Music of the Americas Society will present tenor Jonatan Alvarado and guitarist Ariel Abramovich in a concert titled “Huehuetenango” on May 1.

The showcase will see the duo explore a rare musical manuscript compiled in northwestern Guatemala in the late sixteenth century. The manuscript was used in religious services at the churches of Santa Eulalia, San Juan Ixcoi, and San Mateo Ixtatan in the department of Huehuetenango. Some pieces are signed by maestros de capilla Francisco de León and Tomás Pascual, and the collection also includes anonymous works alongside compositions by European composers of the time, including Claudin de Sermissy and Philippe Verdelot.

The program explores the repertoire through a dialogue with contemporary European collections, including the Cancionero de Upsala and the tablature collections by Pierre Attaignant, with special emphasis on pieces exclusive to the Guatemalan books. The collection reflects how music was integrated into the daily and spiritual life of indigenous communities, containing copies of numerous European pieces that passed through the minds, hands, and voices of indigenous people and were transformed into original creations.

Alvarado and Abramovich previously recorded the repertoire for their album “The Huehuetenango Songbook,” released on the Glossa label.

The concert is part of GEMAS, a project of Americas Society and Gotham Early Music Scene devoted to early music of the Americas.

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