Mestizo Mexico: 
the Mexican musical universe between centenaries (1517-1917) 

Taking advantage of the celebration of the centenary of the Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos (a cutting-edge text including individual and social rights which are now in vogue) and the publication of the first history of Mexican music (Alba Herrera y Ogazón's El arte musical en México) in 1917, the XXI FeMAUB proposes, in contrast with traditional historical narratives, a retrospective view of Mexican music from that moment to 1517, when the expedition of Francisco Hernández de Córdoba, an Andalusian explorer, reached the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. The commemoration of both centenaries (1517-1917) is an ideal opportunity to articulate a program focused on music in colonial New Spain and independent Mexico, taking into consideration its common elements and its differential characteristics in the broader context of Iberian and Latin-American musical traditions.

Through its five concert cycles and academic activities, this edition of the FeMAUB offers a sample of the vast Mexican musical universe, which included not only repertoires composed in Mexico between the sixteenth and the nineteenth centuries (sacred or profane, vocal or instrumental music), but also those of European origin that were known, disseminated and practiced in Mexico (from the polyphony of Andalusian musicians to the great canonical composers of the German or Italian Baroque). Likewise, there will also be monographic concerts on widespread instruments such as the vihuela, the guitar, the organ or the piano. Special attention will be drawn to the "other" Mexican musics, that is, those of oral tradition, based on Native texts or performed in rural contexts. Under the generic name of "Mestizo Mexico" we want to refer to this extraordinary richness, vitality and mixture of the Mexican musical heritage, forged after centuries of contacts and exchanges with European and African traditions.

Javier Marín 
Director of the FeMAUB