Description
The Jesuit missions of South America were the source of a very large number of musical compositions, some by Jesuit musicians, but many more by anonymous Indigenous composers. All the compositions had one thing in common - they were written for indigenous people to sing and play.Members of El Parnaso Hyspano, an Hispanic early music ensemble, gave the first UK concert performance of one of the most significant of these anonymous works, the 40-minute opera, San Francisco Xavier, written in the Chiquitano language in the early 18th century. It is the first known opera to be written in an indigenous language.
The concert performance was framed by a panel discussion of some of the issues around authenticity and respect for Indigenous traditions and culture when approaching such music in a contemporary Western context.
This concert was presented as part of the 'Sound Faith: Religion and the Acoustic World' conference, and was generously supported by the University of York's Centre for Indigenous and Settler Colonial Studies, Centre for Renaissance and Early Modern Studies, the Department of History and the Department of English and Related Literature.
| Period | 13 Jun 2024 |
|---|---|
| Event type | Performance |
| Location | York, United KingdomShow on map |
| Degree of Recognition | National |