The suite is called cantaclaro, because it is suposed to be an homage to the images of the traditional "llanero" people, and this archetype of the ideally brave llanero-cowboy is particularly well represented in a popular character called "Florentino" or "Cantaclaro". An elaboration on how this character from the llanero oral culture was used to define the identity of the ensemble follow in the next chapter.

SUITE: CANTACLARO

The last crossover exercise was a big arrangement of Antonio Soler´s Fandango for Keyboard, in a collage with a Colombo-venezuelan "Pajarillo". The piece was the conclusion of the whole process and turned into a whole suite, including preludes, improvised sections, and cadenzas. A professional recording was made possible with the support of NORMA-fonds, which awarded funding for emerging professional Ensembles.

1. PRELUDE

The piece starts with a long solo-violin prelude which can be considered a sort of recapitulation of the preludes created during the course of the research. It starts with the elements found in the prelude to the crossover exercise number 3, in Chapter 2.2. Then it goes into a small section resembling the baroque passacaglia and goes over to a strumming section modeled after the strumming patterns of the cuatro. When performing such guitar-like sections, the bow was held with the thumb under the nut. 

2. ANTONIO SOLER: FANDANGO FOR KEYBOARD

The arrangement of Soler´s Fandango is the culmination of a whole learning process in the subject of instrumentation. It was possible thanks to the members of the ensemble, which contributed with suggestions. The arrangement of the cembalo was guided by Claudio Ribeiro, who helped me understand the technicalities of writing for the instrument. As with the other fandango arrangements, the challenge was to avoid monotony through variation in instrumentation. At the end of the recording, towards minute 5´40´ there is a whole section with partially improvised melody lines on the violin. Below you can see the scores for cembalo, violin, and Bass. 

Afterward, a section of Soler´s fandango is introduced "as if nothing had happened", and after a small castanet solo by percussionist Ivan Gianakis, guitarist Hugo Rodas takes over with a solo cadenza over a descending Phrygian tetrachord, reminiscent of the Southern Spanish Fandangos.

5. FANDANGO-CODA

After the solo of the maracas (Manel Chust Torres), Antonio Soler´s Fandango sets back in. The idea was to couple both Ostinato-Progressions (Baroque-Fandango and Joropo-Pajarillo) in an organic way. When the transition is heard without interruption, it is a sort of "sounding illustration" of the sesquialtera rhythmic proportion. You can listen to the transitions below, in the full uncut audio.

4. PAJARILLO: "LLANERO SI SOY LLANERO"

After a small bridge of the guitar, I take over the cuatro and the Pajarillo starts. I sing the first copla of the song by Orlando "Cholo" Valderrama, which is a homage to the identity of the "llanero" people, full of references to that masculine "roughness" that has become the stereotype that has defined the narrative constructed around the the llanero culture. In the lyrics, the wild imagery of the eastern plains of Colombia with its wild amazonian fauna is used as a symbol to represent that idealizied image of masculinity and strength.

3. CADENCES

The cadence of the violin begins with an imitation of the rhythmic patterns of the castanets, as found in the cello part of Boccherini´s Quintet. Afterward, there is the same figuration as in the prelude to the first crossover-exercise of chapter 2.3., but this time there is a modulation into the dominant of the major relative. Then, the strumming pattern of chapter 2.4. show up again, this time in F major. The idea behind the section is to bring the effect of extreme roughness of folklore, and to evoque the cowboy spirit of the Caribbean Ternary Metered Repertoire with a humoristic "cowboy- scream".

Llanero, sí soy llanero primo
Y el que quiera comprobarlo
Que vaya pa mi llanura
Y pregunte en la costa el Pauto
Como aprendí desde niño
A dominar un potranco
A ponerle un rejo a un toro
Coge´un novillo poel tallo
A patronea´una curiara
En las crecientes de mayo
A conocer el aguaje
Del pescao´ grande en el charco
Y la astucia del caimán
Velando altivo en el paso

Al chigüiro lateperro
Zumbarse al río del barranco
Al grito madrugador
Del caporal en el hato
Me acuesto al caerse el sol
Y con el sol me levanto
Con trinos de guacharacas
Y quejíos de un araguato
Algarabía de chenchenas
En los rebalses del caño
Y dentro del monte oscuro
El ronquío de un tigre macho!

A plain-man yes, I am a plain-man, brother
And whoever wants to prove it
Let him go to my plains
And ask on the coast of Pauto
How I learned since I was a child
To tame a colt
To put the whip to a bull
To take a steer by the tail
To sail in a boat
In the May floods.
To learn to know the waves
Of the big fish in the river
and the cunning of the alligator
Watching haughtily at the pace

To know the barking chigüiro
springing into the river from the ravine
To the early morning cry
Of the Heardsman in the herd.
I go to bed at sunset
And with the sun I get up
With the trills of guacharacas
And the moaning of an araguato
The chenchena's chatter
In the overflows of the river
And in the dark forest
The snoring of a male tiger.