Why Mexico?
This is a popular question I receive when discussing my Fulbright award. When I decided to apply for this grant several years ago, I knew I wanted to study in a Spanish-speaking country. Considering there are twenty such countries worldwide - each with unique folk, classical, and popular music traditions to study - why Mexico? Here are four reasons I chose North America:
Melissa at a reception for Fulbright García-Robles grantees in Mexico City
First, the Western Hemisphere is a great place to contribute to music research. “Classical” music is based on European art music, so in general, there are more resources for study and performance of European music and comparatively fewer for music by North and South American composers. I believe this as an ideal location to move the needle as a researcher and performer in my field.
Mexico has a particularly robust history of piano performance and study. While the guitar is often considered the country’s quintessential instrument, Mexican composers have also turned to the piano as a means to express the Mexican soul and national pride. Beloved Mexican composer Manuel M. Ponce (1882-1948), wrote around two hundred (!) works for piano, which he called “the instrument I love best.”
The Conservatorio Nacional de Música, located in Mexico City, opened a groundbreaking master’s degree program in Mexican music in 2018. I chose this institution as my affiliate in order to audit courses on Mexican music history and repertoire for all instruments. This affords me a big picture of music in Mexico while I simultaneously focus my research on piano repertoire of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
And finally, Mexican music is intoxicating! Have you tried to keep your feet still while listening to a mariachi band? Or sung along to classic ballads like Bésame Mucho or Somos Novios? Now picture these dance styles and popular songs fused with familiar piano forms of European art music - like sonatas, ballades, and mazurkas. It’s an exquisite combination that I can’t pass up!
Listen for yourself! Click HERE to see my performance of Ponce’s Balada Mexicana.
This blog (www.melissaterrallpiano.com/blog) is not an official site of the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State. The views expressed on this site are entirely those of its author and do not represent the views of the Fulbright Program, the U.S. Department of State, or any of its partner organizations.