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Julio Morales
Graphite Publishing
Week Week
Bird sounds, foot stomps, hand claps, “pre-Hispanic” flutes, and divided voice parts provide an ambitious musical experience.
for SATB div. a cappella
“Week Week” (onomatopoeia of the characteristic sound of the quetzal bird) is a composition that pays tribute to Mexico through two of its emblematic birds: the hummingbird and the quetzal. The pre-Hispanic flutes, besides evoking other birds, evoke the sound of nature and ancestral spirituality. This is a musically demanding piece, as the rhythmic variety seeks to capture the myriad of sounds in the nature where these mythical birds live.
Composer’s Notes
“Week Week” (onomatopoeia of the characteristic sound of the quetzal) is a composition that pays tribute to Mexico through two of its emblematic birds: the hummingbird and the quetzal. These birds have been an intrinsic part of Mexican history, symbolizing values and qualities important to the culture and identity of the country. The hummingbird, represented in the text as “Huitzitzili” (hummingbird in Nahuatl), symbolizes resurrection and vitality. On the other hand, the quetzal is a symbol of beauty and freedom.
Both birds are described by the writer Elena Ortíz Muñiz as inseparable friends, companions of the wind, and possessors of ancestral wisdom. Their relationship in the composition is presented as a dance through the wind, where each contributes with its grace and color to the sonic and visual landscape of the piece. The pre-Hispanic flutes, besides evoking other birds, evoke the sound of nature and ancestral spirituality. This is a musically demanding piece, as the rhythmic variety seeks to capture the myriad of sounds in the nature where these mythical birds live. Written for Chicago a Cappella with the support of the Cantaré Project in Chicago 2020.
– Julio Morales
Text
Hoy desperté como siempre escuchando su canción
Week week a través del viento
Week week desde el principio de los tiempos
Pájaro de mil colores es mi hermanito Quetzal.
Y al llamado de su canto
Sobre la flor del naranjo, Huitzitzili sale volando
Como una llama tornasolada baten sus alas frente al sol
Para tributar con su baile al amo de la Creación
Entre pirámides y nopales vuelan los dos amigos
Sobre volcanes y lagos, entre maizales y campos.
Son hermanos mexicanos, hermanos que tienen alas
Almas de mil colores que pintan el firmamento
Y escriben con tinta de rosas la historia de una Nación.
Week Week a través del viento
Week week desde el principio de los tiempos.
– Elena Ortíz Muñiz
TRANSLATION:
Today I woke up as usual, listening to its song
Week week through the wind
Week week since the beginning of time
A bird of a thousand colors is my little brother Quetzal.
And at the call of its song
Upon the orange blossom, Huitzitzili flies out
Like a iridescent flame, its wings beat in front of the sun
To pay tribute with its dance to the master of Creation
Between pyramids and prickly pears, the two friends fly
Over volcanoes and lakes, among cornfields and fields.
They are Mexican brothers, brothers with wings
Souls of a thousand colors that paint the sky
And write with ink of roses the story of a Nation.
Week Week through the wind
Week week since the beginning of time.
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