Arturo Marquez
Composer
The Interview
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When did you first start composing music?
I started when I was 16 years old, at this time I was studying violin, piano and trombone, but the piano gave me a first glance into harmony and soon I was making my first melodies with an intuitive harmony accompaniment. - How long does it take you to compose a work? Do you have a favourite place to compose your music?
Finishing a work depends on many factors. It depends mainly on the moment you are composing, I have to be at the "right moment" to compose a particular work. So it can take me from a week to several months, and also there are works that I leave for a considerable amount of time and return to them after months or years. The best place for me to compose is in my studio. -
What instruments can you play? Do you need to play all the instruments you compose for?
As a teenager I played several instruments (3), but I stayed with the piano for the last 30 years. It is not necessary to play an instrument to compose, but it advisable to play at least one as well as possible. When we study composition we have to take lessons of other instruments of different families: strings, winds, percussion etc. In order to know how they work, but we do not have to master them. -
Does your music sound particularly "Canadian / Mexican / American"? If so, why?
My music does sound Mexican and Latin-American in particular because of its melodies and rhythms. This deals with being Mexican of course, but also with a special attraction toward the music of the Latin-American continent and a personal use of the academic and popular music techniques. -
What is the source of inspiration for your compositions?
Traditional Latin-American and Mexican music mixed with academic or classic techniques. -
What is it about Mozart's music that inspires you as a composer?
Mozart is the great music master and he is still followed by many composers in the way of organizing musical form. His music is intuitive and natural with a genial use of the musical means of his time. His was really my first composition example; as a beginner student I had to learn his techniques and had to compose works in the style of his piano sonatas. - Do you have a special musical memory from when you were very young?
Composition is the main stream of music, it is born because of the talent and effort of composers. Any music student that feels that he has this unique talent, should follow with no doubt toward composition. It is a long career, that begins with a musical instrument and musical theory followed by musical analisis, instrumentation, orchestration, counterpoint, musical forms, composition etc. All this takes at least 10 years. - Which of your compositions is your favorite? What should I, as a student,
listen for?
Danzón 2 for orchestra is the best known, but each of my works has a special affection because they gather a deep meaning of my life. I have several works recorded on CD's. Danzón's 2, 3, 4 and 5, Zarabandeo for clarinet and piano, Son a tamayo for harp and tape, Octeto Malandro, Danza de Mediodía for wind quintet, Espejos en la Arena for cello and orchestra etc.
