| This work concerns the life and work of the Mexican composer and conductor Jose Pablo Moncayo (1912--1958), and his place in the development of music in Mexico during the first half of the twentieth century. The dissertation examines the different activities that Moncayo undertook, giving special attention to his endeavors as a conductor, particularly to his position with the National Symphony Orchestra. This study of Moncayo's life, as a leitmotif, draws a portrait of the times and forces that shaped the musical identity of Mexico, reflecting how Mexico participated at that moment in the international music scene.;Despite the great popularity of one of his compositions, Huapango for orchestra, Moncayo remains little known as a composer or as a research subject. Unfortunately, the early success of Huapango overshadowed the rest of Moncayo's production, and some very fine works of his were not performed again after their premiere, until recent years. Research on the life and accomplishments of Moncayo has been minimal at best. Moncayo's biographies can be found in a few paragraphs in music dictionaries and encyclopedias, and although there are some articles devoted to him or to his music, no book about him has been published yet in Mexico or abroad. The result of this research is the most complete biography of Jose Pablo Moncayo to date. This paper presents as further information within the appendices, a thorough catalogue of works, a selected catalogue of recordings, a chronology of Moncayo, a comparative chronology of Moncayo, a chronology of Moncayo's conducting activities, a comparative chronology of conductors contemporaries of Moncayo, and a useful outline of main trends in music during Moncayo's lifetime.;In addition to the aforementioned references, further source materials include programs of the Orquesta Sinfonica de Mexico (Symphony Orchestra of Mexico) and the Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional de Mexico (National Symphony Orchestra of Mexico), newspaper articles, and interviews with people who knew Moncayo personally. |
