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- Gabriela Lena Frank
Jalapeño Blues (2007)
- G Schirmer Inc (World)
Commissioned by St. Paul Sunday on the occasion of its 25th anniversary for Chanticleer
- SSAATTBB
- 21 min
- Trinidad Sánchez, Jr.
- English, Spanish
Programme Note
Movements:
I. Jalapeño Blues
II. ¡Chicanofóbia!
III. A Poem About Brandon Dever
IV. Why Do Men Wear Earrings on One Ear?
Composer notes:
Jalapeño Blues (2007) for mixed a cappella chorus, written for the Chanticleer vocal ensemble and commissioned by St. Paul Sunday, draws on the words of renowned Chicano poet, Trinidad Sánchez, Jr. (1943-2006). "Trino" was the ninth of ten children and spent twenty-seven years as a Jesuit brother. After he left the order, he dedicated his life to prison ministry and human rights issues, especially those pertaining to the Latino and Latin American people. A hero in the Chicano community, Trino was also beloved as a poet who addressed topics such as social justice, sexuality, spicy food, and la familia.
As a composer, I first became familiar with Trino's poetry when I discovered one of his most well-known poems, Why Am I So Brown?, in a children's anthology. I loved Trino's message to young Latina girls to take pride in their culture and set the poem for children's choir with Trino's blessing. In the course of many emails, I grew to consider Trino as one of my friends, and looked forward to setting more of his poems to song.
That opportunity came when in March of 2005, Trino sent me the preliminary manuscript of his forthcoming volume of poems entitled Jalapeño Blues. I was at once taken with the lyricism, passion, and immediacy of his words. Honored to be allowed a preview of the new publication, I asked Trino if I could adapt his poetry for a large multi-movement choral work. After a good amount of work on my part, the ensuing result is a musical text that carefully splices together those poems that address similar topics, repeating words to create recurring strophic verses, all the while hopefully preserving the rhythm and spirit that is so uniquely Trino's.
During the course of this, a wonderful landscaper I was acquainted with since childhood passed away much too early. Married to a co-worker of my father's, Edward Carl Rentner had always struck me as a gentle person with a wry sense of humor. He was also an outstanding singer, performing professionally in local choral groups. Before I even began composing music to Trino's poems, I knew that I wanted to dedicate my new choral work to Ed.
Tragically, in 2006, Trino himself passed away. I received the news while in Perú and, needless to say, this was also a great shock. I revisited several of his poems, reworking them into a new form. I hope that the resulting songs do his vision justice and that I honor both Ed and Trino's memory. They will be missed.
— Gabriela Lena Frank
Premiere:
23 May 2007
Chanticleer
St. Paul Sunday
St. Paul, MN
Sample Pages
I. Jalapeño Blues
II. ¡Chicanofóbia!
III. A Poem About Brandon Dever
IV. Why Do Men Wear Earrings on One Ear?
Composer notes:
Jalapeño Blues (2007) for mixed a cappella chorus, written for the Chanticleer vocal ensemble and commissioned by St. Paul Sunday, draws on the words of renowned Chicano poet, Trinidad Sánchez, Jr. (1943-2006). "Trino" was the ninth of ten children and spent twenty-seven years as a Jesuit brother. After he left the order, he dedicated his life to prison ministry and human rights issues, especially those pertaining to the Latino and Latin American people. A hero in the Chicano community, Trino was also beloved as a poet who addressed topics such as social justice, sexuality, spicy food, and la familia.
As a composer, I first became familiar with Trino's poetry when I discovered one of his most well-known poems, Why Am I So Brown?, in a children's anthology. I loved Trino's message to young Latina girls to take pride in their culture and set the poem for children's choir with Trino's blessing. In the course of many emails, I grew to consider Trino as one of my friends, and looked forward to setting more of his poems to song.
That opportunity came when in March of 2005, Trino sent me the preliminary manuscript of his forthcoming volume of poems entitled Jalapeño Blues. I was at once taken with the lyricism, passion, and immediacy of his words. Honored to be allowed a preview of the new publication, I asked Trino if I could adapt his poetry for a large multi-movement choral work. After a good amount of work on my part, the ensuing result is a musical text that carefully splices together those poems that address similar topics, repeating words to create recurring strophic verses, all the while hopefully preserving the rhythm and spirit that is so uniquely Trino's.
During the course of this, a wonderful landscaper I was acquainted with since childhood passed away much too early. Married to a co-worker of my father's, Edward Carl Rentner had always struck me as a gentle person with a wry sense of humor. He was also an outstanding singer, performing professionally in local choral groups. Before I even began composing music to Trino's poems, I knew that I wanted to dedicate my new choral work to Ed.
Tragically, in 2006, Trino himself passed away. I received the news while in Perú and, needless to say, this was also a great shock. I revisited several of his poems, reworking them into a new form. I hope that the resulting songs do his vision justice and that I honor both Ed and Trino's memory. They will be missed.
— Gabriela Lena Frank
Premiere:
23 May 2007
Chanticleer
St. Paul Sunday
St. Paul, MN
Sample Pages