Marina Saiz-Salazar

Marina Saiz-Salazar (1930-1990) was a composer and music educator who was one of the best known female composers in Panama.[1][2] She lived in the United States for several years and died in Florida.[3]

Saiz-Salazar was born in Panama to Inez Salazar and Julio Saiz.[3] She studied with Roque Cordero and graduated from the Conservatorio Nacional de Musica (National Institute of Music) with honors in 1957, then taught counterpoint,  orchestration, solfeggio, and theory there.[4][5]

Saiz-Salazar’s compositions incorporated Panamanian folk melodies and rhythms as well as twelve-tone techniques. In May 1965, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Richard Dufallo premiered her orchestral work Se Jatpar at the third Inter-American Music Festival in Washington, D.C..[2][4]

Saiz-Salazar’s compositions were initially published by the Pan American Union.[6] They include:

Selected works

Chamber

• Fugue (wind quartet)[7]
• Quintet (soprano, clarinet, violin, viola and cello)[7]
• Seven Pieces for Violin and Piano[8]

Orchestra

• Se Jatpar[9]

Piano

• Preludes[10]
• Sonata[11]

References

1. Cohen, Aaron I. (1987). International encyclopedia of women composers. 2: Sai - Zyb, Appendices (2. ed., revised and enl ed.). New York: Books & Music. p. 610. ISBN 978-0-9617485-1-7.
2. Casal, Luis Enrique (2006). Panamanian Art Music for Strings: Works for Violin/Piano and Viola/Piano by Roque Cordero, Eduardo Charpentier, and Fermin Castanedas (PDF). Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Graduate College. pp. 4, 6, 19, 97, 99.
3. "marina saiz 1931-1990 - Ancestry®". www.ancestry.com. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
4. Nunez de Escalante, Cecilia (2002). Proposal of Principal Piano Programs (PDF) (in Spanish). Panama: University of Panama. pp. 1, 74, 83.
5. Music Journal Annual Anthology. Music Journal, Incorporated. 1961.
6. Stewart-Green, Miriam (1980). Women composers: A checklist of works for the solo voice. A reference publication in women's studies. Boston, Mass: Hall. p. 137. ISBN 978-0-8161-8498-9.
7. "Jaime Ingram Jaén-Apuntes para una historia de la música en Panamá (1903-2003)". istmo.denison.edu. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
8. Office, Library of Congress Copyright (1959). Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series.
9. Apel, Willi (1973). Harvard Dictionary of Music (2nd ed.). United States of America: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. p. 638.
10. Schleifer, Martha Furman; Galván, Gary (2016-01-28). Latin American Classical Composers: A Biographical Dictionary. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 552. ISBN 978-0-8108-8871-5.
11. Salazar, Marina Saiz (1957). Sonata para piano. Pan American Union.