The Multicultural and Eclectic Art Songs of Manuel M. Ponce

This thesis focuses on the art songs by Mexican composer Manuel Ponce. Details about his life and education will relate to his synthesis of eclectic musical styles. In particular, the poems to which he sets music exemplify his broad sources that he draws upon spanning continents and generations. Topic theory will point out salient elements of Ponce’s multifaceted musical discourse, as he valued the voices of music from different corners of the world.
The path of research to pursue these sources took me to the archives of Mexico’s National University Library. A predominant amount of these materials has been translated for the purpose of this research, and this effort will result in a positive contribution to our body of knowledge on Latin American art song.