Polymodal Diatonicism in José Pablo Moncayo's Tierra de Temporal

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2018-04

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Abstract

In this paper, I aim to expand the analytical research on José Moncayo's music by engaging in a piece that is regarded by some authors as Moncayo's masterpiece, Tierra de Temporal. Moncayo implements pandiatonicism through the use of polymodality, a technique referred to by his mentor, Carlos Chávez, in a 1924 lecture at the national Autonomous University of México entitled "La Musica Azteca." Pandiatonicism is a characteristic found in pieces that are considered a part of Mexican Nationalism. Béla Bartók coined the term Polymodal Chromaticism which he defined as the simultaneous use of different modes with the same tonic. Adapting Bartók's term, this paper will use the term Polymodal Diatonicism to describe music that makes simultaneous use of different modes within the same diatonic collection. The main purpose of this research will be to expand our understanding of Moncayo's music, and to explore the use of Polymodal Diatonicism.

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Keywords

Jose Pablo Moncayo, Mexican nationalism, Pandiatonicism, Polymodality

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