The joropo is a dance and a folkloric rhythm native to the llanos of Venezuela and Colombia, probably originated in the flamenco and Andalusian dances that the conqueror brought from the Old Continent, acquiring here a new appearance although it retained some features such as, for example, the zapateado. As the national dance of Venezuela, it is danced in pairs, on the occasion of popular, cultural and religious festivals, to the beat of music sung by a group of singers accompanied by Venezuelan cuatro, llanera harp and maracas.
Reaching the academy
After the natural decay of the romantic waltzes of the nineteenth century, which in all fairness gained access to a space in academic and salon music in their time, at the beginning of the twentieth-century Venezuelan composers took up an interest in creating works that would elevate indigenous rhythms at the academy level.
Moisés Moleiro
Among many others, this is the case of the pianist and composer Moisés Moleiro, author of sonatinas and toccatas somewhat "scarlattian" but with both syncopation and Venezuelan accent, and whose most popular work ended up being, precisely, a joropo for piano.
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| Moisés Moleiro (1904 - 1979) |
Joropo, by Moleiro
A piece of a high technical difficulty, in 6/8 time, Moleiro's Joropo should be an obligatory work in the repertoire of every Latin American pianist aware of his roots, although it is only intended to be performed as an encore, due to its brevity. From beginning to end, the piece rests (the pianist not so much) on an "Alberti bass" as accompaniment. Huge syncopated leaps deliver more rhythmic richness and add another bit of difficulty.
The rendition, magnificent, is by Basco pianist Josu Gallastegui.
