Daniel Ayala Pérez

Daniel Ayala Pérez

Works for Cello

Nocturno Op. 23 (1952), for cello and piano.

Sources:

  • Academic Dictionaries and Encyclopedias. (n.d). Daniel Ayala Pérez. Academic Dictionaries and Encyclopedias. https://en-academic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/4177625

  • Furman Schleifer, M., and Galván, G. (2016). Latin American Classical Composers, A Biographical Dictionary. London: Rowman & Littlefield.

Daniel Ayala Pérez

Mexican composer and violinist, born July 21, 1906, died June 20, 1975.

Born in Abalá, Yucatán, Daniel Ayala Pérez began his music studies at the Escuela de Música in Mérida, Mexico. He later enrolled in the Conservatorio Nacional de Música, studying violin with Ezequiel Sierra and Silvestre Revueltas. Ayala furthered his music studies under the direction of Carlos Chávez, Manuel M. Ponce, Vicente T. Mendoza and Julián Carrillo, primarily studying composition with these musicians (1927-1932).

To earn a living, Ayala began playing in a nightclub called Salón México. He was most notably known for forming “Grupo de los cuatro” alongside his colleagues, Salvador Contreras, Blas Galindo and José Pablo Moncayo. He also played the violin in the Orquestra Sinfónica de México from 1931 to 1940. He was a founding member of the Orquestra Típica Yukalpetén, an orchestra dedicated to performing music written by Yucatecan composers. His compositions explore elements of Mexican folklore and Mayan-inspired motifs and he is often considered to be part of Mexico’s second nationalist generation of musicians.