Carlos Chavez was one of the famous Mexican composers of the twentieth century. He was popularly knows for his ballets Toxcatl and La hija de Colquida (The Dark Meadow) as well as his seven symphonies. The Toxcatl is popularly famous for the 1947 Toccata for percussion.
When Chavez was three years old, his father died leaving five of his other siblings. Chavez’s mother, who was a school teacher, took great care of the children. At the young age of 11, Chavez studied piano and also began to study instrumentation on his own. He continued his practice throughout his career and his copies of Beethoven’s and Brahms symphonies contained all sorts of notations.
At the age of fifteen, Chavez began learning the intricacies of harmony from Fuentes and Ogazon. His initial significant works included the Piano Sextet (1919).
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Carlos Chavez was one of the famous Mexican composers of the twentieth century. He was popularly knows for his ballets Toxcatl and La hija de Colquida (The Dark Meadow) as well as his seven symphonies. The Toxcatl is popularly famous for the 1947 Toccata for percussion.
When Chavez was three years old, his father died leaving five of his other siblings. Chavez’s mother, who was a school teacher, took great care of the children. At the young age of 11, Chavez studied piano and also began to study instrumentation on his own. He continued his practice throughout his career and his copies of Beethoven’s and Brahms symphonies contained all sorts of notations.
At the age of fifteen, Chavez began learning the intricacies of harmony from Fuentes and Ogazon. His initial significant works included the Piano Sextet (1919).
On September 1922, Chavez married Otilia Ortiz and made many trips o New York from 1926 to 1928, where he met famous personalities like Varese, Copland and others.
Chavez had some writing abilities as well! He began writing articles related to music on a Mexico newspaper, El universal. His tryst with writing began in 1924 and continued till his entire life. He also had ties in politics and received some significant appointments including the directorship of the National Conservatory came in 1928; and an important position at the Public Education's fine arts department. However, his love for music did not fade as he composed his ballet Caballos de vaor in 1932 and other symphonies in 1933, 35 and 36,
The National Institute of Fine Arts was established in Mexico in 1947 by Chavez. The next two years were quite busy for him. He composed more symphonies and songs. In May 1957, Chavez’s only opera, The Visitors, premiered in New York.
Chavez also wrote some books. One of the books Tower a New Music: Music and Electricity, published in 1932 gamed tremendous recognition.
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