The text for “La Décima Musa” (2016) for Soprano, Mezzo and Piano, written by Amaya E. Ortiz, is inspired and influenced by the life and work of the Mexican poet Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. Sor Juana Inés (1651-1695) was a controversial figure that defended women’s rights to education and was censured. Her defiance towards the Catholic Church at the time, led to all her books being confiscated. She has been since named “La Décima Musa” and has also been known as “El Phoenix de México”.

     The work is divided musically into ten sections of different character, each one preceded by a vocalized or brief instrumental interlude introducing each verse of the poem. The piece begins with a subtle, serene and contemplative vocalize in the tonality of F mayor and continues it’s musical discourse through modulations, rhythmic changes and imitative polyphony. The music reflects to a certain degree the neo baroque styling of the text, which in turn mirrors Sor Juana’s muse. The text transmits to me a phantasmagorical message that contains a great variety of metaphors and profound sentiment. I try to transform those words and thoughts into emotions and sensibilities through the miracle of what is music.

"La Decima Musa", William Ortiz - Music / Amaya Ortiz - Text

"Canción del hijo no nacido" for 3 Sopranos Flute and Piano, is a Lullaby/Lament that alludes to an abortion. The text is by Julia de Burgos with music by William Ortiz. 
Aleyda, Nicole Samara, Amaya Ortiz - Sopranos, Ernesto Busigó, Piano, Ana María Hernández, Flute.

"Canción Del Hijo No Nacido", - William Ortiz/The Ortiz Sisters

A work for Percussion and Piano in 3 consecutive movements:
I. "A Lower East Side Poem" II. "Broken English Dream" III. "South Bronx Prayer"
Alludes to the sounds of the streets.
José Torres - Percussion/ Alberto Hernández, Piano.

Chamber Music/Musica De Camera

"Graffiti Nuyorican" - William Ortiz

For one percussionist, the work is an urban soundscape for multiple percussion instruments.

Urbanización - William Ortiz

“Antillas” for Chamber Orchestra is a work consisting of two movements: “Alborada antillana” and “Nocturno antillano”. The piece is a reflective soundscape on the diversity and magic of the archipelago of islands in the Caribbean known as the Antilles. The rich, colorful and mysterious musical energy is depicted through out these two movements. The first at daybreak and the second at night.

     The fusion of the distinct musical elements is recognized through the evolving musical discourse eventually connecting to its essential roots. The polyphony of timbres, rhythms and hoquet at the same time calm and restless, manifests the natural habitat that gives birth to this sound world.

Antillas

Susan Royal, Flute
James Piorkowski, Guitar

The New Lyric Flute

Ricanstructions

For Flute, Clarinet, bassoon and Piano. Written for Camerata Caribe in 1988 is a divertimento that aludes to urban Caribbean music and sounds.

Obras Puertorriquenas Contemporaneas Vol. 1

Latino

Homenaje a Héctor Campos Parsi

Cantilena

The title of this work is a metaphor and it shouldn't be taken literally as a "concerto" for any specific instrument, although brass and metal percussion instruments are prominent.
Ever since I can remember, "Rhythm & Blues" and "Rock & Roll" have had a strong influence on me musically. In like manner, "Concerto de Metal para un Recuerdo" utilizes a popular and common 4-part "street corner", Du-wop harmonic progression as it's main recourse. The sonic material or themes that evolve from that is transformed and modified into various melodic, harmonic, rhythmic and/or timbre motifs. A surprise "feel good Rock" passage emerges revealing another cultural phenomena that permeates in our socio-musical environment.
This work questions the possibility of overcoming abstruse musical concepts in contemporary concert music. But at the same time, it is revolutionary in the sense that it dares to contradict and confront Eurocentric musical concepts with an accessible and unpretentious street gutted idiom.

Concierto de Metal para un Recuerdo

Commissioned by the Corporación de Artes Musicales de Puerto Rico in 1990, the work consists of three movements: "Armonía Bilingüe", 
Marcha" and "Beat Box". A rhythmic piece born of my admiration for popular music, in this case Rock and Hip-Hop. The works title alludes to a suspension or liberation from any dogmatic elitist musical style and presents an unpretentious, eclectic sound world.

Suspension de Soledad en 3 Tiempos

Puerto Rican composer William Ortiz was raised and educated in the United States, but his Latino identity plays a vital role in his music. Particularly, his experience as a Nuyorican in the 1970s have informed the aesthetics of his music, which transforms the sounds of the streets into art music. Unique in that respect is the use of instrumental and vocalized graffiti that are integrated in some of his works. A professor at the University of Puerto Rico at Bayamón, he has taught at the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music and is Music Director of the Ateneo Puertorriqueño. 
He makes the following statement on his music: "I conceive of music as the 'violent beauty' of urban life; as the expressions of the cries and shouts of the street - cries and shouts that reflect the thoughts of those who are oppressed, of those who feel. It is my intent to convert the language of the street into a legitimate instrument".

"Canción Del Hijo No Nacido", - William Ortiz/The Ortiz Sisters

William Ortiz Alvarado

Related tracks