Misa Criolla - The Bridge Between Sacred And Secular

Ariel Ramírez, a central figure in Argentinian music, was a remarkable composer, pianist and musical director, known as one of the most prominent exponents of folk music in Argentina.

Born in Santa Fé, north of Buenos Aires, Ramírez grew up in a family where his father, a teacher by profession, predicted a similar future for him from an early age.

Although he studied piano passionately, Ramírez seemed destined for a career in teaching. At just 19, he began his teaching career in a rural mountain school, but the experience proved to be short-lived, ending after just two days.

In retrospect, what seemed like a detour from the academic path was in fact the beginning of a pivotal artistic journey for Ariel Ramírez. Instead of plunging into a career in teaching, Ramírez chose to explore the South American continent, spending years in remote places, playing the piano and delving deeply into regional musical traditions. Fascinated by the authentic music of the mountain Indians, Ramírez found it a rich source of inspiration for his future compositions.

After this period of exploration, Ramírez returned to study in Córdoba, where he had the privilege of meeting the legendary composer Atahualpa Yupanqui. This meeting had a profound impact on his musical vision and influenced him considerably in his later creations.

Inspired by Yupanqui, Ramírez also explored northeastern Argentina to deepen his knowledge of traditional South American rhythms.

He then spent time in Mendoza, continuing his studies at the National Conservatory of Music in Buenos Aires, where he consolidated an impressive musical career. His first recording, made in 1946, paved the way for 20 more by 1956.

In 1950-1954, Ramírez broadened his musical horizons at the Vienna Academy and the Institute of Hispanic Culture in Madrid, deepening his knowledge. During this period, he also had a unique experience teaching music in a German monastery, which gave him a new perspective on his art.

After returning to Argentina, Ramírez completed his education in Buenos Aires, amassing a vast repertoire of over 400 folkloric and Andean songs.

In his desire to bring them to the public’s attention, he founded the Compañía de Folklore Ariel Ramírez, helping to preserve and promote musical traditions. His compositions, marked by a deep social commitment, quickly established him as a leader of the nuevo cancion movement.

Among them, “Misa Criolla”, completed in 1964, remains his best-known and most appreciated work, which is why we will now talk about this highly controversial work.

In fact, this composition, which established his international reputation and is recognized as the most emblematic work in all Latin American choral music, was born out of a visit to post-war Germany. There, Ramírez met women who, despite enormous risks, had the courage to offer aid to Nazi prisoners, contributing to their survival. Meeting these women stirred a deep spiritual impulse in Ramírez, and from this inspiration was born “Misa Criolla”.

However…beyond the sublime composition of this work, the story is even more complicated than that.

“Misa Criolla” is a liturgical work, combining elements of Argentine folk music with the traditional structure of a Catholic liturgy. This novel integration of regional rhythms and instruments, together with the use of Spanish for the liturgical text, represented a significant break from the well-established liturgical tradition.

Until the middle of the 20th century, Catholic liturgies were predominantly celebrated in Latin and conformed to a fairly conservative musical form, centered around the Gregorian repertoire and polyphonic music.

This context was radically changed by the Second Vatican Council. Vatican II was the brainchild of Pope John XXIII, considered by some to be one of the greatest pontiffs of all time.

Held from October 1962 to December 1965, the council was an ecumenical gathering of Catholic Church leaders convened by Pope John XXIII. Vatican II was a time of profound reform, aimed at adapting and modernizing the Catholic Church in a changing world. Among the most notable changes were allowing liturgies to be celebrated in vernacular languages instead of the traditional Latin, and encouraging diversification in the musical styles used in religious worship.

These reforms created an environment in which works such as the Misa Criolla, which fuses traditional South American music with classical liturgical forms, could be accepted and appreciated.

Thus, “Misa Criolla” was written and became emblematic of the openness and adaptation promoted by Vatican II. This work was impossible before these reforms, when liturgical rigidity and the exclusivity of the Latin language limited such innovations.

In an ideal world, or at least in the most musical churches, the Sunday Mass would include liturgies by composers such as Palestrina, Haydn and Schubert, as well as the “Misa Criolla”. We can be grateful that “lay choirs” have taken up the baton and are keeping these liturgies alive.

The “Misa Criolla” stands out both for its liturgical message and for an innovative combination of musical elements that give it a special touch.

In this work, the solo parts are performed by either male or female voices, and in performance practice, either a single soloist or several, including combinations of male and female voices, may be used. The instrumentation is truly unusual for a traditional Catholic liturgy, consisting of a fascinating mix of instruments.

We find keyboards, such as harpsichord and piano, along with guitar and double bass, which create a complex sonic backdrop. The percussive effects are provided by a team of three musicians using two bombo argentino drums, tom-toms, tom-toms, triangle, hurdy-gurdy, a small gong and a small brush drum. In the original version, traditional instruments such as the quena, a flute from Inca culture, and the siku, an Andean nai, were also added to add an authentic and cultural tone. In contemporary interpretations, these traditional instruments can be replaced or complemented by others, such as the accordion, depending on the adaptations of each version, proving the versatility and expressive richness of Ramírez’s work.

The perception of Misa Criolla abroad, where its style was viewed as unique and exotic, actually helped to foster an appreciation of native culture among Argentina’s more skeptical audiences. The work won the unprecedented admiration of critics and audiences around the world, demonstrating that indigenous musical forms can communicate the highest values of life and that religious acts can be conveyed through a popular medium of expression.

“Misa Criolla” was recorded in 1964 by Philips Records, under the direction of Ramírez himself, with Los Fronterizos as the principal performers.

But it was not performed publicly until 1967 – in Düsseldorf, Germany, during a European tour.

Although most famous for the “Misa Criolla,” it marked the beginning of a period of great musical productivity for the composer, which also brought the premieres of the following works, all produced in collaboration with the writer Félix Luna: Navidad Nuestra (1964), La Peregrinación (1964); Los caudillos (1965); Mujeres Argentinas (1969), documenting women fighting for their freedom, and Alfonsina y el Mar (1969).

Ramírez was married to Inés Cuello de Ramírez and together they had two sons. By the time of his death in 2010, Ramírez had composed more than 400 songs in popular styles, his work was recognized globally, had been recorded by notable artists (Plácido Domingo, José Carreras, José Cura and Mercedes Sosa) and had sold millions of albums.

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