Doce Preludios Amerucanos Op.12 (Twelve American Preludes)--1944
Acentos
Triste
Danza criolla
Vidala
En el primer modo pentatonico menor
Homenaje a Roberto Garcia Morillo
Octavas
Homenaje a Juan Jose Castro
Homenaje a Aaron Copland
Pastoral
Homenaje a Hector Villa-Lobos
En el primer modo pentatonico major
	Recorded by Eduardo Delgado
This work, written one year before Ginastera's departure from the United States, represents a turning point in his compositional style. Ginastera describes it as an "experimental work" and explains that "each prelude deals with one separate musical problem." Moreover, "America" here refers to the entire American continent, and includes preludes dedicated to both Argentinean and American composers.
“Danza Criolla” (Creole Dance) Given the use of sesquialtera, the bitonality also seen in Danzas Argentinas, as well as the indication at the beginning marcato e violento (clearly and violently), the title can refer to the malambo. In the final section, the multiplication of notes from triads to tetrads and the clash of dissonances remind us of the gaucho’s valiant dancing.
"Vidala" Vidala is a melancholy folk song typical of the Argentine Northwest. It is typically sung following the rhythm of the caja or bombo drums. Customarily the drums are played on the first and third beats, and the song is often sung in two voices while maintaining parallel thirds. In Ginastera’s version, low notes are played on the left hand in the octaves of the first and third beats, and the thirds appear in the right-hand melody. Additionally, the descending chromatic scale, like the lament bass, in the left hand in the second half of the piece conveys the melancholic mood of the vidala.
"En el Primer Modo Pentáfono Menor”                   (In the First Pentatonic Minor Mode) This is a canon for two voices using a pentatonic scale (ACDEG), with A as the central tone. The pentatonic scale is sometimes associated with the "Indigenous flute" (possibly a quena) that Ginastera is said to have played as a child. In an interview in the 1980s, Ginastera described his use of the scale as "going back to the primitive America of the Mayas, the Aztecs, and the Incas." Here, we can see signs of his later Pan-American attitude..
"Homenaje a Roberto García Morillo" (Tribute to Roberto García Morillo) Unlike Ginastera, the Argentinean composer, musicologist, and music critic Roberto García Morillo (1911–2003) did not directly employ elements of folk music. His works give an overall primitive impression because of their strong rhythms and relentlessly repeated accompaniment patterns. Perhaps with this in mind, this piece is also characterized by a baseline with strong accents and the restless repetition of fast passages in which the left and right hands move alternately.
“Para las Octavas” (Octaves) This is a virtuosic piece played in octaves from beginning to end. Parallel, contrary, and oblique motions between the hands appear in multiple patterns. The fourth-interval build-ups in the piece were frequently used by contemporary composers, including Morillo, and it is no coincidence that the artists’ open strings on the guitar also contain intervals of fourth.
“Homenaje a Juan José Castro” (Tribute to Juan José Castro) Argentinean composer and conductor Juan José Castro (1895–1968) studied with Vincent d’Indy in Paris. After returning to Argentina, he served as conductor at the Colón Theatre in Buenos Aires and taught at the National Conservatory of Music as a composer. Castro helped Ginastera establish his career as a composer. The work that first brought Ginastera into the limelight, Panambí, was originally a work for ballet. Castro encouraged Ginastera to arrange it for the orchestra, and the work was premiered at the Colón Theatre in 1937 under Castro’s baton. Unusually for Ginastera, it is written with a tango in mind, which may be the reason for considering this piece "experimental."
“Homenaje a Aaron Copland” (Tribute to Aaron Copland) American composer Aaron Copland (1900–1990) was a catalyst for Ginastera’s move to the United States and his international musical activities. Their meeting dates back to 1941 when Copland was visiting Argentina with the support of the Guggenheim Foundation to discover young talents. Copland’s compositional style, which combined American music with contemporary musical writing, had a great influence on Ginastera. Ginastera stated that he tried to imitate Copland’s jazz style in this piece. The fast passages and syncopated rhythms in the first half of the piece may suggest the influence of ragtime, but there are also some characteristics of Ginastera’s earlier work, including the use of bitonality.
	<Mitsuko Kawabata>
<Ginastera International Society>