Gustavo Becerra-Schmidt (August 26, 1925 – January 3, 2010) was a Chilean

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

Biography and career

Becerra-Schmidt was born in

Temuco Temuco () is a List of cities in Chile, city and Communes of Chile, commune, capital (political), capital of the Cautín Province and of the Araucanía Region in southern Chile. The city is located south of Santiago de Chile, Santiago. The cit ...

, Chile. He studied at The Chilean National Conservatory, and was taught by Pedro Humberto Allende. Then in Europe from 1953 to 1956, where he brought back the avant-garde music culture from Europe to Chile. 3 years later, Becerra-Schmidt became the director of the ''Instituto de Extension Musical'' (IEM) in 1959 to 1962, the IEM was an establishment by Domingo Santa Cruz, it aimed to centralize and manage the Chilean music repertoire and to support Chilean music organizations. During this time and after, Becerra-Schmidt was a teacher in the Chilean National Conservatory, he held this position until 1971 when he became a

Cultural attaché Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, attitudes, and habits of the individuals in these groups ...

between Chile and

Bonn Bonn () is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region. This ...

. 2 years later, Becerra-Schmidt moved to Germany due to the

1973 Chilean coup d'état The 1973 Chilean coup d'état () was a military overthrow of the democratic socialist president of Chile Salvador Allende and his Popular Unity (Chile), Popular Unity coalition government. Allende, who has been described as the first Marxist ...

, in Germany, Becerra-Schmidt taught at the

University of Oldenburg The Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg () is a university located in Oldenburg, Germany. History The first teachers training was held in Oldenburg as early as 1793, launched by Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig. A garden seminar for te ...

beginning in 1974. Becerra was also an important teacher. Some of his pupils are among the most important composers of Chile, these include Luis Advis, Sergio Ortega, Fernando García and Cirilo Vila. Becerra-Schmidt died on January 3, 2010, at his home in Oldenburg.

Compositions

Becerra was a prolific Chilean composer, his catalogue includes hundreds of compositions that goes from traditional to

avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...

Aleatoric music Aleatoric music (also aleatory music or chance music; from the Latin language, Latin word ''alea'', meaning "dice") is music in which some Aspect of music, element of the composition is left to Randomness, chance, and/or some primary element of a ...

, and from popular songs to large-scale

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian language, Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal music, vocal Musical composition, composition with an musical instrument, instrumental accompaniment, ty ...

s, symphonies and

oratorio An oratorio () is a musical composition with dramatic or narrative text for choir, soloists and orchestra or other ensemble. Similar to opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguisha ...

s. However, a large part of his musical career was politically involved, some of his cantatas included verses that were related to the

Pre-Columbian era In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era, also known as the pre-contact era, or as the pre-Cabraline era specifically in Brazil, spans from the initial peopling of the Americas in the Upper Paleolithic to the onset of European col ...

and Spanish colonization, Becerra-Schmidt's student Fernando García also wrote works based around political figures. Highlights among his output are the cantatas ''La Araucana'' and ''Lord Cochrane de Chile'', the ''Macchu Picchu'' oratorio on texts by

Pablo Neruda Pablo Neruda ( ; ; born Ricardo Eliécer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto; 12 July 190423 September 1973) was a Chilean poet-diplomat and politician who won the 1971 Nobel Prize in Literature. Neruda became known as a poet when he was 13 years old an ...

, the Concerto for Flute and Strings, and a most recent Harp Concerto from 2006. Important in his catalogue are also the electroacoustic works.

Selected works

232 Works of Becerra-Schmidt are "open sorce" available at the Becerra-Schmidt-Archiv of Oldenburg

Symphonic

* Sinfonía für Orchester (1955) * Sinfonía (de profundis) für Orchester (1957) * Concierto para Piano y Orquesta (1958) * Konzert für Cello und Orchester (1983) * Konzert für Schlagzeug und Orchester (1984) * Concierto für Flöte, Gitarre, Orchester (1987) * Variationen für Orchester (1992) * Concierto para Guitarra y Orquesta für Gitarre, Orchester (1964/2003) * Concierto para Oboe y Orquesta (2003) * Concierto para Viola y Orquesta (2004)

Chamber

* Las Pascualas für Gitarre (1957) * Sonata para Guitarra No. 2 für Gitarre (1956) * Ludor y Latigo für Stimme, Gitarre (1963) * Provocación für viele Soloinstrumente, Klavier (1970) * Scanning Variations für solistische Instrumente (1972) * Ossietzky Lied für Gitarren, Percussion, Sprecher, 5 Stimmen (1975) * Sonata para 2 Guitarras für 2 Gitarren (1978) * Charivari für Piccolo, Flöte, Bassflöte (1979) * Die Statuten des Menschen für Kammerorchester (1990) * 3 Stücke für Congas und Flügel für 4 Kongas, Flügel (1990) * Black Holefür Kammerensemble (1995) * Temucana für Solo Cello, Kammerorchester (1995) * A toi de jouer für Ensemble (1997) * Niggunium I, II, III für Flöte, Klavier (1999) * Tasten für Klavier (2001) * Amerindia für Flöten und Percussion (o. J.)

Chamber with Voice

* 5 Canciones Sefardistas (1958–59) * Agua Dormida für Stimme, Flügel (1971) * Los Satrapas (Die Lakaien) für Stimme und Kammerensemble (1973) * Ossietzky Lied für Gitarren, Percussion, Sprecher, 5 Stimmen (1975) * La Voz de Chile für Stimme und Klavier (1978) * Memento für Quilapayun, d. h. Percussion, Gesang, Charango (1980) * Revolución für 4 Männerstimmen (1981) * Die Statuten des Menschen für Stimme und Klavier (1984) * Die Ursachen des Krieges für Stimme (Tenor), Gitarre (1985) * Das Schweigen für Alt, Klavier (1986) * Kinderkreuzzug für Stimme (Rezitation), Orchester (1990) * Chanukka für zwei Stimmen, Flöten, Klavier (1991) * Versos sueltos für Sopran und Klavier (2003)

Vocal

* La Muerte de Rodrigo, Oper für Stimmen, Chor, Orchester (1945–1973) * La Cueca Larga für Chor, Percussion, Klavier (1961) * La Auracana für Chor, Rezitation, Orchester (1965) * Cantata del Amor Americano für Chor und Orchester (1965) * Macchu-Picchu für Sprecher, Sopran, Chor, Orchester (1966) * Lord Cochrane de Chile, Kantate (1967) * Elegia para muerte des Lenin (1970) * Chile 1973, Kantate (1973–1974) * Allende - Cantata Popular für Stimmen, Chor, Orchester (1978) * Ossietzky Oratorium für Soli, Chor, Orchester (1983) * Singen, wann? für Chor (1988) * Kinderkreuzzug für Stimme (Rezitation), Orchester (1990) * Trotz alledem für Chor und Orchester (1990–1991) * Muerte del Mar für Chor und Orchester (1992)

Electronic Music

* Lenin (1971) * Batuque (1971) * Nocturno (1974) * Progressiones (1976) * Strukturen (1978–1980) * Cuando (1978–1980) * Quipus (1978–1980) * Batallas para Allende (1979) * Balistocata (1979) * Oda al mar (1986) * Interior (1987) * Concierto para 4 pianos ampleados (2004) * Poema para percuissiones nsampleados Música Cibernética (2008)

Media

References

Notes

External links

* (in German) {{DEFAULTSORT:Becerra-Schmidt, Gustavo 1925 births 2010 deaths Chilean composers Chilean male composers 20th-century Chilean classical composers 21st-century classical composers Chilean expatriates in Germany Chilean male classical composers 20th-century male composers 21st-century male musicians