Yaraví is an important part of Ecuadorian musical heritage and is one of the indigenous genres that constitute música nacional. The performance practices of yaraví, however, have not been studied in depth. This paper presents novel findings through the performance analysis of nine yaraví recordings released by the well-known Benítez & Valencia duet. Results suggest that dynamics and ornamentation are expressive devices used consciously by instrumentalists and vocalists. It was also found that instrumentalists tend to de-emphasise the first beat of each bar, and that dynamics play a structural role in delineating musical phrases in the vocal line. Tempo does not appear to be used expressively, although a tendency to anticipate the beat in the voice was observed. These results broaden the current knowledge about Ecuadorian yaraví and música nacional. They might be a starting point for further research on musical performance and expression in these traditions.
The use of popular materials by Juan Montes in his academic works and his contribution to folkloristic compilation constitute two of the key elements in consolidating his figure as a referential musician in Galician musical history. In terms of compilation, his link with the music critic Ramón de Arana was fundamental for his participation in two of the most important Spanish and Galician songbooks: the Cancionero musical popular español by Felipe Pedrell and the Cancionero musical de Galicia by Casto Sampedro. His work on the recovery of popular music was presented in the mythical narrative created around the composer as an extensive and prolific occupation; however, in both songbooks in which he participated, there are few explicit mentions of Juan Montes in terms of the musical examples provided. This article will analyse –based on the comparison of musical and extra-musical sources reliably attributed to the composer and his environment– his role as a compiler and his real involvement and contribution to the two compilation works, recreating from the preserved materials the folkloric archive of Juan Montes.
