El Nacionalismo musical en la obra de Alejo Carpentier: variaciones sobre la lira y el bongó

Abstract

All of the historian and music essayist Alejo Carpentier’s thinking could be encapsulated in these few words: Cuban composers must follow the creative path that allows them to reach their essence. In order to enlighten this path, filling it with indications and clues, Carpentier used the tools he deemed necessary to generate a “biassed” nationalist account, adapting it according to the protagonists, circumstances and framework for which he was writing. Which aesthetic direction should Cuban composers follow and which provisions should they use? How should they be protected from the great European tradition (so as not to be wiped out), in order to obtain freedom, depth and originality? Alejo’s exquisite pen and his accounts of the “angel of the maracas”, or variations on the “lira and bongo” are some of his favourite metaphors, which complement and provide alternatives to his historical accounts. One thing’s for sure, all for the people, but with people.