Souvenir de Porto Rico - Marche des Gibaros by Louis Moreau Gottschalk Brass Quintet - Sheet Music

SKU: CY.CC2216

Gottschalk was one of America's first important composers. His numerous works for piano are mostly light. His Marche des Gibaros from the Souvenir de Porto Rico transcribed by Karl Hinterbichler is lively and bright. American born Louis Moreau Gottschalk (1829-1869) was one of the great pianist/composers of his day. He began his career in Europe but spent most of his life touring from coast to coast in the US, as well as South America, and the Caribbean.

He composed more than 100 works which combine the typical European Romantic virtuoso style with musical traditions from South America, the Caribbean, Spain and sacred and popular songs from the United States.

Originally for solo piano, Souvenir de Porto Rico (op. 31), bears the subtitle Marche des Gibaros, a reference to the peasants of the island. The simple melody derives from a Puerto Rican song 'Si me dan pasteles, les denmelos calientes,' 'If you give me cakes, give them to me hot,' sung by strolling musicians during the Puerto Rican Christmas season. This simple melody is then subjected to a series of variations. The music depicts the sound of strolling musicians, first heard in the distance, coming ever closer, rising to a climax and then fading as the Gibaros march away into the distance. The syncopated rhythms strongly suggest its Caribbean origins. Instrumentation is for 2 Trumpets in Bb (Trumpet 1 doubles on Piccolo), Horn, Trombone and Tuba.