Welcome to the world of Guatemalan music, dedicated to the repertoire written for clarinet. This website serves as a hub for all knowledge surrounding this topic for clarinetists, educators, researchers, and anyone curious about Guatemalan music.

Guatemalan music is a unique synthesis of three influences of Indigenous, European, and African. These influences each affected their music in different and special ways. Through listening and performing these works, you may begin to learn about how remarkable this music is.

On this website, you will find Guatemalan composers, repertoire for the clarinet, recordings, clarinetists, and additional resources. All of this knowledge serves to give you the full picture of Guatemalan and their music. Whether you are looking for new and unique repertoire to perform, researching, or simply curious, I hope you will find exactly what you are looking for.

About Guatemala

Latin America is made of 20 countries shared between North and South America. These countries, beginning with Mexico and moving south, speak predominately Spanish. Within Latin America, it is broken into four sections: Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America. Guatemala is considered part of Central America and is surrounded by the countries of Mexico, Belize, El Salvador, and Honduras.

Guatemala is the most populous country in Central America, with a population of about 18 milllion people. The capital, Guatemala City, serves as an important historic area where modern life meets the countries historical roots.

The country also has one of the highest populations of Indigenous peoples, where the Maya people still live. The Maya peoples consist of 22 different tribes each with their own languages. Many of these peoples live within the Cuchumatanes Mountains located in Huehuetenango, and carries much importance and history for them.

Guatemala carries a tumultuous past as they have endured Spanish colonization, just as most of Latin America, and more recently a 36-year civil war that ended in 1996. This civil war was sparked by the Cold War and lead to government instability and the genocide of millions of predominantly Indigenous Maya people.

Despite its dark history, Guatemala and its people persist. The country and culture is beautiful and full of life as they have incredible cuisine and breathtaking views of the natural surroundings. Guatemala is known for its beautiful scenery like ancient ruins of the Mayan people, such as Tikal, as well as their mountains, volcanoes, lakes, and architecture.

Music in Guatemala

Music has always been deeply important to Guatemalan life. From the earliest documentation of ceremonial Maya instruments, to marimba ensembles, and contemporary popular music, there is a wide variety of musical expression. The marimba is the national instrument of Guatemala and carries a rich history and is widely used today.

While the clarinet is not native to Guatemala, it became an important instrument used in military bands, traditional music, and concert music. To date, many Guatemalan composers have written various works for the clarinet. These works blend both European art music techniques as well as Indigenous rhythms and melodies of Guatemala. In this way, the music is distinct and expresses what it means to be Guatemalan.