Ocho Miniaturas para Pequeña Banda (1997)
Juan Antonio Cuellar (b.1966)
Juan Antonio Cuéllar was born in Bogotá in 1966. Raised within a family that appreciated music and that highly valued scholarship, he went on to form a rock band during his early teens in which he played guitar, bass, and keyboards. This rock band also played jazz at restaurants to support their financial expenses as an aspiring musical group. In 1984, Cuéllar started piano lessons with Colombian pianist Karol Bermúdez, and in 1985 he attended the Pedagogical National University where he studied music pedagogy for two years. At the same time, he took harmony and counterpoint lessons with Colombian composer Luis Torres Zuleta. He also received harpsichord lessons in 1987 from Alvaro Huertas and in 1988 earned his way into the composition program under composer Andrés Posada at the Xaverian Pontifical University of Bogotá.
Cuéllar was a Fulbright recipient, which allowed him to attend Indiana University in Bloomington where he received his Master's and Doctorate degrees in theory and composition under the direction of David Dzubay, Eugene O'Brien, and Don Freund. He also received the Indiana University Chancellor's Fellowship. Upon his return to Colombia, Cuéllar involved himself with the musical scene in Bogotá, where he received awards on several occasions for his compositions, among them the National Prize of Composition of the District Institute of Culture and Tourism and the Composition Award "Art of the Music."
Cuellar’s music has been performed by various reputable ensembles, such as the Colombian National Symphony, the Bogotá Philharmonic Orchestra, the American Composers Orchestra, DeciBelio Ensemble, the Kuttner Quartet, and the Manolov Quartet. In addition to his work as a composer, Cuéllar played an important role as an educator at the School of Music of the Xaverian Pontifical University where he was appointed Dean in 2002. Currently, Cuéllar is the executive director of a nationwide system of youth orchestras in Colombia named Batuta.
In the score, the Colombian Minister of Culture in 1997 (the year of the composition) remarks that Ocho Miniaturas para Pequeña Banda (Eight Miniatures for Small Band) is a commission for the “Francisco de Paula Santander” Scholarship in 1993, a project that incentivized composers to write for different instrumentations and be published by the Colombian government.
Description
Ocho Miniaturas para Pequeña Banda are separate pieces that were conceived as a cycle, to be performed together as a suite with small pauses between each miniature. From the point of view of the musical materials, there are notable elements from the popular tradition of Colombian music, although these elements are dramatically transformed, constituting the essence of the piece. The instrumentation calls for ten wind players and three percussionists.
*for more extensive program notes and analysis follow the link below.
Form
I. Andante
II. Marcato grazioso
III. Allegro
IV. Scherzando
V. Sostenuto
VI. Rápido
VII. .
VIII. .
Audio Visual Sample
Score
The score for this piece isn’t available for purchase or rent but you can request a digital copy below.
