More than a Mission
The 7th International Festival of American Renaissance and Baroque Music
Chiquitos Missions, Bolivia, (24 April-5 May 2008)

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Perhaps it was the wildly beautiful setting of the remote tropical lowlands of eastern Bolivia that inspired the Jesuits to surpass themselves in more ways than one. The Chiquitos Province is famous for the six mission churches they founded in the 17 th Century, but it wasn't until the Swiss architect Hans Roth began to renovate them in the 1970s that a treasure trove of Baroque musical compositions was recovered. He discovered over 500 sheets of music including remarkable pieces such as the Requiem Chiquitano, Misa Encarnacion and Nocturnos which have found their way into the repertoires of many orchestras today.

It seems that the unique blend of Spanish Catholic practices and culture, together with the innate craftsmanship and musical capabilities found amongst the indigenous people, created an outpouring of musical talent and performance. Violins, cellos and harps were made locally, and choirs were formed to perform elaborate sacred music in their elaborately decorated churches. The music performed was largely imported from Europe and the rest of America. Most popular were the compositions of Baroque missional composer Domenico Zipoli (1628-1726), a disciple of Scarlatti and a Jesuit himself. However, each village had its own repertoire including original compositions. Indeed in South America, from the second half of the 17 th Century to the first half of the 18 th Century, the missions were more active centres of musical life than cathedrals and convents.

n this area of largely unexplored Amazonian basin, European methods merged with local traditions to create a hybrid missiona

l culture which has essentially survived unchanged to this day. Since, the 1970s a unique revival of this music has been taking place in this, one of the world's poorest regions. Working with the locals' outstanding ability to assimilate complex European musical instruments and scores, a glorious two week festival is held bi-annually in these beautiful churches, which were designated as monuments of the cultural heritage of mankind by UNESCO in 1990.

Perhaps the finest attraction in Bolivia for the culturally-minded, the Festival features music by Vivaldi, Bach, Handell, Purcell, as well as the lesser well-known Zipoli, Basanni and Gletle and American Baroque names including Tomas de Torrejon y Velasco, Diego Salazar and Juan de Araujo.

As the travel experts in Bolivia, we can manage your visit to this remote region in comfort and style.

To download an Aracari Powerpoint presentation about the Festival, click here , to listen to a couple of examples of American Baroque pieces click here , or to find out more, please contact us.

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