SAMAYOA, José Eulalio (1781-1855) - Sinfonía en Mi bemol mayor (1834)

José Eulalio Samayoa (1781-1855) - Sinfonía en Mi bemol mayor, No.7 'Batalla de Jiquilisco' (1834)

Performers: Orquesta Millеnnium; Dieter Lеhnhοff (conductor)

Drawing: Unknown artist (19th Century) - Le Concert anglais

Further info: José Eulalio Samayoa (1781-1855)

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José Eulalio Samayoa

 (Guatemala, 10 December 1781 - Guatemala, 1855)

Guatemalan composer. He honed his musical skills within the traditional guild system, later benefiting from the tutelage of Manuel Mendilla Retalhuleu. In 1813, he joined the choir of Guatemala Cathedral as the third tenor. On July 2, 1813, he founded the Sociedad Filarmónica del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús. From its inception, this society included the annual celebration of the 'Día del Músico' (Music Day), dedicated to the Sagrado Corazón de Jesús as atonement for any musical errors committed during liturgical services. Music Day was marked by a Mass and public concerts, which significantly stimulated the local musical scene. Certain restrictions imposed by the Ecclesiastical Chapter, prohibiting the performance of dawn carols, compelled Samayoa to explore the realm of absolute music, a previously neglected genre in Guatemala. To replace these carols or instrumental pieces by the likes of Joseph Haydn or Antonio Vivaldi, he composed instrumental works such as 'Tocatas' for strings and horns, as well as 'Piezas para tocarse en la iglesia' for larger orchestras. Music scholar Dieter Lehnhoff notes that "the necessity of delving into larger musical forms (initially limited to small, two-part forms leading to the sonata-allegro form) spurred his experimentation, making him one of the first American musicians to venture into the symphony genre." The earliest surviving example is his 'Sinfonía No.7' (1834), dedicated to 'al triunfo de las Armas Federales en la batalla de Jiquilisco (El Salvador).' Among his other extant works, the 'Sinfonía Cívica' and the 'Sinfonía Histórica', the mentioned 'Tocatas' and 'Piezas para tocarse en la iglesia', and eight masses, a Requiem, psalms, vespers et al,. In 1842 he wrote the history of the Sociedad Filarmónica del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, with an extended historical appendix on the development of Music in Guatemala since the earliest days of the Spanish missions, thus becoming the first music historian in Central America and perhaps all of Latin America.