At the last NFA convention in Chicago (1996), many of us were fortunate enough to experience
a wonderful expression of musical spontaneity that took place in the lobby of the hotel during the last three nights.
Members of the Venezuelan Flute Orchestra, as well as this writer, took out one flute, and, in the tradition of
a Venezuelan musical party, began to recreate the music of their home country in Chicago. Some of the flutists
picked up a guitar, a cuatro, a bass and maracas and began joyfully accompanying every Venezuelan flutist as we
each took turns playing many of the wonderful traditional, as well as original, tunes which we so very much enjoy
in Venezuela. The fact that only one flute was being passed around made it seem as if we were all one player expressing
the beauty and life of our country, with no sense of competition, but with a feeling of appreciation of each player's
contribution. We all shared in the joy of a music that is both very infectious and exciting.
The tradition of flute playing in Venezuela is not very old, but it has always included a sense of singing, which
all we Venezuelans carry with us. It has been said that Venezuela is a singing country, and, as a matter of fact,
one of the native tribes in the rain forest of Venezuela is called the "Warao" which means "singing
people", strengthening this assertion. Whether during Christmas, holidays, or birthdays, Venezuelans always
find an excuse to pick up a cuatro (4-stringed guitar) and begin singing to liven up the party.
This tradition of flute playing as a means of expression for Venezuelan music has come from different sources and
influences, and, in most cases, it has been through the efforts of classically trained musicians who adopted the
medium, making it so rich and full of challenges. The clarinet and saxophone were originally the popular instruments
used in the performance of folk music, particularly during the 1940s and 1950s. There were a lot of pieces written
for clarinet which were very lively and fun, but none with the level of virtuosity now present in the pieces for
flute.
During the 1950s and 1960s, there was a wonderfully talented, self-taught flutist named Angel
Briceño, who played first flute with the Venezuelan Symphony Orchestra. He
was well known for his wonderfully full sound, his ability to improvise and his knack for cutting his own head-joints
and fixing his own flute. There are accounts of several visiting conductors who wanted to bring Briceño
as principal flute of their orchestras in different parts of the world, but he always preferred to stay in Venezuela
and enjoy the fruits of his labor at home. Mr. Briceño arranged a number of works, performed in many popular
recordings, and, in his private life, enjoyed playing Venezuelan waltzes at gatherings with his friends. It was
at one of these gatherings that a very young flutist named Antonio Naranjo heard this great master and became transfixed by the virtuosity of his playing. Naranjo's father
was the leader of one of the most famous bands of popular music called "Los Antaños del Estadio"
(The Oldies of the Stadium), and he wanted his son "Toñito" (as he was affectionately called)
to not only be a classical player, but also not let him forget his folk roots and the music of his country. Tonito's
daily practice routine involved going through Taffanel's scales and arpeggios, as well as etudes, for 3 hours and
then an hour of joropos and waltzes.
In 1971, at the age of 16, Toñito
was very fortunate to be awarded a government scholarship to study flute at The Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris
under the tutelage of F. Caratge and Maxence Larrieu. There he learned to refine his technique and raise the level
of his playing considerably. Toñito put together a group to perform Venezuelan and Latin music in order
to earn a few extra francs (something many of us have done when living abroad). After being heard by an Argentine
producer, he recorded two CDs which became cult classics among Venezuelan flutists. Upon his return to Venezuela,
he took over the position of Principal Flute of the Venezuelan Symphony Orchestra, and, after a few years, formed
the group "El Cuarteto" (The Quartet) which
was made up of two sets of brothers (flute, cuatro, guitar and bass). They released their first CD in 1978 and
ever since have been fixtures of the Venezuelan musical establishment, taking the flute to a level of popularity
where many (musicians and non-musicians alike) now thoroughly enjoy it.
Another flutist responsible for beginning the internationalization of Venezuelan flute music is Luis Julio Toro and his group "Gurrufio." Luis Julio is also a classically trained flutist who studied in London at the Royal College
of Music with Christopher Hyde-Smith. Ever since hearing Toñito's first recordings, Luis Julio became enamored
with Venezuelan music and began to play it whenever he could, playing in many groups and participating in many
gatherings, always with the desire to learn new Venezuelan pieces. After returning to Venezuela from his studies
in London in 1983, he joined the Municipal Orchestra of Caracas as Co-principal Flute, and in 1984 formed the group
"Ensemble Gurrufio" (flute, cuatro, mandolin, and bass). The mission of the group was to take what "El
Cuarteto" did and add improvisation and sophisticated arrangements to the traditional Venezuelan forms, thus
creating a new sound in Venezuelan music. Since the release of their first CD, they have enjoyed a great deal of
international success, performing every year in the international festivals of Europe and the Far East.
With the release of my CD "Sunflute", I hope to bring another voice to the family of Venezuelan music,
and it is my goal to present the flute as a truly soloistic instrument enhanced by the strong rhythms of the cuatro,
maracas, and the poignancy of the bass.
My beginnings in Venezuelan music were similar to that of my colleagues in that it was the fun and party atmosphere
that attracted me to it. My father founded a music school in the town of Colón in the Andes Mountains of
Venezuela. As soon as I could play a few pieces on the flute, he began taking me with him on serenades during the
holidays. These serenades often would go on all night and the music became livelier as the night rolled along.
As soon as I was confident enough, I began to go on serenades on my own, hoping to win the love and admiration
of a beautiful young maiden. Sometimes the serenades were successful, and sometimes not, but, nevertheless, we
always enjoyed playing the music.
At the age of 14, I had the opportunity to come to the United States to study flute with Maurice Sharp of the Cleveland
Orchestra, and, after 2 years in Cleveland, I was invited by Julius Baker to study at The Juilliard School in New
York. I remember an episode in one of my lessons where Mr. Baker, upon hearing me play a Bach Sonata, said to me,
"No, No, No Marco. This is not Latin music. You have to play it like Bach." Well, since then, I think
that I have learned to play Bach well, but would still rather play it in a Venezuelan style. After Juilliard, I
studied with Thomas Nyfenger at The Mannes College of Music and Michael Parloff at the Manhattan School of Music.
I have lived in New York since that time, trying to perform Venezuelan music whenever I have the opportunity. During
my period with Quintet of the Americas (a woodwind quintet), we programmed arrangements for winds of Venezuelan
and other Latin American forms, showcasing repertoire that is often unknown, and I continue this idea with "Un
Mundo."
Other flutists who have recently started groups in Venezuela are: Omar Acosta in the Omar Acosta Ensemble (original compositions) ; Javier Montilla with "Pabellion sin Baranda," (flute, cello, and cuatro) ; Antonio
Vasquez ; Miquirebo Flute Quartet, and the great work of Victor Rojas with
the Venezuelan Flute Orchestra. The Venezuelan Flute
Orchestra has taken the concept of flute choir and filled it with new life by adding wonderful arrangements and
original pieces of Venezuelan and other Latin composers. This flute orchestra has been a wonderful outlet for many
young flutists who have been drawn to the flute by the popularity it enjoys in Venezuela. Many of the students
in this group made many sacrifices to attend the Chicago convention, including saving up to 4 months of salary
in order to afford the trip. Let us hope that they continue their work with love and success.
Marco Granados
