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

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 'vibrant 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".

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

William Ortiz Alvarado