LA Music Invention · Latin American Art Music as European Invention: The Making of Latin American Composers in Paris, 1880-1930

Latin American Art Music as European Invention: The Making of Latin American Composers in Paris, 1880-1930

This project investigated the educational experiences of Latin American musicians in Paris between c. 1880-1930. Throughout the nineteenth century, music education in Latin America evolved in direct relationship to the presence of European musicians touring or settling there. However, this education was typically insufficient to produce professional composers among those who were born on Latin American soil and, towards the end of the century, many aspiring composers sought to supplement their formal music education abroad. The majority took the opportunity to learn in well-established music conservatories of the “Old World”. From the many cities they selected, most of them chose Paris due to its well-known cosmopolitanism. The relevance of this project lies in uncovering the transatlantic connections between European and South American art music, aiming to demonstrate the pivotal role of European education in shaping the national and continental identities of Latin American composers. The overall objetives were: 1. To see how many Latin American composers sought a musical education in Paris shedding new light on scarcely analysed archival sources. 2. To see how, and to what extent, national or continental identity mattered to Latin American musicians during their studies in Europe. 3. To study the Parisian reception of art music written by Latin Americans and contrasting it with other European reviews. 4. To rethink the way Latin American art music is understood in the field of musicology.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union