Revueltas, Silvestre

▪ Mexican composer

born Dec. 31, 1899, Santiago Papasquiaro, Mex.

died Oct. 5, 1940, Mexico City

      Mexican composer, teacher, and violinist, best known for his colourfully orchestrated music of distinctive rhythmic vitality.

      Revueltas studied violin and composition in Mexico City from 1913 to 1916. He studied at St. Edward College in Austin, Texas, from 1916 to 1918, and at the Chicago Musical College from 1918 to 1920. Revueltas conducted an orchestra in Mobile, Ala., in 1928, and in the following year he became assistant conductor of the Mexico Symphony Orchestra, a position he held until 1935.

      In his compositions Revueltas suggested folk derivations without quoting actual Mexican folk songs. His major works are symphonic poems on Mexican subjects, such as Sensemayá (1938; based on a poem by Nicolás Guillén), but he also wrote chamber music (String Quartets Nos. 1–4, 1930–32), songs, and film scores (Redes, 1935, and La noche de los Mayas, 1939).

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