Born in Havana Cuba in 1946, Sergio Barroso studied at the Havana National Conservatory, the Prague Superior Academy of Music, and later, in computer music. at Stanford University. While his works range among all contemporary classical genres, nowhere has his impact been felt greater than in electroacoustic music, both with and without live instruments. Barroso is especially noted for his performance skills at the synthesizer. He has been active as a composer, performer, writer, teacher and broadcaster throughout most of his life, even spending a few years as head of music for the Cuban Ministry of Culture. Voluntarily exiling himself from Cuba in 1980, Barroso moved to Canada, first to Peterborough, Ontario, to teach at Trent University, then to Victoria, where he was associated first with the University of Victoria, and then Simon Fraser University. Much of his electronic output has come from his own studio.


Íreme

                Íreme  is a piece for singer and tape based on a ceremonial ritual of the Abakwa people of Cuba. The Abakwa are a secret society of men, (they do not allow women among them), descended from the Nigerian slaves brought to Cuba during the slave trade of the 19th century. The Abakwa are also somewhat of a political organisation which came about through economic oppression and isolation from the upper classes. Their rituals, including the one on which this piece is based, derive from Nigerian folklore; the ceremonies can be traced back to a legend which tells the story of Sikán, a woman who dropped the god Tanze from the basket on her head in which she was carrying him. She atones for her wrongdoings through the sound of the sacred drum, whose skin is that of Sikán. The ritual dance depicted in Íreme  is called the "Bricamo." Because it is never performed in public, few details of the ceremony are well documented. It is a soul-cleansing ceremony in which the Íreme, (also called a Diablitos, or devil) is a colourfully-dressed and masked dancer representing the spirit of the ancestors. He is preceded by the morúa, who is the singer. The íreme and the morúa are accompanied by the biankomeko, a small ensemble including four drums, the bonkoechemillá, biankomé, obiapá, and kuchiyeremá, plus the ekón, (bell), two erikundi, (rattlers or shakers) and two itónes, wooden sticks similar to claves. The íreme also plays symbolic instruments, including the ékwe, which represents the sound of the god, as well as the erikunde, (rattlers) and an ekón. The role of the morúa ’s continuous chanting and the íreme’ s dancing and ceremonial instruments is to entreat the spirit of the ancestors to return. The dancing and chanting build to a frenzied climax before finally subsiding.

                In this piece, the singer represents the morúa, and to some extent the íreme, and the tape fills the place of the biankomeko, the accompanying instruments, (the tape which leans heavily toward percussive sounds was created from a pair of claves, a suspended cymbal, a conga drum and two gourds). The piece was commissioned by the Special Delivery Dance Company in Vancouver, implying, (while no specific instructions are given in the score) that dancing may be incorporated into the performance of this work.

                The text of this work breaks the piece into four sections¹. The first section deals with the initial call and appeal to the spirits, and the fright associated with it. The second section is centred around the question of enslavement. The third focuses on the possession by the spirits, and the fourth part deals with the spirits un-possessing the caller. This is accomplished through surprisingly few words, but accompanied moods or attitudes of expressing the text. For example, in the fourth section, only two different words are uttered, íreme and oyayó, but there are six different ways of expressing these words which help to guide the performer through the depicted ceremony.

                The first section opens with twenty seconds of tape alone, in quiet, high pitched buzzing sounds, representative of the stillness of the night, with insects buzzing prior to the ceremony. After this introduction, the voice enters, with its first utterance of the word "Íreme", calling the dancer. This is followed by the first appearance of two very important elements. The first is a rattling sound, (referred to as element A)² representing the erikundi. The second, element B, is a simple rhythm, representing one of the four drums:

Example 1: Íreme, Elements "A" and "B"

Element B is always quarter notes with a quarter rest at the end of the bar. It is usually in 4/4 time, but occasional 5/4 measures are added, producing a measure with four attacks and one rest. These two elements form part of the biankomeko, the instruments accompanying the morúa and the íreme. The morúa continues with the word nyóngoro, meaning "devil," always in a quick syllabic rhythm, perhaps attempting to exert control over the spirits, ("domineering" in the text). At irregular intervals between repetitions of the word the singer strikes a pair of claves. These are not symbolic, but are meant as part of the ensemble.

                After several obsessive repetitions of the word nyóngoro, and several different ways of saying it, ("aggressive", "beguiling", and "sorrowful") the singer stops singing, but continues with the claves, until a new instrument, element C, enters on the tape. This is simply an alternation between two pitches, and could be interpreted as being either the itónes or two ekónes. It is simply notated as a perfect fifth:

Example 2: Element "C"

The voice returns, now singing mamariamba, or "mother," in a frightened manner. The "m" syllable is often repeated, so as to produce a sound like "m-m-m-m-m-m-mariamba...". This gives a stuttering effect, as if in fear, finally ending in a repeated trembling "m" and fading away. Element C also dies away with this stammering, leaving only elements A and B, the regular beating and the rattling. The singer asserts himself again, returning to the text "nyóngoro!", marked "imperiously". Several repetitions of this word finish the first section.

                The dividing line between the first and second sections is not clear, because the A and B elements carry into the new text. They quickly disappear, however, making the new section clear, as it opens with the voice, again with repetition of a single word, "orupé" (slave). These repetitions occur in groups of three, presented as a short phrase:

Example 3: Vocal Phrase Orupá

The singer is instructed to sing this in an "insulting" manner, then "questioning", "disconcerted", then finally "hypocritically". This is perhaps representative of the called spirit as a "slave" of the caller (insulting), then, realizing the caller is to be possessed by the spirit (disconcerted), understanding the caller is the slave (hypocritically). The closing descending grace note (see Example 3) is an interesting feature of this figure. It only appears in the "insulting" part of this section, and even then, on only two repetitions of the figure. Perhaps it could be viewed as a punctuation to some of the statements. Following this, element C returns, slightly different, with the opening material of this section. After a short break, the voice begins to repeat the same phrase, once more accompanied by element B, although this time it is a simpler, more straightforward rhythm:

Figure 4: New B Element

                Shortly after this, the A element (rattling) returns, followed by a new element, D, on the tape, which sounds like claves. These are likely intended as a representation of the itóns of the biankomeko. This element is always in a 2/4 metre, retaining the same rhythm, . A slight recall of element C follows this, but is barely audible. Eventually all the elements except B fade out, leaving only a solitary, almost haunting beating/pulsation. The final addition to this section, element E, enters after a few seconds of this beating with the voice. It is a very interesting and peculiar sound:

Figure 5: Element E

Interesting in these chords is their pitch content. The first chord is a C major triad in second inversion, and the second chord is the same chord, transposed up a semitone to Db major. The following chords grow more dissonant, but still have tonal implications. Accompanied by the "hypocritical" statement of "Oh, orupá", where the singer realizes that he or she is the slave, these ethereal chords could be interpreted as representing the sound of the spirit coming to possess the singer’s body. The voice in this part is again confined to a very limited repertoire of pitches, only A, B, D and E.

                As the last chord dies away, element B continues and element A (rattling) reappears. This is the beginning of the third section. Soon, a new sound enters - a strange, almost ghost-like sound, element F. This is quite likely the spirits of the ancestors beginning to appear. Element D (claves) returns just before the voice comes in. The voice enters quietly, repeating the words "Boborógama mariamba", ("Shrill, oh mother!). These words are repeated several times as the voice continues with rising momentum and intensity, until just the syllables "ramba" and "riam" are repeated. This is, of course, the possession of the singer by the spirit. Throughout this, the repeated note is always F. The music takes on the feeling of a chant, (the score is even marked "drummingly") and even when the music grows more aggressive and loud, departures from the main note of F are short, and leaps are kept mostly to octaves and fifths, reinforcing the harmonic centrality of the F. This section is comprised of three different repetitions of the text, "Boborógama mariamba" and their combinations. These repetitions are distinguished by their departures from the central F natural. The first repetition moves away only to the G above, the second includes this G, and extends to a B flat and a D above, and the third repetition incorporates just the G above and the D below the F.

Example 6: Three Repetitions of "Boborógama, mariaba"

These repetitions are presented, then combined, leading up to the climax where they are reduced to syllables. After all three different repetitions have been presented, the voice, claves and ghost-like sounds stop briefly, leaving only elements A and B. When all three return a few seconds later, element D has taken on a new rhythm, in a 3/4 metre.

                As all the elements extend into the height of this crescendo, the singer is communicating with the spirits, saying "Paká kokoriko amanángoro!" ("Come to me ugly demon!") Here the voice undergoes a change in character. Instead of repeating syllables, the singer now holds them or alternates rapidly between the first two words of the phrase, but doesn’t repeat any syllables:

Example 7: New Vocal Texture

By this time, the sounds on the tape have all been replaced by element G, which is similar to element F, but more eminent and strange. This is clearly the sound of the ancestors’ spirits having possessed the singer’s body. As the singer finally reaches the last word of the phrase, "amanángoro", the tape begins to fade into silence. Marked "with passion", the singer finishes the third section with the words "Nyóngoro, Amanángoro",, and "Paká". While holding the final word, "Paká", the singer begins to shake a maraca. This is obviously a representation of one of the symbolic instruments used in this ceremony, the erikunde (rattlers). This sound bridges into the fourth and final section of the piece.

                The fourth section starts with a new element on the tape, element H, accompanied by the singer’s maracas and is clearly related to the other "spirit" sounds. It is very strange and "other-worldly" and could be taken to be the voices of the spirits. It is always in the form of a long held note sliding either to a short or long held note one full tone away:

Example 8: Element H, Two Versions.

After the third iteration an accented note in the middle register is heard on the tape, element I:

Example 9: Element I.

                Almost impossible to describe in words, this sound could be taken as a representation of the ekón, (bell), referred to in the notes with the score. It is also interesting to note that this is the only section of the piece to extensively employ the use of silence. This is a stark contrast to the material surrounding the section. There are several breaks of silence, lending this section a sense of calmness and tranquility. The fact that this occurs in the same section as the only occurrence of the (live) singer playing one of the symbolic instruments cannot be overlooked – it is obviously a time of focused spiritual significance in the ceremony.

                After the spirits have left the singer’s body, the singer begins to regain a sense of self. A return is felt by the listener upon hearing the singer quietly intone "Íreme", marked "exhausted". The tape takes over, with a texture that sounds like a combination of elements A and C. With more metallic sounds on the tape, the singer again takes up the claves singing "Oyayó" (translated literally as "hum"). After a few repetitions of this, the singer holds the last syllable, "ó" and rapidly strikes the claves, (tremolo). This is accompanied by a low sound on the tape, element J, reminiscent of the sounds related to the spirits:

Example 10: Element J, Voice and Claves

This could be perhaps interpreted as representing the spirits departing. While the A/C elements fade out, element J is repeated until a sudden calling of "Íreme" from the singer, at a higher dynamic level.

                Immediately following this is perhaps the fastest rhythm heard yet in the piece, falling between the rattle of element A, and the pulsing of element B, element K:

Example 11: Element K.

This sounds starts off with a clear pulse, approximately = 90, but this quickly accelerates and disintegrates. The voice re-enters, with five last callings of "Íreme", marked "in expectation", "excited, in terror", "in despair", and finally "faints". The tape grows into a rattle, then remains constant, which could be interpreted as moving from element B, (beating pulse) to element A (rattle). The repetitions of "Íreme", along with the tape rhythm, grow more and more frantic and frenzied, until the final repetition of the word, at a higher pitch, marked "in despair" in the score, where the singer can endure no more and collapses. This is accompanied by one final long held sound in the tape, similar to the spirit sounds, to finish off the piece, element L:

Example 12: Ending - Element "L" and Voice

Conclusion

                This piece is very typical of Barroso’s work in two ways. First, it tries to capture the dramatic nature of the Abakwa ceremony; Barroso is known for the dramatic elements of his music, as well as placing an emphasis on rhythm and colour, something this piece clearly does. Second, it uses distinctly Cuban elements; Barroso’s music often displays a strong influence of the music of Cuba. By incorporating the sounds and emotional tensions of an Afro-Cuban ceremony into a North American concert piece for a (presumably classically-trained) singer and electroacoustic tape, he has created a convincing harmonization of European/North American "concert" music and Cuban music and culture.

Appendix A

Notes:

¹ See appendix A. This chart is intended to give a broad overview of the elements discussed in the text. It gives, at a glance, an indication of the layout of the tape aspect of the piece, the recurrence of some of the more important elements, (especially A and B), and how they overlap and interact. For example, one notices the concentration of elements around the five minute mark. Regarding interpretation of this observation, this would likely indicate the thickest texture, as the most elements are present, however this is not aurally the case. The chart quickly shows the viewer two important things. One, what the most recurrent elements are, (A and B), and two, their relation to each other, (they almost always occur together).

² There are few enough elements in this work that all can be numbered and discussed. As such, a lettering system will be employed to describe elements "A" through "L." Several of these are repeated and are very important to the whole piece, and these will be given in examples throughout the text. Others, however, are less crucial, and only appear once, and as such may or may not be given in examples.

List of Resources

1. liner notes to CD Tongues of Angels. Centrediscs, CMC(Canadian Music Centre) -CD 4793.

2. untitled internet document http://www.citypercussion.ch/texteEsp/bata/livre2.htm

3. Sergio Barroso. Canadian Music Centre Directory of Associate Composers.
        http://www.ffa.ucalgary.ca/cmc/dac_rca/eng/a_/Barroso_Sergio.html

4. Barroso, Sergio. Íreme. (score) unpublished manuscript, 1985.

5. Barroso, Sergio. Liner notes to CD Delirantes. empreintes DIGITALes, IMED CD 9628/29

6. Rumbaut, Luis. African Instruments. http://www.lafi.org/articles/african.htm internet
           document This document includes 2 books as its references:
           Cabrere, Lydia. El Monte. Ultra Graphics Corporation, Miami, 1983.
           Garcia, Haciendo. Musica Cubana. Editorial Pueblo u Educacion, Havana, 1989.

7. Sortino, Javier. untitled internet document.
       http://home.abaconet.com.ar/users/dra/texto2.htm