Las Amarillas

Eres chiquita v bonita y así como erse te quiero

LAS AMARILLAS Las Amarillas is in the southern Mexican style of

the hua¡tango. One of the distinguishing characteristics of the style is the 'floating down beat'. which can be felt most clearly in the Treble

You are sntull antl beautiful and \l'(ly"

Paraces una rosita de las costas de Guerrero. You ure like a little rosa .fi'om the cousf o.f G

III part. Notice

when the first verse beings (Volaron las antariLlas...) how the Treble III's allimportant down beat is in fact a rest. while the

pulse that naturally falls in the middle of the bar is

nudged aside by an eighth rest. The resulting effect is that of a rhythm whose downbeat keeps vanishin-s at just the point our ears would expect the primary emphasis to fall. Because of the 'floating dou,n beat', fhe huapung,o combines the single-minded drive of an ostinato with a sense of n

uarrero.

Todos dan su despedida pero conro esta ninguna Everybotl), hu.s their rtu'n Jurex'cll, but there's

none

like this one

Cuatro por cinco son veinte. tles pof siete son velnte-uno. Four lintes .five is tv'enty, three tintcs seven is ht'ent\)-one

imble-fboted elastit'ity.

.

PRONUNCIATION GUIDE

When perfbrming the piece, the most important rhythmic ingredient comes from the placing of the dotted quarter notes. Wherever these occur. they should be given a lot of tone and energy-the note should be sung the way a billiard ball springs off a corner cushion, with a simultaneous sinking in and sprin-ring back. Since the dotted quarters often nudge or delay one of the main pulses of the beat, the singers should feel the pull between the note

they are singing and the natural drive of the rhythm. This pull is not unlike what is often felt when singing a tliplet against a duple pulse. or vice versa. except thele should be no feeling of languor.

The central paradox of perfbrming a huu¡tungo is that the rhythms must be very incisive and exact,

yet that precision must be combined u,ith

I lot'e ¡tou .just Íhe

\0U AfC

the

devil-may-care festive attitude that prevents the precision from sounding clinical.

Some vowels are acccnted. such as "á" and "í". but -siven the speed of the song. the accents need no special handlin-s. Pronounce the vowels as outlined belou'. accented or not. Just as most of us say 7;roá1,r' for' ¡trobublv. fherc are otien parts of words in Lus Antarillas that are condensed or glided over, for example &landtirtt and comt¡ ercs. Don't feel you have to be overly particular about these spots. If you concentl'¿rte on the consonant at the start and the end of your clide. the letters in the middle r'"'ill rnore or less take care of the msclves.

"a"

plonounced light and saucy, as in murucu pronounced ¿¿. When cornbined in ¡e, the "i" becomes a buol"ant l so the si¿¡¿

becomessteh-tu¡,.

TRANSLATION Keep in mind that the most important thing about the words in Las Antarillas is the rose-in-your teeth panache of the diction. which is completely lost in translation. And so when working on the song. don't worry so much about what the rvords mean as how they st¡und. Volaron las amarillas calandrias de los nopiiles 'l'lte t,ellrnt culuntlras .fl-v fi'om the cuctus Ya no cantaran alegres los pájaros cardenales No long,er v'ill thc carditruls sing hup¡tily"

A la tirana

na na To thc song nu na A la tirana na no.

To the song nu rut.

Arboles de la ladera porque no han reveldccido Becuuse the trees on the hill.side huve nol (ontc buck ro liJe Por eso c¿rlandrias cantan o las apachurla el nido Frtr Íhal the t'ulantlras will either sing ttr cruslt

Íheir nesfs.

should be kept foru,ard and fbcuscd without beirig heavy. Cornbine the focus of vole with the lightness of potuto.

"u

pronounced tx¡. as in unr¡.

"1"

is rnuch lighter and more liquid that the Errglish 1" A tlouhlc 1/ heco¡nes.r'. as in

amarillas. c

is nruch li-rhter than in English. especially when it appears in the middle of a u'ord. as in ulagrcs. where is should bc treated as a buttery gft. In the wot'd Gucrcn.r, the .qu is treated like an English g. but without the heaviness of words like /ca.

'qu" is pronounced

ft.

-1

c

as in English, r'becomes .r if it precedes i or c, as in puraces and reverdici¿lo. Otherwise it is ft, so clr¡c'o becomes seenko.lf fbllowed by a u, the two letters become k¡', as in

all, the prime tunction of the body percussion is to keep the singers energized and in the groove. It's not nleallt to signal to the audience that you're havins a sood time.

cuutro.

"ch'

tct

I

YIPS, YELPS AND AI YI YIES

is similar to the English sound. except it is rnuch lighter. Think r'ft¿r t'ha c'ha as opposed

Although only one ¡,elp as been scored (for the Treble III voices in the 5i4 measure on page 9) there are a variety of places where the director may want some shouts: for example, just before the flrst (uatro por t'inco on pa-ce 9, or in between

squelt'h.

is pronounced ft. with a plump cushion of

air in it. as in ¡tú.juros.

"les" many words end with this sufTix, such

as

cardenules. This is much li-chter and lilting than the English 1¿.rs. To get the right vowel sound, try sayin-r 1ch while thinking /c,r,. The final .r should be a light, unbuzzing :. Hou'ever, the .s at the end of other wolds. such as /¿rs is like the English .s. is pronounced á.

the phrases of the first four measures of page 8. I recommend tailorin-e this aspect of the piece to the abilities of yclur perfbrmers. There's nothing more deflatin-e than a singer gamely attempting a lusty call that winds up sounding anemic and blatantly rehearsed. But if you have some singers who can give a whoop that sounds convincing, then so much better. As you pr¿]ctice the piece youl'own ears may u,ell suggest places where a call would sound good. Remember. the main purpose behind these shouts is to encourage and energize the other

singers-so the shouts should be aimed at

BODY PERCUSSION

the

choristers. not at the audience. si-cnifies the halJ hantl clup of fingers of the ri-cht hand against the palm of the lefi hand.

Srephen Hutfield

signifies aJirll hand clap of palm against

ABOUT THE COMPOSER

palm.

Stephen Hatfield

signifies /iirgersnups. I recommend using both hands in each snap. signifies slapping the hunds against the sides

of the thighs.

recognized leader

in

AJt'icun Calebration, Amarillus.

A

native

of

Lu Lluviu, and Lus

Canada's Pacific Coast, of his lif'e in the rain fbrests of Vancouver Island. where his t'ather is blood-brother to the legendary Kwagiutl chief Jimmy Sewid. In addition to his choral works. he enjoys composing for the theater. Stephen Hatfield has lived most

Ideally. all the singers would perform the body percussion as they sin-q, since

it is not meant to

be

just rhythmic omamentation, but also to

help create a sense of the groove throughout the body.

However. since the body percussion must

be

precise in order to be effective. you may find it best to have only a few of your most adroit singers in each section supply the snappin-e, slapping and clapping. Perhaps the entire choir could join in with some of the heartiest claps, such as in the two

514 measures. Let the

is a

multiculturalism and musical fblklore. an interest which informs rnany of his conrpositions including

pr

acticality

of

the

performance be your guide.

PERFORMANCE TIME ca. 2 minutes. l-5 seconds

A

complete and comprehensive choral per-

formance curriculum for beginning choirs can be

found in the music textbook WE

WILL

published by Boosey & Hawkes (TXB-S1).

IMPORTAI{T!The hand-claps should not be in the boisterous hootenanny style. but much more crisp and controlled. The hand molements should be small and brisk. Even when the clapping is palm-

to-palm, the desired effect

is not that of

thunderous volume. The energy of the sound should come from the precision of the beat. Never let the slaps and snaps smother the singers. After

SING!

('tntnti.t.tiontl ltv thc Amuhilt Youth Sin,qt,rs, Jt¡hn Burntn & Brt,ndu Tttdorskt. Dirtctor,s

LAS AMARILLAS fbr Three-Part Treble Voice s. a caooella

Worcls & Music'

Traditional Mexican arranged by Steohen Hatfield

.l = 160, hot-blooded

and haughty - a mixture of delight and disdain

mf

Treble

I

Na Trcble I

tlo

Na no no no

na na

Na

na nc)

na

Na

na na

n¿l

na

N¿i

no

no

no

A

la

las

na na

na

no

no

Na

na no. La

ra-na

ti

na na

n¿l

la

tl ra na

na na

na,

la

tl

n¿l na

na.

la

na no.

o

ra na na na no.

La

n¿1.

la

la

f

la ti ra-na

n¿i na

n¿i.

la

aO

Cop\right

1995

¡ll

fto

no

no

b¡ Brrrser & Hr*kcs. Irtc All rights rr\cn'cd.

countnes.

la

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la

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mart'

na. la la

!¡

aaa

no

a

la

na,

(r(s(.

ra na na na

ra na

la nono nano nono

crcs('.

no

Na

mf

n¿l

ti

no

-

Treble III

Copr r irht lirr

Na

mf

Treblc II

no

na na na no

n¿l na

,.'-'>-

no

n¿l

no

na no

ft.

\

at

la ti ra-na

n¿i

Crirrected Edilion 2000 Encraved & Printe d in U.S.A.

-5

de-intensi.fy the volume, but keep the

las

ca l¿in drias dc los

nla

a

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no-

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las

ca lan

dlias de los

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o

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can - ta

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fire

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los pá ja ros

gfes

al

simile

les

tlon't let the Treblc I tounÍer-melodie

oCt

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s sntothet'Treble

II

o.f

las a bus.s.fiddla)

car

por que no han

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ca

-

lanirias can -

tan

por

fling the notes!

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ver

feline,

sly and supple,

but keep stoking thefíre )

na

na

co mo

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qul

las cos-tas de Guer

na

perc'ussion entls

na

na

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fo

sl

la de

las cos- tas de Guer

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, l,tr('tt.\'\i(,n(n¿\

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de las cos-tas

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lus tle Cuer

without losing the spring in the rhythm, let the next four bars glide.

nn

na na na

na

na

no,

na na na

na

na na na

na

na

no.

na na na

na

na na na na-

no

no

na

no

no

na na na na_

na

no

na

no

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na

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no no

na

na

intensify towards to 5/4 measure.

no

no

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light,but still siuling

Vo- la, ron

alasa

las

,l

J

ma

las

ca

- landrias

de los

l.

.1.

alasa pa -

j

alas

To-dos dan su des-pe

les.

di

pe

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a.a

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alasa

gu -

-

ya- la -

ri

a

ro

J.

ya- la- la,

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la,

nln -

co-mo es{a

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na,

no -

ya- na -

no._

na,

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des-pe

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di

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da

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all singers clap this rhythm until the 3/4 measure

,l

I

alittlefaster

na

let the vocal intensity build effortlessly.

.

.

Cua-tro por cin -

co

son

tres por sle -

te

son veln-

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co

son

tres por sle-

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son

tres Dor sre-

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cln - co

son

veln

tres por sle -

te

son veln- te

tres por sle-

te

son veln-te

a little faster again

Cua-

tro por

cin - co

Cua-tro por cin- co

un

Un a little

,1

o.

"

son

Cua-tro por

cin -

co son

tro por

cin -

co \on vein - te,

Cua

faster stitl, )

= ca.

)

192

tres Dor sle-

te

son veln-te

por

-

te

son vein- te

tres por sie -

te

son veln- te

tres

veln

sie

sudden\' softer, but with no loss of energy gradually crescendo and intensify until the end'

!

I

I

J

J

J

no

na

no

na no

no

na

na na

no

no

na na

no

no

no

l_l no

na na na no

no

no

x'

no

na

no

fl!

no

no

J

a

no,

na

a

tl

no,

no

na

no.

aaa

aa

no no

no

na na

na

no,

tl

no no

na

na

no

na

x' no,

J

no

na no, ae

J! na na

no

x' no,

J

aa

na

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JJ

J

no na na no

J.

no, rtl

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Chorol Music Experience

REPERTOIRE

The Choral Music Experience library is a culturally diverse and distinctive repertoire appropriate for study and performance. Based on the concept of "education through artistry," the CME series is organized in levets of musical cha[enge spiraling upwards in complexity from Beginning to Advanced. art-

In addition to the main CME [ibrary, the

Cl,lE H0UDAY LIGHTS is a mutti-cultural and

Chorat Music Experi€nce repertoire inctudes

crafted series for hotiday festivats, titurgical. use or concert stage. An internationa[ community of composers and arrangers dedicated to the joy of singing have created versatile choral music that celebrates the season in style. ful.Ly

the following series: BUITDING BRIDGES, for devetoping choirs, is particularly suited for middte, junior high and Ctr¡lE

beginning level high school choirs. Buildíng Bridges features repertoire selected to inspire musical devetopment through the transition years and buitd self-esteem through singing.

CME

the music of ancient and modern Ce[üc traditions. felüc l/oices incLudes works for treble chorus and mixed chorus that encourage use in both the ctassroom CME CELilC VOICES celebrates

CUE LAHN ACCENTS is dedicated

is a distinguished

African, Hispanic and European influences.

repertoire of choral music for high school, cotlege and community choirs. Fusing the goats of choral music education with the standards of professionaI performance, Conductor's Choice features an internaüonal roster of young com-

for trebte voices in etementary, middte and high school choirs, introduces the colorfu[ and dramatic world of opera to young singers with a variety of offerings from c[assic operatic literature carefully chosen for the young singing voice. CME OPERA WORKSHOP,

posers and arrangers. For more information about CME and the complete Boosey & Hawkes choraI catatog, üsit us online.

Doreen Roo's

ChOTOIVIUSIC -expeflenceBoosEY

f UHAWKES D¡SR}ÉUTED BY

HALOLEONARD6

ililil]lrililililil

iltil ll ll 6x | 6

o|il73999il 1 477

to latin

Amerícan music, with contributors from South American, Central American and Caribbean vocal practices. Loün Accents features traditionaI and composed music conta'ining Indian, Arabic,

and concert hatt. CME CONDUCÍ0R'S CH0ICE

IN HIGH V0ICE focuses on music for

women's chorus or advanced chitdren's chorus. In High Voíce features exciüng new repertoire atong with works preüously offered in the CME Advanced Repertoire [ibrary.

COF'POFTATION

7777 W. BLU¿&uNó RD. F.O.EOX l SOl I M¡LWAUKE€, Wl 53213