A series of musical arrangements for a great Colombian piece.

By Cesar Arevalo | Audio Specialist.

The singer-songwriter Edson Velandia is one of the most prominent artists of the Colombian folklore of these times, representing for years the traditions, stories, and styles of some of the country’s regions. On this occasion, a series of orchestral arrangements of the song “Calavero” by the Santander composer have been made, initially designed for wind instruments such as the clarinet, flute, and bassoon, complemented at the end with a wider range of instruments to give a more dramatic touch to the closing of the song.

The harmony of this music is quite simple, although in the original recording, the use of dissonances that emphasize the feeling of a broken heart prevails (the subject matter of the song), it has been chosen to implement a more tonal base (D minor) to be able to write some melodic lines for wind instruments in a “classical” context. You might think that by changing the base chords of the guitar that accompanies the whole piece, the initial intention of the composer is lost a bit. However, the instruments added for this version seek to enhance these dissonances and intervals during the development of their accompanying melodies and also during the polyphony that becomes more intense as the song progresses.

The beginning of this version has been disposed of with the intention of portraying the original instrumentation of the piece (Guitar and vocals), and no instruments or melodic variations have been added to the introduction or the first verse. It is upon reaching the first choir that the flute makes its appearance, playing in unison the melody of the voice that predominates in each chorus. The first notable change comes with the entry of the second intro, here the outstanding D minor chord is interspersed with a slightly more dissonant version of it where the 5th of the chord is risen by a semitone and the 8th is lowered to de C# in the same way (a semitone). This allows us to lower the voice and the flute to C #, partially recovering some of that dark sound characteristic of the piece with the appearance of that subtle interval of 2nd minor.

 

The second verse is played in the same way as the first one with regard to the guitar, with the addition of staccatos led by the Bassoon, and complemented by the flute and clarinet. Providing this part of the song with a solemn air, preceding the entry of the other instruments that will be added to the piece later. Just before reaching the second chorus, the bassoon plays a series of melodic lines that interrupt the staccato sequences and serve as an entrance for the chorus. It should be noted that the last melodic line of this instrument (with adjacent notes C #, D, and Eb) reiterates the dark and “heavy” sense of the harmony of the piece.