MEMORIES OF MY LAND Duo for Clarinets

MEMORIES OF MY LAND Duo for Clarinets - Composition by Everardo García

This piece evokes memories from the 1990s when I was part of the Banda BASTLAM in the Mixe community of Tlahuitoltepec, Oaxaca, Mexico. We practiced the Zapateado-Vals style with solos and band accompaniment. Each instrument had unique solos and tuttis. At that time, it was innovative to play as a soloist in a town rich in culture but isolated and with limited access to information and formal knowledge of music. There were practically no children's or youth bands, so the creation of the Banda Infantil-Juvenil-Bastlam was one of the first major projects promoted by the municipal authorities. Later, they adopted the project and continued to form children's bands in stages in that community, replicating them in other towns and regions of Oaxaca.

The origin of zapateado is uncertain. It is believed to come from the Spanish sevillanas, fandanguillos, bulerías and peteneras, which were fused with African elements. However, it was in Mexico where this type of instrumental zapateado took root and enriched the traditional philharmonic bands of the Oaxacan villages. Zapateado represents a global fusion between cultures and their representations. There is no completely pure dance or musical form; they are all the product of fusion.