Zamacueca Orchestra - Sheet Music

SKU: CF.CAS172F

ISBN 9781491167526. UPC: 680160926947. 9x12 inches. Key: G# major.

The Zamacueca dance has Andean and Peruvian roots, incorporating indigenous and Spanish elements. Afro-Cuban composer Jose White Lafitte likely picked up this style while living in South America. In his original composition for solo violin, White utilized pizzicato to imitate the traditional guitar, harmonizing the lighthearted melody with frequent double stops. Here, this sparkling solo showpiece has been arranged for string orchestra, spreading the rhythmic music throughout every section.
Afro-Cuban violinist Joseph White (1835-1918) composed thirty-two published works, almost all of them for the violin. These included a violin concerto, a string quartet, a collection of virtuoso studies for violin, Op. 13, and several works influenced by the music of his native Cuba, including the habañera La Bella Cubana and Marcha cubana. His Zamacueca, Op. 30 (1897) was originally a virtuoso arrangement for violin and piano. This dance form had roots in the music of indigenous people of the Andes mountains of Chile and Peru. Chilean sailors took the dance to Mexico where it became called La Chilena. It is likely White came to know this style during his days in South America. “Zamacueca De Los Pobres” (Zamacueca of the poor) were triple-metered flirtatious, courtship dances typically accompanied by rapid, rhythmic guitar music that had been danced by the peasant classes since the Spanish colonial days. Some have suggested the origins of zamacueca in the gitano and Andalusian rhythms of southern Spain, which themselves influenced both the flamenco and the fandango.

About Carl Fischer Concert String Orchestra Series

This series of pieces (Grade 3 and higher) is designed for advancing ensembles. The pieces in this series are characterized by:

• Expanded use of rhythms, ranges and keys but technical demands are still carefully considered
• More comprehensive bowing techniques
• Viola T.C. included
• Careful selection of keys and degree of difficulty for advancing musicians