1. LATIN RHAPSODY FOR CLARINET AND ORCHESTRA
AND
MAGICAL REALISM IN ALEJANDRO CARDONA’S
STRING QUARTET NO. 4
A Dissertation
Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the
Louisiana State University and
Agricultural and Mechanical College
in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
in
The School of Music
by
Alejandro Argüello
B.M., University of Costa Rica, 1994
M.M., Louisiana State University, 2005
December 2009

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank my friend Wendy Manning for all her unconditional support and
friendship through all these years; my friend Rick Manning, my personal doctor, who
made my health whole again; Maddy Kay Manning Bi, who through her sincere
appreciation and love has helped me to be a improved human being. Also I thank Dr.
Dinos Constantinides, my composition professor, for all the time he invested in making
me a professional composer; Dr. Stephen Beck for showing me that music is alive and it
is more than notes on a page; Dr. Smyth, my theory teacher and advisor, who made me a
better composer through his theoretical beliefs and his priceless suggestions to this paper;
Dr. William Grimes whose help and teachings opened me a new world beyond classical
music; Prof. Mari Kornhauser, who has shown sincere appreciation for my music and has
been a helping hand through the final stages of my Ph. D. Finally, I thank Alejandro
Cardona for his invaluable contribution to my analysis; my family who is praying and
supporting me every day; to all my friends who have been with me during the last seven
years; to all of you my genuine thank you for making me a better person.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS……………………………………………………………….. ii
PERFORMANCE NOTES…………………………………………………………...…. iv
ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………………………….... v
PART 1: LATIN RHAPSODY FOR CLARINET AND ORCHESTRA….... 1
I. TAMBITO…………………………………………………………………….…. 2
II. LA FORTUNA AT NIGHT…………………………………………………..... 50
III. CARNIVAL…………………………………………………………………….. 62
PART 2: MAGICAL REALISM IN ALEJANDRO CARDONA’S
STRING QUARTET No. 4……………………………...110
CHAPTER
1. INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………….. 111
2. GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS………………………………………….... 115
2.1 Structure………………………………………………………....… 115
2.2 The Diatonic Themes…………………………………………...…. 117
2.3 Use of the Themes in the Quartet……………………………...….. 120
3. WHISPERS -THE THEMES, VARIATIONS, AND
THE DANZA…………………………………………………………………... 121
4. SUBTERRANEAN VOICES - SUSANA SAN JUAN AND
THE VOICES FROM THE DEAD………………………………………….... 134
5. RESONANCES -THE PATH TO DESTRUCTION AND
THE INFLUENCE OF THE DANZA THEME……………………………….. 144
6. HARMONIC HIGHLIGHTS OF THE QUARTET…………………………... 155
CONCLUSION………………………………………………………………………... 165
REFERENCES……………………………………………………...………………… 166
APPENDIX…………………………………………………………………………..... 167
VITA…………………………………………………………………………………... 168

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PERFORMANCE NOTES
INSTRUMENTATION
2 Flutes
2 Oboes
2 Clarinets in Bb
2 Bassoons
4 Horns in F
2 Trumpets in C
3 Trombones
Tuba
Timpani
Percussion 1:
Xylophone, Glockenspiel, Triangle, and Bass Drum.
Percussion 2:
Snare Drum, Suspended Cymbal, Triangle, Wind Chimes, Tubular Bells,
Timbales, and 3 Wood Blocks.
Piano/Celesta (one performer)
Clarinet solo in Bb
Strings
Duration: ca. 25 minutes
Score in C.

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ABSTRACT
This dissertation is in two parts. The first one is an original composition, Latin
Rhapsody for Clarinet and Orchestra. The second is a musical analysis, Magical Realism
in Alejandro Cardona’s String Quartet No. 4.
Latin Rhapsody for Clarinet and Orchestra uses Costa Rican ideas combined with
classical contemporary sonorities, such as clusters and small pitch-class sets. The first
movement, Tambito, is based on a Latin American dance rhythm in six-eight meter. The
name of this dance is particular to Costa Rica, but it is a widely used rhythmic pattern
used in other Latin American countries under other names. This movement is fast and
explosive, showing off the technical versatility of the clarinet. Its form is through
composed using different variants from the main theme.
The second movement is called La Fortuna at Night, describing a place in the
countryside in Costa Rica where I used to go when I was a child. A lyrical clarinet
melody is accompanied by transparent sonorities. The form of the movement is A-B-A1,
where B serves as an interlude to the melody of the soloist.
The third movement, Carnival, is based on the annual carnival from the province
of Limón, mainly influenced by black culture. A catchy and playful melody is presented
in the clarinet, serving as the developing material throughout. The timbales (a traditional
Afro-Caribbean instrument) set the carnival mood. Sonorities from the previous
movements are combined with the main theme to create overall unity.
The novel Pedro Páramo by the Mexican writer Juan Rulfo (1917-1986) inspired
the composition of the String Quartet No. 4. Every section in the quartet is marked by a
quotation from the book. My analysis involves the following stages: First, I discuss

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Cardona’s musical approach to the style of the novel, called magical realism. Through the
analysis of the main themes and sonorities used in the quartet, I relate the worlds of
music and literature. Second, I talk about the harmonic highlights in the work and explain
how they create overall unity throughout.

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VITA
Alejandro Argüello holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Costa
Rica (1994) and a Master of Music degree from Louisiana State University (2005).
He is currently pursing the doctorate in composition with a minor in orchestral
conducting. His teachers include Dinos Constantinides, Luis Diego Herra and
Bejamín Gutiérrez. He has participated in master classes with Michael Daugherty,
James Moberly, Liduino Pitombeira, David Dzubay, and Donald Grantham. Argüello
has been the recipient of several awards including: three prizes from the National
Composers Competition sponsored by the National Orchestra of Costa Rica, in 2000
(Overture On Jewish Themes), 2001 (Macabre Variations for String Orchestra) and
2003 (Capriccio for String Orchestra), the membership of Pi Kappa Lambda Honor
Music Society, the LSU Student Composition Competition in 2005
(Transformations), and a Louisiana Music Award for talent and achievements in
2008. His music has been performed internationally, including performances in Costa
Rica, the United States, Canada, Japan, Greece, England (Royal Academy of Music),
Italy, Thailand, and Finland (Sibelius Academy).