Editing Alejo Carpentier (section)

==Themes==

===''Lo real maravilloso''===
Carpentier is widely known for his theory of ''lo real maravilloso''. This is the notion that the history and the geography of Latin America are both so extreme as to appear fictional or even magical to outsiders. Thus, Latin America is a region where the line between magic and reality is blurred. It was in the prologue to ''The Kingdom of this World'', a novel of the [[Haitian Revolution]], that he described his vision of ''lo real maravilloso'': "But what is the history of Latin America but a chronicle of magical realism?"<ref>{{Harvnb|Gosser Esquilín|1997|}}</ref> The novel itself develops the outlandish (but true) history of [[Henri Christophe]], first king of Haiti, as an example of how the real history of Latin America is so strange as to appear fictional. Some critics interpret the ''real maravilloso'' as being synonymous with [[magical realism]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Carpentier|2004|}}</ref> However, Carpentier's theory and its development in his work are more limited in their scope than is the magical realism of, for example, Gabriel García Márquez. Whereas García Márquez's works include events that the reader never mistakes for reality (rainfall of flowers, old men with wings, etc.), Carpentier, for the most part, simply writes about extreme aspects of the history and geography of Latin America, aspects that are almost unbelievable, but that are in fact true.<ref>{{Harvnb|Carpentier|2004|p=12}}</ref>

===Music===
As a young child Carpentier was exposed to a great deal of music. Carpentier himself played the piano, as did his mother; his father played cello, studying under [[Pablo Casals]], and his grandmother played the organ.<ref name="Navarro 1999 25">{{Harvnb|Navarro|1999|p= 25}}</ref> Carpentier studied music theory at the Lycée Janson-de-Sailly when he lived in Paris for the first time.<ref>{{Harvnb|Colchie|1991|}}</ref> Carpentier's own compositions made him an important part of the contemporary Cuban musical landscape, but he also studied the origins and political nuances of Cuban music. His devotion to the adaptations of European artistic styles into Latin American music styles can also be seen in his admiration for Afro-Cuban musical themes.<ref>{{Harvnb|Navarro|1999|pp=16–20}}</ref>

Early in his career Carpentier collaborated with other young musicians eager to explore Cuban musical roots. One such collaborator was [[Amadeo Roldán]], a French musician of Cuban background.<ref>{{Harvnb|Navarro|1999|pp= 42–46}}</ref> They helped to organize the Cuban premiere of popular orchestral music of the era ''Conciertos de música nueva'' (''Concerts of New Music''), featuring composers such as [[Igor Stravinsky|Stravinsky]], [[Darius Milhaud|Milhaud]], [[Maurice Ravel|Ravel]], [[Gian Francesco Malipiero|Malipiero]], [[Francis Poulenc|Poulenc]] and [[Erik Satie|Satie]]. In regards to their own music, Carpentier and Roldán were far more interested in integrating African rhythms and melodies into their works and abandoned imitation of European musical styles. "¡Abajo la lira, arriba el bongó!"<ref name="Navarro 1999 43">{{Harvnb|Navarro|1999|p= 43}}</ref> (Down with the lyre, up with the bongo!) was the popular slogan for their style of music. Carpentier and Roldán collaborated on numerous works, including the 1925 orchestral piece ''Obertura sobre temas cubanos'' (''Overture on Cuban Themes'') which was regarded as scandalous for its betrayal of what was seen as the proper European-style symphony in favor of Afro-Cuban inspired music.<ref name="Navarro 1999 43"/>  Other well-known collaborations between the two included ''Tres pequeñas poemas: Oriente, Pregón, Fiesta negra'' (''Three little poems'') produced in 1926, and two Afro-Cuban ballets: ''La Rebambaramba'', a colonial ballet  in two parts (1928) and ''El milagro de Anaquille'' (1929).<ref>{{Harvnb|Carpentier|1972|pp= 44–46}}</ref>

Carpentier's interest in music had great influence on his prose writing. Navarro suggests that readers of Carpentier's works are more listeners than they are readers.<ref>{{Harvnb|Navarro|1999|p= 105}}</ref> Lyrical use of colloquial dialects, literary rhythms such as alliteration and assonance and the theme of music within the world of the narrative (drums, footsteps, etc.) are a few examples of music's influence over Carpentier's work.<ref name="Navarro 1999 25"/> In an interview the author himself was quoted as saying "Music is present in all of my work."<ref>{{harvnb|Navarro|1999|p=156}}</ref> For Carpentier, analysis of Cuban identity was grounded in the analysis of Cuban music.  As such, for Carpentier to better understand Cuban identity through his work, he eagerly integrated music into his writing.<ref>{{Harvnb|Navarro|1999|p= 217}}</ref>

===Ethnomusicology and Afro-Cubanism===
With this intrinsic appreciation of music and a fascination with Cuban identity, Carpentier began investigating the origins of Cuban music in a more academic sense.<ref>{{Harvnb|Navarro|1999}}</ref> In 1946, Carpentier published the ethnomusicological study ''La Música en Cuba'' which explores how European music, transplanted African music and the indigenous music of the island all blended together to create Cuban music. Carpentier took particular interest in Afro-Cuban themes.<ref>{{Harvnb|Carpentier|1972|pp= 55–56}}</ref>

Particularly fascinated with the overwhelming influence of African music in Cuban music, Carpentier introduced Afro-Cuban influenced music called ''lo afrocubano'', (i.e. heavily improvised and rhythm based music) into what was deemed more formal music venues dependent on European styles, called ''lo guajiro''. Carpentier once wrote that ''lo guajiro'' was, "very poetic, but ''lo guajiro'' is not music...On the other hand, in mestizo and black music...the rich material has an incredible wealth to it...to make it the work of national expression."<ref>{{Harvnb|Carpentier|1972|pp= 360–362}} cited in {{harvnb|Navarro|1999|p=39}}</ref> Because of racial tensions between white Cubans and black and [[criollo people|criollo]] Cubans, such preferences were not well received by the Cuban elite of the mid century.<ref>{{Harvnb|Carpentier|1972|pp= 293–294}}</ref> Carpentier devoted the majority of his musicology research to the [[Afro-Cuban]] influences present in Cuba. For example, Carpentier paid particular attention to [[Contradanza]], a wildly popular Cuban dance derived from the European style of music and dance, [[Country dance|Contredanse]]. The ample room left for musical improvisation and the element of group dance were easily adapted into African musical tradition where improvisation and dance play integral roles. Hence, a hybrid musical form unique to Cuba was created.<ref>{{Harvnb|Carpentier|1972|p=126}}</ref> Carpentier argued that the improvisation inherent in African influenced music allowed for varied interpretations that catalyzed regional differences and therefore regional identity, and concluded that this was why Cuba had such a varied musical identity.<ref>{{Harvnb|Carpentier|1972|p=249}}</ref>