What does the word Sensemaya mean?
The word sensemayá is a combination of sensa (Providence) and Yemaya (Afro-Cuban Goddess of the Seas and Queen Mother of Earth). The poem poeticizes an Afro-Caribbean snake dance rite conducted by the practitioners of the Palo Monte Mayombe religion.
What kind of poem is Sensemaya?
Sensemayá, tone poem by Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas that premiered in Mexico City in December 1938. It is notable for its rhythmic complexity and for its incorporation of Latin American folk percussion instruments as part of the orchestra.
What does mayombe bombe mean?
The poem is about the ritual killing of a snake and starts out with a very rhythmic chant: ¡Mayombe—bombe—mayombé!
Who is the composer of the poem Sensemaya?
Sensemayá. Sensemayá, tone poem by Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas that premiered in Mexico City in December 1938. It is notable for its rhythmic complexity and for its incorporation of Latin American folk percussion instruments as part of the orchestra. Inspired by the Cuban writer Nicolás Guillén ’s poem “Sensemayá: canto para matar…
Why did Nicolas Guillen write the poem Sensemaya?
Inspired by the Cuban writer Nicolás Guillén ’s poem “Sensemayá: canto para matar una culebra” (1934; “Sensemayá: Chant for Killing a Snake”), which depicts an Afro-Caribbean ritual representing the killing of a snake.
Is there a musical translation of Sensemaya by Revueltas?
This approach will shift the critical studies of Revueltas’s Sensemayá as it relates to Revueltas’s handwritten manuscript (Garland 1991), the bass ostinato (Hoag 1987), and other rhythmic elements in the piece.
How does Sensemaya punish evil with a machete?
Sensemaya. The individual distances himself from evil, represented in the serpent. The evil creeps in and has disgraceful traits of a snake, it causes fear. The individual then repeatedly and with a rhythmic chant strikes the snake with a machete as if is punishing it for its traits in a violent climax with the rhythm and repetition.
