Orquesta Caraqueña
Encyclopedia
The Orquesta Caraqueña was a light music group led by composer and arranger Pedro Elías Gutiérrez
which was based in Caracas
, the capital city of Venezuela
.
This group, created in the chamber music
concept, played waltz
, polka
and other couple dances
in the Venezuelan aristocratic ballrooms
of the 1910s and 1920s, and also was one of the recording
pioneers artists coming from Venezuela.
The instrumentation consisted of three violin
s, flute
, two clarinet
s, harp
, two cornet
s, baritone horn
, tuba
, two cuatro
s and two traps
, and the group's repertoire was entirely instrumental.
Following is the list of tunes recorded by the Orquesta Caraqueña for Victor
label on January 31, 1917. The recording session took place in Caracas and the technical process was held in New York
.
Pedro Elías Gutiérrez
Pedro Elías Gutiérrez was a Venezuelan musician who is mainly remembered by the joropo song Alma Llanera, whose music he composed.-Life and valoration:...
which was based in Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
, the capital city of Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
.
This group, created in the chamber music
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
concept, played waltz
Waltz
The waltz is a ballroom and folk dance in time, performed primarily in closed position.- History :There are several references to a sliding or gliding dance,- a waltz, from the 16th century including the representations of the printer H.S. Beheim...
, polka
Polka
The polka is a Central European dance and also a genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia...
and other couple dances
Partner dance
Partner dances are dances whose basic choreography involves coordinated dancing of two partners, as opposed to individuals dancing alone or individually in a non-coordinated manner, and as opposed to groups of people dancing simultaneously in a coordinated manner.In the year 1023 the German poet...
in the Venezuelan aristocratic ballrooms
Ballroom dance
Ballroom dance refers to a set of partner dances, which are enjoyed both socially and competitively around the world. Because of its performance and entertainment aspects, ballroom dance is also widely enjoyed on stage, film, and television....
of the 1910s and 1920s, and also was one of the recording
Recording
Recording is the process of capturing data or translating information to a recording format stored on some storage medium, which is often referred to as a record or, if an auditory medium, a recording....
pioneers artists coming from Venezuela.
The instrumentation consisted of three violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
s, flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, two clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
s, harp
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
, two cornet
Cornet
The cornet is a brass instrument very similar to the trumpet, distinguished by its conical bore, compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. It is not related to the renaissance and early baroque cornett or cornetto.-History:The cornet was...
s, baritone horn
Baritone horn
The baritone horn is a member of the brass instrument family. The baritone horn has a predominantly cylindrical bore as do the trumpet and trombone. A baritone horn uses a large mouthpiece much like those of a trombone or euphonium, although it is a bit smaller. Some baritone mouthpieces will sink...
, tuba
Tuba
The tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
, two cuatro
Cuatro (Venezuela)
The cuatro of Venezuela has four single nylon strings, tuned . It is similar in shape and tuning to the ukulele, but their character and playing technique are vastly different. It is tuned in a similar fashion to the traditional D tuning of the ukulele, but the A and B are an octave lower...
s and two traps
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, and the group's repertoire was entirely instrumental.
Following is the list of tunes recorded by the Orquesta Caraqueña for Victor
Victor Talking Machine Company
The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American corporation, the leading American producer of phonographs and phonograph records and one of the leading phonograph companies in the world at the time. It was headquartered in Camden, New Jersey....
label on January 31, 1917. The recording session took place in Caracas and the technical process was held in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
| Matrix | Title | Composer |
| G-1817 | Emilia | P. E. Gutiérrez |
| G-1818 | Alma llanera | P. E. Gutiérrez |
| G-1819 | Crisantemos | P. E. Gutiérrez |
| G-1820 | Celajes | P. E. Gutiérrez |
| G-1821 | Caricari | P. E. Gutiérrez |
| K-1822 | Sans souci | P. E. Gutiérrez |
| G-1823 | Tardes del Tacarigua | P. E. Gutiérrez |
Sources
- Enciclopedia de la Música en Venezuela / Directores José Peñín y Walter Guido, Tomo 1, pag. 706-710. Publisher: Caracas, Fundación Bigott, 1998. ISBN/ISSN: 9805428021