Nagual





The following inscription is found at the head of the score:
The Nagual is a shapeshifting magician, commonly taking the form of a Jaguar. While some native North American cultures have mythology surrounding the transmutation from human to animal, evidence suggests that this Mesoamerican analog to the European werewolf was, in fact, a cultural import, although this is contested. The Nagual may exhibit traits of either good or evil and is sometimes used as a generic term for “wizard.” Carlos Castaneda, whose work is regarded as primarily fictional, defines the Nagual as “the teacher who becomes the gateway, the doorway, the intermediate between the world of the ‘seeker’ or apprentice, and the world of the spirit.”

Nagual was composed for Ensemble Dal Niente as part of the 2021 Summer Residency for New Music at DePaul University.


Instrumentation:

Alto / Bass Flute
Guitar
Percussion
Violin / Viola