Entre catedrales y parroquias: un fragmento olvidado de la memoria sonora en el México del siglo XIX

The dioceses of Chiapas (1548) and of Tulancingo (1866) were founded at distant times and separate places. Among their music collections they share a common name, that of José Antonio Gómez y Olguín (1805-1876). Gómez was for decades the first organist of the Mexico City Cathedral and a pioneer of music practice in the Mexican capital, all this until he decided in his maturity to leave for latter above diocese. Then, within the north of Oaxaca in the Mixteca region, the parishes of Santiago Chazumba and San Cristóbal Suchixtlahuaca share similar musical connections. The majority of the musical manuscripts from these four music archives are from the nineteenth century. In the following pages, I will outline each one of these four significant music collections, particularly how we came to know them, as well as its rescuing, organizing, cataloging and current effort to share their sonorous memories. The research into these archives brings to light the legacy of various Mexican born composers as well as that of those whose works came from abroad. It is through the study of these collections of music manuscripts that a deeper understanding begins of what remains still the undiscovered richness of this music period: the independent Mexico.