1 February 2026

One of my favourite films is ‘The Mission’, produced in 1986 and starring Jeremy Irons as Father Gabriel, a Jesuit priest who sets up a mission in Paraguay. The soundtrack was composed by Ennio Morricone, an Italian composer. He recreates the colonial and indigenous music of the eighteenth century.

What fascinated me was the way in which Father Gabriel with his famous oboe was able to teach the indigenous people music which belonged to the Spanish Baroque. I wondered whether this was true or not but today I heard it for myself.

The University Chapel Choir combined forces with El Parnaso Hyspano who specialise in music from the Spanish Golden Age when the Spanish Empire was at its height (1500-1700). They have recovered indigenous music of the time and yesterday it was played and sung for the first time in Scotland after four hundred years!

There were three distinct influences in the music – the European colonisers who came to mine gold and silver, the indigenous South Americans and the African slaves who travelled there with their Spanish masters. Whilst I could hear the former two influencers, I found it difficult to hear the latter.

There was much percussion played by a single musician. Drums dominated and everything was seasoned with shakers. The drummer even held a shaker when he was beating with his drumstick. There was a tambourine and tubular bells. It meant that the music was exceedingly rhythmic.

The indigenous composers have remained anonymous. The Church did not allow them to append their names to their compositions. They were second class Christians because of their former allegiance to the worship of other gods.

At the end of the concert, the leader of El Parnaso Hyspano told us that the Baroque music of Latin America was always concluded with a dance in keeping with the tradition of Baroque. We were all invited to stand, hold hands, raise them in the air and sway to a reprise of a piece of opera music.

The effect was electric. As the piece progressed, the movement became more exaggerated. The students in the audience danced with increasing energy. It had a unifying effect. And I was left wondering how much the formality of classical music would benefit from such a surprising  epilogue!