Heir to the baroque music born in the Jesuit missions of Amazonia in the 17th century, Ensamble Moxos presented its show "Majara'iwa-Resplandor" on October 13, 20 and 21, in three Jesuit venues in Belgium and Luxembourg.

The heritage of these young musicians and artists from San Ignacio de Moxos, in the Bolivian Amazon, is exceptional, and their story is breathtaking!

 Back in time: in 1549, just nine years after the founding of the Society of Jesus, the Jesuits were sent to the New World. From 1609 onwards, they founded "Reductions" in the Jesuit Province of Paraguay, where Indians, recently recognized as subjects of the law and free men but under guardianship, were gathered, "civilized" and evangelized. Life is organized in all its dimensions: religious, educational, professional, social, political and cultural.

Baroque musical influence

The missionaries soon noticed that the natives had a particular fondness for music and song. As early as 1616, Jesuit musicians were sent to the Uruguay Province: Jean Vaisseau, born in Tournai (1583-1623), but above all Domenico Zipoli (1688-1726), a rising star in the musical firmament of Rome, as was Vivaldi in Venice. Sent to Cordoba, he composed a large number of sacred works, which were performed in the Réductions. Following in his footsteps, the Jesuit composer Martin Schmid (1694-1772) developed a musical activity that spread throughout the Chiquitos and Moxos regions (present-day Bolivia). Thanks to him, these territories became a hotbed of missionary Baroque music in the 18th century.

 By 1768, when the Jesuits were expelled, there were 30 Reductions, home to some 150,000 Indians. The human tragedy was accompanied by a cultural loss, and for a long time it was thought that this priceless musical heritage would disappear.

 Cultural heritage

These 150 years of reductions have left their mark, particularly on music. In 1972, works by Zipoli were found in the archives of the Chiquitos and Moxos Indians. How did this exceptional cultural and religious heritage survive the ravages of time, the rigors of the tropical climate, insects and the precarious semi-nomadic lifestyle of the indigenous people living in these forest communities? They were transmitted through two channels. One is the manuscript, fervently copied and recopied by the indigenous population as the previous one deteriorated... as if they were drawings! The other channel is oral transmission. Some scores are still played by the natives during religious celebrations... even though none of the musicians can read a staff anymore! A patient process of research, cleaning and transcribing scores has now been completed. This heritage treasure consists of 17,000 fully digitized scores.

Ensamble Moxos, guardian of memory

Today, music continues to resonate in San Ignacio de Moxos, in the heart of the Amazon rainforest. Since 1986, an ambitious social and cultural project has taught music free of charge to over 200 children and young people - mostly indigenous and from the poorest social strata.

 Since 2005, the most talented young teachers and students from the Superior Conservatory of Music have formed the Ensamble Moxos.

Having become one of the best ambassadors of indigenous and multicultural Bolivia, their music asserts the identity and memory of a people. The young musicians, singers, actors and dancers put on a complete show! A sign of recognition for this cultural heritage: the music of the Saint Ignatius festival - one of the most beautiful in Bolivia - in San Ignacio de Moxos, was listed as a UNESCO intangible heritage site in 2012. This is an opportunity to admire Amazonian warrior dances, a profusion of masks and, above all, los bajones, the world's largest panpipes. A must-see!