Funeral marches in Guatemala have a rich and deep history that dates back to colonial times.
In the study New notes for the study of funeral marches in Guatemalahistorian Fernando Urquizú proposes that music in Guatemala has been shaped by a fusion of cultures, fusing African percussion with Western musical theory, giving rise to a unique genre in the world.
The sacred music performed during the Lent and Holy Week have their roots in the 16th centurybased on gear prototypes Italian funerals that evolved over time.
The creation of military music schools and the influence of Romanticism also contributed to shaping this musical genre in Guatemala.
More than 450 years of historythe number of funeral marches in Guatemala is vast, with hundreds of works by known and unknown authors.
The researcher Édgar Cabnal has estimated that there are at least two thousand five hundred works in existence, although many have been lost over time.
Among the pioneers of the genre are Salvador Iriarteauthor of Jesus of Mercyy Martial Premcreator of the Funeral march number three. On the other hand, The Pitof Santiago Coronadois one of the first documented funeral marches of the new era, dating from 1888.
These funeral marches are much more than music; They’re a cultural and racial expression that reflects the history and identity of Guatemala.
Each Lent and Holy Weekfaithful believers from all over the country join in these processions to honor their traditions and roots, carrying with it the living history of a nation.
Some of the most recognized marches in the country are the following:
‘Jesus of Consuelo‘ – Fray Miguel Murcia (Official of Jesús del Consuelo of the temple of La Recolección)
‘Mater Dolorosa’ – Julia Quiñónez (Officer of Jesus Nazarene of the Miracles of the Archdiocesan Shrine of Lord San José)
‘Una Lágrima’ – Manuel Moraga (Official of Jesús de Candelaria, in his Holy Thursday procession)
‘Lord, I sinned’ – Joaquín Santa María y Vigil (Official of Jesús Nazareno de la Merced, in his Good Friday procession)
‘Crusaders of Christ’ – Manuel Antonio Ramírez Crocker (Official of Jesus buried in El Calvario)
‘Sweat of Blood’ – Fray Miguel Murcía (Official of the Reclining Christ of the temple of La Recolección)
‘La Fosa’ – Santiago Coronado (Dedicated to Jesús de La Merced, but performed at the exit of the Holy Burial of Santo Domingo)
‘Christ the King’ – Fabián Rojo Chacón (Buried Lord of Santo Domingo de la Calendar)
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