Music in 19th-Century Venezuela

Beginning as a Spanish colony to become an independent republic – the 19th century was a pivotal point for Venezuela. Socially, politically, and economically speaking, the changes were numerous, and so were the cultural and artistic manifestations that flourished in those circumstances. One of them will be tackled in this study: music. This paper is a review of one of the richest information sources: the publications of the times. Venezuelan 19th century hemerography contains hundreds of music news on composers and their environment, works, performers, musical institutions, events, concerts, critical reviews, and others of the sort. They are the witness of the events of an epoch. By analyzing them, a partial reconstruction of the Venezuelan music history can be made possible.