Description on Youtube:
This 1938 composed pastoral lullaby constists basically of a sequence of tonic and dominant as ostinato figure throughout. It is explained in the little text box in the beginning. The melody in the right hand has a lot of freedom and starts to get independent of the strict left hand measure, playing notes in its own logic very shortly after the left hand had its ostinato notes. Also the quintuplets fulfill this observation.
Alejandro García Caturla (1906 – 1940) was a Cuban composer of art music and creolized Cuban themes. Born in Remedios, at sixteen García Caturla played second violin with the newly formed Orquesta Sinfonica de La Habana. He also began composing while studying music and law. Despite his Spanish descent, he was fascinated by Afro-Cuban folklore, whose themes became characteristic of his compositions at a time when the division between art music and popular music did not influence Cuban composers.
After his student days, García Caturla lived all his life in the small central town of Remedios. He practiced law while continuing to compose music. Caturla was also a multi-instrumental performer and a baritone of some quality.
While presiding over a criminal case, García Caturla was murdered at thirty-four by the young gambler he was about to sentence to prison. What a really tragic end to a talented composer. I already recorded other pieces showing interesting atonal and bitonal approaches of him.
