Huapango de Moncayo

José Pablo Moncayo García
(June 29, 1912 – June 16, 1958)

Huapango is a corruption of the Nahuatl word huapanco that textually means on top of the wood platform according to the dictionary of the Real Academia Española ("huapantli", wood table; "pantli", row; and "co", place, on).

Despite his being an excellent Mexican composer, and even considered vital to the Mexican nationalist composition movement, there was never much scholarly research done by either Mexican or foreign music scholars. Moncayo was thought to have a promising career as a composer and conductor. However, his career was hampered by the difficult cultural environment, difficult political situation and his premature death. His death, at an age just shy of forty-six, practically marked the end of Mexican Nationalism in the musical arts.

Moncayo sought to compose a piece that could encapsulate the national aspirations of the Mexican people. In 1941, Moncayo finished his composition titled Huapango which premiered on the 15th of August performed by the newly formed Orquesta Sinfónica de México under the direction of Carlos Chávez. The bright and colorful piece that is Huapango is a testament to the brilliance and nationalistic ideals of Moncayo. Any Mexican should be proud of this music. If there were ever a reason I would want to be Mexican, it would be so I could claim Moncayo's music as my own.




If you're trying to think of who Moncayo looks like, it's Chazz Palminteri.