|
Friday, June 18 - 9:30 am Bryan Edgett, Reporter As has been the case since his teenage years, Jeff Nevin finds his deepest musical satisfaction Nevin’s presentation explored mariachi’s history, styles, and techniques in a casual, informative, and thoroughly descriptive manner. At ease and comfortable with his well-organized seminar, he guided the attendees through mariachi’s development and performance practices, comparing and contrasting them with those of (for lack of a better term) classical music. Mariachi music was comprised originally of violins, harp, and guitars, adding the trumpet later. This genre, like other folk music, derived primarily from community. In mariachi, all voices are equal with violins and trumpet playing in parallel thirds. All parts must fit together.
Nevin discussed rubato and vibrato at great length. One will find two definitions of rubato in most musical dictionaries. In the version most commonly employed today, the time fluctuates and all musicians maintain coordination. In the approach commonly used through the middle of the 19th century, the accompaniment maintains a strict tempo, while the melody stretches and accelerates, still maintaining a musically sensible relationship with the accompaniment. Mariachi music employs the older style. Nevin contended that musicians need a broader vocabulary to describe vibrato accurately than that normally employed by classical players. Adjectives he used to describe the term included rounded, sharp-edged or rhythmic, deep, shallow, fast, and slow. He demonstrated the effects of the different types of vibrato and showed how each fit given musical situations. He stressed the importance of matching vibrato styles when playing an accompanying part and advised varying the style from the ensemble when playing a solo, a practice employed by the best orchestral players. |
playing mariachi music. Yet he is equally skilled in a wide range of styles. Currently, he performs as principal trumpet with the La Jolla Symphony, as a regular extra with the San Diego Symphony, and serves as the Artistic Director of Mariachi Champaña Nevín, a group that he founded. Holding a Ph.D. in Composition from San Diego State University, Nevin is professor of music and Director of Mariachi Activities at Southwestern College in California, the first college to offer a degree in mariachi.
The classical approach begins with technique acquisition and moves to expression after relative technical mastery. In contrast, mariachi puts a premium on style and expression, treating technical issues as secondary. Nevin noted that as classical players often make the mistake of focusing exclusively on technique, misguided mariachi players make similar mistakes by focusing almost exclusively on style. While the approaches vary, he contended that both must meet in the middle with technical accuracy coupled with feeling and stylistic sensitivity in order to make art at its highest level.