El Malecón

[vkioulaphides]

The musical souvenir was a broadly popular genre (predominantly) in the 19th century. The usual premise: Composer of X nationality visits Y country, writes "Souvenir de Y" as soon as he gets back. At this point in time and music history, the genre is largely discredited, not to say universally ridiculed by mock versions.

But heck, I never let fashion bother me before! I still wear embarrassingly outdated garments. Sooooooooooooooo...

During my vacation in Santo Domingo, I composed a little souvenir piece for solo mandolin, entitled #El Malecón. It is now available for free download at:

http://paperclipdesign.com/vk/

compliments of our untiring (St.) James Garber, to whom I am indebted beyond words.

¿Les gustaría tocar la pieza? #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

P.S. This piece, like Idillio, is hardly a foray into "modern" music but simply also an etude: The technique I tried to exemplify is what I (in my usual, goofy naivete) call "two-mandolins-in-one". You will know what I meant...

[Jim Garber]

This is indeed another fun piece from the fertile mind of Victor. It is a pleasure to help make it available.

Jim

[JimD]

Victor,

Another fine and enjoyable piece. Thank you for being so generous with your artistic progeny.

I am planning another Boston recital this coming year and would like to program some of your music -- with your permission of course. I am definitely considering Diferencias but I think El malecón would make a lovely encore as well.

By the way, what does the title mean? I don't have any Spanish and my dictionary tells me that "malecón" is a mole. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif

[Alex Timmerman]

Hello Victor,

Again a very nice piece!


Thanks thanks thanks,

Alex http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[Arto]

Thanks so much, Victor and Jim!

[vkioulaphides]

Thank you all.

JimD, certainly, music is written to be played; pick on, mando-brother! The only thing I ask for "in return", as it were, is that you send me a copy of the program for my own records, should you ever perform one (or more) of my works in public.

Malecón in Spanish is "boardwalk". It does not, however, mean the wooden platform most (North) Americans would understand by the term.

As the Spaniards first arrived in the Americas, their earliest settlements were (obviously) the harbors they disembarked in; their first "public works" were the alcázar i.e. the governor's palace, the fortaleza, i.e. the fort that was to house the Spanish garrison, and the malecón, i.e. the long, stone structure along the coastline that would protect the harbor from natural erosion, lodge the requisite battery of cannons, and upon which the earliest "seaside boulevard" would be built, leading to and from the city.

The malecón of Santo Domingo, to which my little tune alludes, was started in the 16th century under the administration of Diego Colón, Christopher Columbus' oldest son and the first European governor in the Americas; it is a perpetual "work in progress", elongated in the 1940's, and still built and stretched to this day. Other such historical structures are the famed malecón of Havana, the one in San Juan, Puerto Rico, etc.

I am no historian. I am, however, sympathetic to the human condition. The boardwalk in those maritime cities in Latin America is the ultimate meeting-point of all people, all social classes, all realities and all dreams: from la gente buena, the elegant, perfumed well-to-do in their Sunday best, to the young sweethearts holding hands as they stroll under the storm-beaten palm trees, to the desperate indigent, staring for hours into the open sea, hoping for some ship, real or imagined, to take them off to a better life some day.

My piece simply tries to capture the bittersweet mix of all those feelings wafting in the sultry air of the Caribbean, with the characteristic, major/minor vacillation of the popular style of the 1950's; formally it is a danzón, also known as a son cubano, slighlty dated by now (as am I), sentimental, and rhythmic while also leisurely.

Enjoy!

[Eugene]

Wow. Knowing the inspiration for a piece of music truly is inspiring. Thanks for your efforts, as always, Victor.

[JimD]

I second Eugene's "wow" -- I always love when the composer of a piece can give such a poetic description. Poetic both musically and verbally , that is...

(I wish there was an emoticon with a Cuban cigar.)

[JimD]

I second Eugene's "wow" -- I always love when the composer of a piece can give such a poetic description. Poetic both musically and verbally , that is...

(I wish there was an emoticon with a Cuban cigar.)

[Plamen Ivanov]

Hello Victor,

The piece is very nice! The explanations too. I have always enjoyed your historical input to the board! Your story and Jim`s Cuban cigar desire reminds me of the "Original Sin" movie. I think this composition would be very appropriate for such a film! I`ll be happy to hear someday a mandolin piece composed by you in a motion picture! Good luck!

Plamen

[Plamen Ivanov]

Eugene, I saw your lamp is on! It`s 03.15 in the morning by you!!! Are you a vampire or what! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif
No doubt you are the most addicted to the Board!http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif

Have a nice week!

[vkioulaphides]

[QUOTE]"I think this composition would be very appropriate for such a film."

You are most astute, my friend! While the piece was actually written during this latest vacation, its seeds were conceived several years earlier, as I was working on a theme for a small-scale film soundtrack; the company producing the film was a start-up in Chicago, far removed from the glamour (and the sizeable budgets) of Los Angeles. The topic was the life-story of a Cuban emigré to the U.S., a poet (I think) with numerous (planned) shots of him daydreaming, strolling down the quay of Havana, subsequently in Florida, a sort of "before and after" kind of story...

It came to nothing. The producers could hardly have afforded someone like Antonio Banderas (whose name alone would have sold the movie), nor did they have the political muscle to get filming permits in Havana, etc., etc.

All that survived from this aborted venture was a little tune in my head. #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[Eugene]

Eugene, I saw your lamp is on! It`s 03.15 in the morning by you!!! Are you a vampire or what! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif
No doubt you are the most addicted to the Board!http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif

Have a nice week!
I think my adolescent daughter must have set her alarm for 3 am to search for (of all the silly things) images of Japanese cartoons. This is a hobby I permit in limited doses...but she doesn't believe it should be limited in the slightest. Talk about no mando content!

[Plamen Ivanov]

Hello Victor,

Here is a picture of my grandfather and me celebrating my grandmother`s 75-th. birthday. Guess what we are holding? Right!http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif
It was the evening of the day, when I printed out the piece and I told my grandfather about you. He is the man, who paid my mandolin lessons and who bought my "Puglisi" mandolin. Already 82, but in very good health condition and still a great fan of the mandolin and everything related. So, he was pleased to know, that you are a composer and mandolin player. He was also happy to know, that you have a moustache as well! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif

Good luck!

[vkioulaphides]

Ah, the cool breezes blowing down the Balkans are known to contribute greatly to longevity! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

I am happy to see how close you are to your grandparents, Plamen, as I was to mine— all deceased by now. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif

But music, family, free time, along with the requisite nibblings and drinks (within limits of reason, of course), make life the pleasure it is.

Party on, friend!

[jeffshuniak]

thanks vic.. I'm going to play this for my little panty loca panamanian baby. I've been procrastinating on writing her a spanish song. I havnt played/heard this yet, hopefully I can play it tonight. Im sure its bueno.