Lopez | Three Afro-Caribbean Nocturnes

Three Afro-Caribbean Nocturnes, by Juan Lopez

Juan López-Maya, Three Afro-Caribbean Nocturnes

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CMP 1837
Solo for unaccompanied alto flute.
Grade 4. Approx. duration: eight minutes.
Set consists of a performance score.

Afro-Caribbean culture is a vibrant mixture of African, European, and indigenous traditions, which began to take shape soon after the arrival of the first slaves to the Caribbean in the early 16th century.
These Nocturnes are descriptive pieces that evoke Afro-Caribbean tales where history and legend are intertwined. The alto flute, with its deep and warm timbre, is the ideal instrument for the musical set-up of these stories. Several very precise extended techniques, such as pizzicato or slap tongue, have been used discreetly to accentuate the evocative character of the music.

1. Night in Pocabuy
Pocabuy is an ancient country located in northern Colombia, where cumbia is said to have originated. Cumbia is a musical genre resulting from the fusion of the Chimila people’s ritual chants, African drums and dances, and Spanish Catholicism and language.

2. The Caves of Birongo
Birongo is a small town in Barlovento, a region located along the central coast of Venezuela, famous for its African heritage. Historical accounts tell us that in 1721 slaves were given permission to celebrate the winter solstice. Colonial authorities agreed to grant them a day off, but the local church stipulated that the celebration be held in honor of Saint John the Baptist and not for an African deity. Since then, the celebration of the solstice in honor of Saint John has become a tradition in all Afro-Caribbean communities on June 24th. In the caves of Birongo, a few miles from the village, the former slaves met in secret to celebrate their ancestral rituals before 1721.

2. Dusk in Samaná
Samaná is a peninsula located in the northern area of present-day Dominican Republic. After the abolition of slavery on the island in 1822, many slaves escaped from the east coast of the United States and settled there, giving rise to a very special community that maintained English as its main language, the Methodist faith, and gospel singing to this day.
Samaná is also the setting for a spectacular event: the migration of humpback whales. This majestic phenomenon occurs every year between January and March when more than 1,500 whales come to the bay to mate and give birth. Humpback whales, famous for their mating songs, have been revered as sacred animals for centuries and are considered a symbol of regional identity in Samaná.

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