Victoriano Valencia Rincón: SAN PELAYO. Vanderbilt Wind Symphony - Thomas Verrier, Conductor

Vanderbilt Wind Symphony
Thomas Verrier, Conductor
College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA)
National Conference – February 16, 2023

SAN PELAYO

The present-day town of San Pelayo (Cordoba Region, Colombia) was a settlement of vital importance in the expansion process of the rural bands
(or pelayeras) of the Colombian Caribbean at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th. One of the traditional genres of the pelayera bands is the fandango, taken from the Afro-Hispanic song forms and characterized by a soloist accompanied by backing choruses.

The melodic material of San Pelayo is based on the designs of improvised eight-bar phrases characteristic of fandango and passed along via oral tradition by bands. The percussion section is essential as much for metric stability as the expressive force of the piece and includes rhythm patterns associated with the percussion instruments traditionally found in the concert band (cymbals, snare drum, and bass drum) as well as in folkloric groups (guache, tambor alegre, and tambora). On an orchestration level, textural and dynamic growth is established through the distribution of the melodic role via solos at first, and by full sections later. The climax provides a strong contrast with melodic material stressing expressiveness that ascends by registers of the band and sets the stage for the coda.

San Pelayo was commissioned by the Student Symphonic Band of Neira (Caldas Region, Colombia) and honoured as the best unpublished piece at the National Bands Competition in Anapoima (Cundinamarca Region, Colombia) in 2005.

Victoriano Valencia Rincon is one of the most recognized Latin American composers in the world of symphonic bands. His works have been performed by bands in more than 30 countries in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. He has a degree in Music from the National Pedagogical University and a Master's Degree in Compo­sition from the EA FIT University of Medellfn. He has been an adviser to the Ministry of Culture of Colombia, the Network of Music Schools of Medellfn, and various institutions of higher education. Since 2017, he has served on the faculty of the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana de Bogota. Mr. Valencia has written nearly 200 works for band, including arrangements and original compositions.