Sobre tonos originarios

Joaquín V. González y la construcción auditiva del paisaje andino en mis montañas

Abstract

In this article we aim to explore the composition of the landscape in Joaquín V. González’ Mis montañas (1892). Within the context of late 19th-century nationalist movements, González looks to build a new version of national identity that distances itself from previously established, older discourses. To achieve this, he shifts the core of Argentinian identity from La Pampa—the plains—to the Andes—the mountains—seeking to preserve national values that, according to the ruling elite, were in decline. Compelled by this idea, González means to reflect in Mis Montañas the nature and customs of his native land: La Rioja. This process of aesthetical appropriation is fulfilled not only through contemplation—just like in the previous poetic tradition—but also through auditory perception. To González, visual image proves to be insufficient for depicting the spectacle that he wants to put forward in Mis Montañas, which is why he turns to the sense of hearing. Specifically, we are interested in describing how the sound and the act of listening come into play in the construction of the Andean landscape as a national landscape, under the assumption that the language of the mountains allows us to listen to the soul of the nation.