Cenzontle (‘the one with the 400 voices’) is the Mexican mockingbird. According to a legend of the Purépecha people of south west Mexico, his song was the genius that inspired the gods to "paint everything that exists". His chant was so cherished by humankind that they started caging the bird in order to posses his mystic song, leading to the anger of the gods and the ensuing debacle. The text was composed by the composer by freely adapting some passages of the legend from the public domain. M.T.
Canto de la tierra, de los árboles,
Song of the earth of the trees
Al alba el color es el sonido,
At dawn the color is the sound,
La voz del cosmos que se pinta
The voice of the cosmos that is being painted
Con tu canto enjaulado
With your caged song
El sonido se encierra, se expande
The sound encloses, expels
Cautivo tu canto,
Captive your song,
Hasta las nubes
Up to the clouds
La música detrás de las barras
The music behind the bars
Somos jaulas
We are cages
This piece was composed with the generous support of the Mexican National Fund for Culture and the Arts (FONCA)
Duration ca. 5 min.
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