Simon had with also having grown up in New York City in the 1950s and his collective memories regarding public reactions to the murder in 1959: most notably, by the vitriolic rhetoric from the press and testimonies from Agron himself. The fact that Agron displayed candid contempt for authority and had no remorse for his actions back then did not alleviate the situation. [2] In many respects, Paul Simon and Derek Walcott present a more realistic 1950s that offers a darker depiction of gang warfare and racial discrimination in New York City. Both the Broadway production and album contain lyrics with abundant profanities via “f-words” and pervasive language. In addition to fusing doo-wop with musical genres from Latin America and the Caribbean, The Capeman incorporates sung dialog throughout the production.  

While the show has undergone revivals, the latest one from 2010, full recordings for The Capeman prove difficult to find. One can, however, find the documentary film The Capeman on Broadway, which concerns the musical and the processes involved. The documentary not only shows footage from the testimony by Salvador Agron. It also presents the collaboration between Simon and Walcott in St. Lucia while working on songs for the show, in addition to the casting and rehearsals that took place in 1996 (including moments with personal tension due to conflicting creative ideas). The original production featured a predominantly Latino cast, with Marc  Anthony and Ruben Blades respectively portraying Salvador Agron from youth to adulthood and Ednita Nazario portraying Agron’s mother.  

The Capeman attempts to humanize Agron by depicting him as more than just a criminal. He was someone with a purpose in life whose actions affected his family and whose time in prison caused him to alter his ways. That same humanization also backfired by causing outrage from audiences in 1998: many of whom either misinterpreted the musical as glorifying murder or who took umbrage at Paul Simon for trying to incorporate different musical genres. That last aspect presents some irony given that more contemporary musicals, like the works by Lin Manuel Miranda (In the Heights and Hamilton), apply Latin American music and hip hop and have mostly received critical praise.  
 
Songs from The Capeman includes thirteen tracks of the over thirty songs from the Broadway production. Simon reworks the songs so that the result sounds more like a concept album with Latin American music and doo-wop. He periodically intersperses audio clips from Salvador Agron speaking to news reporters after his capture by the police. These clips function as the glue that holds Songs from The Capeman together to give the album consistency. This does not mean that the album does not contain odd moments, however. Simon sings most of the songs himself, with a few moments from other artists. This decision can initially come off as jarring to listeners, especially when Simon spouts profanities on tracks like “The Vampires,” or when he sings the track “Can I Forgive Him?”: a song intended to represent how Salvador Agron’s mother felt about her son’s crime and conviction.[3] The liner notes to the songs also include lyrics assigned by the characters in the Broadway production, even though Simon sings most of the parts on Songs from The Capeman. In that respect, the album serves as an intimate glimpse into how Paul Simon approaches the material and to offer listeners a sample of what the music from the production sounds like.

[1] Marc Eliot, “The Singing Capeman,” in Paul Simon: A Life (Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2010), 218-230; Paul Simon, Songs from The Capeman (New York: Warner Bros. Music, Inc., 1997), Liner Nores.

[2] The liner notes for Songs from The Capeman demonstrate that the title for the musical derived from an infamous nickname that the New York City newspapers used to identify Salvador Agron because he wore a black cape.

[3] Paul Simon, Songs from The Capeman (New York: Warner Bros. Music, Inc., 1997), Tr. 5; Tr. 7.]]><![CDATA[Other Tactics for Marketing Music and Avoiding Potential Scams]]>Thu, 16 Apr 2026 20:17:41 GMThttps://www.anthonyluissanchez.com/blog/other-tactics-for-marketing-music-and-avoiding-potential-scamsI discussed in one of my previous posts last month that music marketing often requires the artist to stay vigilant and attentive to potential online scams. Consider this current post an expansion on what I previously said. Locating jobs related to music can prove difficult at times due to unpredictability. Even though creating an accurate and honest resume and Curriculum Vitae (CV) can help secure work for a potential candidate, such documentation alone does not suffice. The artist must also showcase their skills and demonstrate what they can do. I present this process through “Demo Reels.” They clearly show clips from audiovisual works and collaborations from my creative output over the years. I have intentionally inserted these reels on the “Home” page of my website so that potential visitors know what kind of works to expect from me in advance should they commission music.
Artists in this current era must also be aware that some job postings in the field are not always what they seem. It helps to conduct searches online to determine the legitimacy of a given company or organization for freelance or academic work. This shows whether or not a company or organization is officially accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and can elicit audience feedback via reviews and complaints from customers or clients. Here are some factors and situations to think about when searching for remote or location-based music jobs:
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  1. The advertised institution or company features questionable background information about their history or services.
  2. The company or website applies paid subscriptions and online job markets with polarizing services.
  3. Customers often experience short trial periods with little time to react when the trial periods end.
  4. Some paying customers also complain of being overcharged with monthly fees.
  5. Customers often find it difficult to cancel subscriptions and lessons.
  6. Success largely depends on how well the potential candidate for the job knows a given subject, which varies drastically based on audience feedback.
  7. Some customers complain about deceptive or unethical business practices from a company or institution, leading them to proclaim that they are scam.
  8. Potential candidates receive decent compensation, but the job applicant must find the clients on their own. This especially applies when tutoring or creating a private music studio for teaching.
  9. The qualifications for freelance music composition jobs vary by what a given project requires.
  10.  Qualifications for a job depend on how well the skills on an applicant’s resume match what the job requires.
  11. Some job postings can appear new, but they are outdated.
  12. Some job listings receive “promoted” advertisements to increase visibility and persuade potential applicants.
  13.  The time to apply and submit works for consideration varies, with some offering a surprisingly short window of opportunity.
]]><![CDATA[About the Current State of AI and U. S. Copyright]]>Mon, 16 Mar 2026 17:20:10 GMThttps://www.anthonyluissanchez.com/blog/on-the-current-state-of-ai-and-u-s-copyrightThe United States Supreme Court recently rejected copyright eligibility for artistic content generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI). The decision stemmed from the Thalmer v. Perlmutter case from March 2, 2026 and ruled that any work of art created entirely by AI cannot have copyright status. Thinking back to my recent Symphony (In the Age of Artificiality) (2019-2025), I explained that I applied an “Electronic Voice” in the final movement of the piece. I created the text for the “Electronic Voice” via the text2speech.org website. That website does not, however, implement generative AI. It functions as more traditional “Text-to-Speech” (TTS) conversion programming instead. The computerized voices available on the website also do not apply more realistic emotional inflections that "sound" human. The website also requires human effort. I physically typed the text into the given space on the website, chose a computerized voice to narrate the words, and downloaded the narration as an audio file to include for my electroacoustic orchestral piece. The end result produced electronic speech that I intentionally wanted to sound cold, and monotone and eerie to complement the overall theme for the Symphony about invasive technology in the arts.      
]]><![CDATA[On Music Marketing Netiquette]]>Thu, 12 Mar 2026 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.anthonyluissanchez.com/blog/on-music-marketing-netiquette(The following is an expansion of materials that I wrote on LinkedIn earlier this month. My original posts concentrated on how to identify potentially misleading conversations and  online scams when trying to collaborate, market music, or other business purposes. The information and guidelines that I provide are based primarily on my personal experiences as a composer and musician and do not necessarily reflect the same situations for everyone.) 

I wrote several discussions in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic concerning rules that composers should follow in relation to collaboration projects and online etiquette. Six years later I must expand on what I have said, albeit in relation to how I have structured my website and musical output. As someone who runs a self-publishing music company registered through the American Society of Composers and Performers (ASCAP), I create every aspect of a given musical score or audio recording and digital publication for distribution on my Patreon. I assemble each publication myself and provide the necessary title page, “Table of Contents” (if applicable), program notes, score, and back matter so that the digital publication gets treated like a book.[1] I primarily use the Audacity music editing freeware to create and edit audio files of my electronic and acoustic pieces.
 
The processes that I follow require much attention and effort. That is why I usually try to make it a habit to direct potential clients to my website if they are interested in my work. While I originally included a questionnaire that I created through Google Forms, I deleted and replaced it with a basic form on my “Contact” page. I also manage a SoundCloud page and a YouTube channel to post my works available for purchase. I keep track of which people interact with and respond to my music. With that said, the potential for fake audience engagement through “bots” tend to become more prominent: especially in an era where anything generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming normalized. Here are some warning signs that can indicate potential scams:

1) The business or person in question writes first, often without context.

2)  Language barriers aside, their messages are filled with too many grammatical and typographical errors or they give the impression that they are desperate for attention.

3) The conversation starts out as polite, but the tone quickly shifts to something that sounds too good to be true.

4) The person on the other end asks questions like “Can I ask you something?” or “Can you do me a favor?” These kinds of questions can indicate potential harassment and are usually code for “Give me your money!”

5) The person falsely claims to have a family member in your field of expertise and is offering paid work for a large sum of money by randomly mentioning a contract that requires an immediate signature.

6) Someone asks for personally sensitive information and does not stop until they get what they want. That attitude usually indicates a complete disrespect for privacy.

7) The conversation indicates a collaboration, but you find yourself having to do all the work while they do nothing but come up with excuses.

8) Someone asks you to pay them for your work.

9) Conducting thorough searches online reveals that the company that they claim to work for does not exist.

I have one final point before concluding this post. If you are on SoundCloud or YouTube and you follow or like my work, please refrain from sending messages about "music promotion" and "audience growth." I am going to assume that you're trying to spam me with dubious paid services scam tactics. Those kinds of messages are also incredibly rude and disrespectful to artists, many of whom already devote their time and energy to their craft. The last thing that they want to do is to pay for something that does not deliver or truly benefit them.


[1] While I initially used the Finale music notation software program to compose music, I have switched to the MuseScore 4 music notation freeware since around 2022 or 2023.]]><![CDATA[Updates to the "Iberian, Latin American, and Caribbean Elements in Video Game Music" Page]]>Mon, 09 Mar 2026 14:58:21 GMThttps://www.anthonyluissanchez.com/blog/updates-to-the-iberian-latin-american-and-caribbean-elements-in-video-game-music-pageIt has been three years since I started compiling tracks for the Iberian, Latin American, and Caribbean Elements in Video Game Music project. I have already amassed hundreds of musical tracks from games across myriad arcades, consoles, and computers from the past four decades. My process for collecting the VGM tracks has relied on active listening for instrumentation and genres related to music cultures from Spain, Portugal, Latin America: criteria that I have discussed in a multi-part series regarding the project. I also adapted to the sudden shifts in video game music preservation when the Nintendo Music smartphone application released in October 2024. Given the bulk and purpose behind my ongoing work, I needed to renovate the page on this website and categorize everything to provide greater clarity for researchers in ludomusicology or those who are curious about video game music. I have divided my project into the following main categories so far. I will continue adding to these extant parts. Whenever necessary, I might include more categories depending on the overall progress of the project:

  • Video Game Music Tracks That Evoke Iberia (Spain, Portugal, or Mediterranean)
  • Selected Tracks from the Uncharted Waters Series
  • Selected Tracks from Games Published by Sega
  • Tracks on the Nintendo Music App That Evoke Iberian, Latin American, and Caribbean Musical Elements
  • Some Background Information About Mario Paint[1]
  • Tracks from Nintendo Games Not Listed in the Nintendo Music App[2]
  • Tracks from Games Developed by Capcom That Evoke Iberia, Latin America and the Caribbean
  
 


[1] This part functions as a brief description about the multimedia edutainment software program for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES).

[2] This list concentrates primarily on licensed games created exclusively for Nintendo consoles in collaboration with third-party video game developers.
]]><![CDATA[On the Legacy of Independence (2026)]]>Mon, 02 Mar 2026 08:00:00 GMThttps://www.anthonyluissanchez.com/blog/on-the-legacy-of-independence-2026
for piano and (optional) narrator

Music by Anthony L. Sanchez (b. 1988)

Copyright © 2026 by ZEKE SPILLED INK MUSIC (ASCAP), Savannah, GA

Video created by the composer using Microsoft Clipchamp video editor- "Black and White" filter and text applied with fading effects

Not made with A.I.

Text by Thomas Jefferson, Public Domain

Photograph by Maria G. Sanchez- Taken at Wormsloe State Historic Site in Savannah, GA in 2011

VST playback via MuseScore 4 Score

Recording and score available for purchase on Patreon: www.patreon.com/posts/on-legacy-of-151553495

Program Notes:

I created On the Legacy of Independence (2026) shortly after reading the book 1776 by the historian David McCullough (1933-2022). My piece functions as a commemorative reflection on the 250th anniversary of the signing of the “Declaration of Independence” and the formation of the United States in 1776 during the American Revolution (1775-1783). The process behind writing On the Legacy of Independence originally began with ideas that I eventually discarded in favor of going in another direction. My early attempts focused on setting the entire “Declaration of Independence” by Thomas Jefferson to music and including quotations from popular songs from the era: most notably, “Free America,” which used the same tune as “The British Grenadiers.” After realizing that such attempts would prove distracting or had been overdone by other musicians and composers, I concentrated instead on the following excerpt from Jefferson’s historical document:

… We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness….

I initially wanted to apply this text musically by turning it into an art song for voice and piano. I later decided against that idea and transformed the syllabic and rhythmic contents from the textual fragment from the “Declaration of Independence” as a “song without words” for solo piano or a composition for piano and optional narration (I present the words in the score as italicized segments for context). The piece also includes moments throughout where I rhythmically and harmonically set the word “independence” like a fanfare and feature rhythmic patterns in the lower registers of the piano to sound like drums. In framing On the Legacy of Independence in that way, I avoid romanticizing colonial American history. My work underscores the gravity and significance in understanding that the “Declaration of Independence” had been written during war with Great Britain and serves as a reminder of the necessity for democracy in our own trying and uncertain contemporary times.
]]><![CDATA[Mardi Gras from Two Perspectives]]>Thu, 29 Jan 2026 08:00:00 GMThttps://www.anthonyluissanchez.com/blog/mardi-gras-from-two-perspectivesMardi Gras functions as part of the Carnival celebration in the United States, Latin America, the Caribbean, and parts of Europe. I had discussed the Afro-Latin American connections to Carnival in previous posts over the years in relation to Puerto Rico via the African diasporic connections through the vejigante masks and bomba music and dance. Regarding the version specific to the United States from areas like New Orleans, Louisiana and Mobile, Alabama, Carnival and Mardi Gras combine the traditions from African, Francophone European, and indigenous cultures. Carnival celebrations run based on the Christian (Catholic) Liturgical Calander and begin on the Epiphany (January 6). Mardi Gras marks the final day for Carnival festivities in preparation for Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent through fasting and personal reflection. Mardi Gras for 2026 falls on February 17th.[1]

The American connections to Mardi Gras in the “New World” derive from French colonization. However, they vary by date and location. One of the first documented references to Mardi Gras and New Orleans derives from the settlement of Louisiana on March 2, 1699, via the “Pointe de Mardi Gras,” after French-Canadian colonizers arrived on land on a Fat Tuesday. Mobile, Alabama also claims to have the first reference to Mardi Gras festivities in the city as early as 1703. Sources on the topic mention that this occurred because Mobile served as part of Louisiana under French rule at the time. Information concerning the first documented Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans proves equally conflicting. Local historians and tour guides indicate 1837 based on newspaper archives, while others specify 1781 during the brief Spanish colonization of Louisiana.[2] Entertainment for Mardi Gras originated as private events via masked balls and limited to the wealthy via subscriptions. It did not grow into a more public event with parades, music, and performance societies and social clubs (krewes) until the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, with Mardi Gras becoming an official holiday for Louisiana in the 1870s.

I have visited both New Orleans and Mobile respectively several times over the past decade. Based on the photo galleries that I have provided below, both cities share the historical preservation of the cultural and musical traditions of Mardi Gras through pageantry and jazz, even though New Orleans tends to receive more attention. Both cities also provide schedules for the festivities and parade routes throughout the Carnival season, with each parade hosted by a given krewe or social club.

New Orleans, LA Carnival/Mardi Gras Schedule

Mobile, AL Carnival/Mardi Gras 2026 Schedule

[1] The origins for Carnival date back to ancient Rome and served as a time for partying and debauchery, with the tern “carnival” deriving from Latin meaning “farewell to meat.” 

[2] Viewers must exercise caution when searching for visual documentary evidence about Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Some videos tend to concentrate too much on sensationalism and spreading disinformation about people and events in the city.

Mardi Gras History in New Orleans

Mardi Gras History in Mobile

]]><![CDATA[Symphony (In the Age of Artificiality) (2019-2025)]]>Sun, 07 Dec 2025 20:47:31 GMThttps://www.anthonyluissanchez.com/blog/december-07th-2025
for orchestra and multimedia

Music by Anthony L. Sanchez (b. 1988)

Copyright © 2025 by ZEKE SPILLED INK MUSIC (ASCAP), Savannah, GA

VST playback for acoustic sections via MuseScore 4

The "study score" for this piece is available now on Patreon: www.patreon.com/posts/symphony-in-age-144935593

Text for electronic voice in "Movement IV" written by the composer via the Text2Speech "Public Domain" website

Photograph by the composer- Edited using YouCut (app)

Music created and edited using MuseScore 4, Reaktor 6 Player (Native Instruments), and Audacity

Movements:
I. Premonition 0:00-6:12
II. Disturbances 6:13-14:32
III. Intrusion 14:33-18:53
IV. The Struggle for Humanity 18:54-24:53

Program Notes:
My Symphony (2019-2025) functions as an electroacoustic composition with a dual purpose. I experiment with the symphonic orchestral format for audiences in the twenty-first century. The large-scale work also offers a prescient social commentary concerning the dangers associated with increasingly invasive and excessive use of technology in the arts. The subtitle for the piece, “In the Age of Artificiality” refers to the current influx of technology powered by Artificial Intelligence. While I initially did not set out to compose an electroacoustic symphony when I began working on the piece in 2019, that idea became more necessary when considering that AI-generated materials (including visual arts and music) started gaining more public attention in the 2020s. Things had gotten the point where it became difficult to differentiate between reality and the imaginary, between music made by humans and music generated entirely by a computer algorithm. Such technology had also become normalized and perceived by myriad companies as a replacement for human creativity and effort.

That grim reality did not sit well with me. Bearing the situation in mind, I wrote the Symphony to demonstrate what would happen if the orchestra conductor gradually got replaced by invasive technology… and humanity fought back. I created four movements that begin as traditionalist symphonic music and gradually transform into a conflict between acoustic and electronic musical elements, leading to a electronic voice that attempts to replace the orchestra conductor by interrupting and manipulating the orchestra. I chose to end the piece with the conductor regaining control of the orchestra and effectively “killing off” the electronic voice to illustrate that humans can still have the power within themselves to try and create or interpret music and other art forms.
]]><![CDATA[Encountering Fragments of History Through My Travels Abroad]]>Wed, 19 Nov 2025 16:05:22 GMThttps://www.anthonyluissanchez.com/blog/encountering-fragments-of-history-through-my-travels-abroad​The images that you see before you in the following gallery derive from real historical artifacts and architecture from the Spanish colonial era via the Yuso monastery at San Millan de Cogolla in La Rioja, Spain. Through my recent travels across northern Spain, as well as parts of France, I visited many cities, towns, and sacred spaces that adhere to the Catholic religious practices and cultural customs from the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods. The monastery at San Millan de Cogolla demonstrates careful documentation and preservation: not just of the first known written instances of texts presented in both Castilian Spanish and Euskara (Basque) languages. Visitors can also find handwritten musical scores of Gregorian plainchant and Mass settings presented in Latin and written in one of the earliest forms of grand staff notation, which have been documented in gigantic books bound with animal skins and leather. The area within the monastery reserved for the church choir also features a rotating device intended to simplify reading and singing the sacred scored through group participation, both in practice and for religious events. Some evidence suggests that such exposure to music can demonstrate positive psychological and therapeutic benefits, based on current research from Dr. Kathlyn Gan at the University of Toronto Scarborough. 
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