Poetry and Music in Spanish America

This course studies the relationship between poetry and popular music. Spanish American music repertory is extraordinarily rich, in both rhythm and lyrics. Following a chronological order, the class establishes the major formal changes that had taken place in the last three centuries in both poetry and popular music. We will study some of the best known poems, among them: “La agricultura de la zona tórrida” (Andrés Bello), “Martín Fierro” (José Hernández), “Poemas sencillos” (José Martí), “Canción de otoño en primavera” (Rubén Darío), “La suave patria” (Ramón López Velarde), Poema XX (Pablo Neruda), “Poema 12” (Oliverio Girondo), “Arte Poética” (Vicente Huidobro), and “Nocturno de San Ildefonso” (Octavio Paz). The music repertoire to be studied –bolero, tango, and guajira, among other rhythms- includes classical songs, such as “Bésame mucho”, “El rey”, “María Bonita”, “Cienfuegos”, “Naranjo en flor”, “Cambalache”, and “Balada para un loco”. (1 unit)