Cancion con Todos (A Song for All People in the Americas) is a two-part song based on two different rhythms. The first part is calm and recognizes each area of the Americas with characteristic elements such as copper for Chile, sun for Peru, etc. The second part is rhythmic and exultant. It invites all of the Americas' people to sing together as a family. The hope is to develop a mutual understanding among Latin American people and invite them all to sing together in one huge chorus.

Arranger: Cesar Isalla | Composer: Oscar Escalada

Candomble is written in a rhythm very close to the tango and the habanera. Some Latin American music has been influenced by or developed from African rhythms, as in this piece. Candomble is a dance from the Rio de la Plata; now it is heard in Uruguay, where they usually play it with drums of different sizes. This dance was known in Argentina, where it was also called Candomble.

Arranger: Oscar Escalada | Composer: Oscar Escalada

Arranger: Oscar Escalada | Composer: Oscar Escalada

The Golpe and the Joropo are typical folk dances of Venezuela and La Chaparrita is representative of the Golpe. Both Venezuelan dances are strongly rhythmical - while the female dancer waves her long, ample skirt, the male dancer keeps the beat in a clog dance.

Arranger: Vivian Tabbush | Composer: Oscar Escalada

The lyrics in La Ninez de America (The Childhood of America) are from a poem written by Bonifacio del Carril, an Argentinean poet who lived 1911-1994. Alberto Balzanelli took the idea for his composition from the music of the Incas, once one of the biggest empires in South America.

Arranger: Alberto Balzanelli | Composer: Oscar Escalada

The malambo is an Argentinean gaucho dance. It is performed only by men. The gauchos were of mixed Spanish and Indian heritage. They worked as cattle herders and are still celebrated by stories and songs because they were the heroes of the Pampas, the grassy plains around Buenos Aires. Gauchos were very honest and independent men. The two dancers perform a kind of fight: the first dancer "draws" a figure with his feet that must be repeated by the second one. When it is the second dancer's turn, he will draw another figure which must be duplicated by the first dancer. The figures are called mudanzas. The dance is over when one of the dancers cannot repeat the drawing of the other or cannot think of a new drawing. Also arranged for SSAA A Cappella

Arranger: Oscar Escalada

The title comes from the Latin oblivio/oblivium meaning "to forget," or better, "the condition of being forgotten, unknown." Astor Piazzolla's (Argentinian) music, originally written for instrumental ensemble, perfectly depicts this rather melancholy mood. Using carefully selected nonsense syllables, this skilled arranger has given advanced high school, college, and community choirs the opportunity to include this much-loved music in their performances. Choirs will love performing (and rehearsing!) this one.

Composer: Astor Piazzolla

Gentle tango rhythms and modern harmonies infuse this folk-like tune. Sopranos carry the melody while Basses emulate rich pizzicatos, providing a deliberate, forward motion. Altos and Tenors fill out the texture, evoking sounds of bowed strings, the bandoneon, and the guitar. Lyrics are simple, easy to learn syllables; rhythms are straightforward, with a clear pulse. A great choice for introducing your choir to Latin American music!

Arranger: Oscar Escalada

Rafael Alberti is one of the great Spanish poets of the 20th Century. A few years after publishing the poem, Se equivoco la paloma (The Dove Was Wrong), Alberti was visited by a young Argentine composer who asked for permission to use the poem in a song. Alberti had never thought that his poem would become such a great success as it has. The young composer was indeed Carlos Guastavino. The song is a wonderful blend between the lyrics and the music. Guastavino musically describes the great tenderness of the dove that missed the way, but leaves to your imagination any kind of interpretation that you would like to make of this beautiful poem.

Arranger: Carlos Guastavino | Composer: Oscar Escalada