for cuatro (or bandoneon), guitar, piano, qüiro, and congas

Music by Anthony L. Sanchez (b. 1988)

(Features musical quotation from musica jíbara from Puerto Rico)

Photo by Preillumination SeTh on Unsplash:
​unsplash.com/photos/a-couple-of-people-that-are-dancing-together-fzpStAs_6Cc?utm_content=creditShareLink&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unsplash

Photo and music synchronized with YouCut: play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.camerasideas.trimmer&pli=1

Score and parts available now on Patreon: www.patreon.com/posts/isabela-te-2018-97572300

Program Notes:

I began writing this short tango around the latter half of 2018 and revised the work this year. The "Isabela" denoted in the title does not specifically refer to a person, but to a place: Isabela, Puerto Rico. It was there that I lectured in 2018 at the annual Isabela Tango Fest, which explores the connections between the music cultures from Argentina and Puerto Rico. "Isabela, te recuerdo" functions as a reflective chamber piece that combines the Argentinian tango and with Puerto Rican folk music elements. The leading melody can either be performed with a Puerto Rican cuatro plucked string instrument or a bandoneon (The playback recording through MuseScore 4 features a "Bandoneon," withinstead of a Puerto Rican cuatro because the latter instrument is not listed in the music notation software). I also apply and quote the "Seis Tango" melody from Puerto Rican música jíbara in the "B" section of the piece as a juxtaposition between the cuatro (or bandoneon) and left-hand bass in the piano.

Disclaimer: Some of the sound fonts in the playback recording are limited and may come off as slightly awkward due to the "MS Basic" audio quality for certain instruments.​

To those wondering about my recent activity in the past few months:
​
Yes, I am still here, I have also been very preoccupied with conducting musicological research for several projects in 2024. Over the winter break towards the end of 2023, I devoted my time traveling abroad to southern Spain: more specifically, in the city of Jerez de la Frontera, Andalusia. The thirty days that I spent there involved much more than vacationing, however. Jerez de la Frontera is best known for its Moorish architecture and African musical connections. That was when I encountered the impact of the Fiestas de la Zambomba. This folkloric music involves group participation by sitting or gathering in a circle, which would motivate the people to join in the musical celebration. This spontaneous collaboration often features accompaniment by singing Spanish villancicos, clapping, strumming a guitar, tapping a cajón (box drum), striking glass bottles, and—most importantly—performing on a zambomba drum. I will keep talking about this type of music in greater depth soon.