DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Silvestre Revueltas, right there in Bexar County. Now settle in, because this one moves fast — just like the man himself. Silvestre Revueltas was born in 1899 in Mexico, and if you're already doing the math in your head, go ahead and stop, because what matters isn't the arithmetic — it's what the man packed into the time he had.
And he packed in plenty. Revueltas was a violinist and a composer, and in 1926 he came to San Antonio. Not just passing through, mind you.
He put down roots, at least for a while, and the city got the better end of that arrangement. He became concertmaster at the Aztec Theatre — concertmaster, which is not a title you hand to just anybody — and he performed and taught at the San Antonio College of Music. So the man was playing, conducting the section, and shaping the next generation of musicians all at once.
Right here in this city. Now here's where it gets interesting. While Revueltas was living in San Antonio — for a time at the very address this marker stands — he sat down and composed a septet called Batik.
A septet. Seven instruments, woven together, and he sends it off to a colleague and friend by the name of Carlos Chávez. Chávez takes one listen and does what a good friend with real influence does — he puts his name behind it.
That recommendation was enough to get Revueltas included in the American Association of Composers. That is a door opening, right there. And Chávez wasn't done.
In 1928, he invited Revueltas to Mexico City to serve as associate director and featured soloist with the Orquesta Sinfónica de México. Associate director and featured soloist — not one title, both of them. Revueltas was gone from San Antonio, but what he'd made here didn't leave with him.
Batik existed. The students he'd taught existed. The music existed.
He died in 1940, but his works keep earning acclaim from musicians and audiences throughout the Americas and beyond. San Antonio was just one chapter — but it was the chapter where a septet got written, a friendship paid off, and a career found its next open road.
What the marker says
Mexico native Silvestre Revueltas (1899-1940) spent a short but prolific life as a violinist and composer. He came to San Antonio in 1926 and became concertmaster at the Aztec Theatre. He also performed and taught at the San Antonio College of Music. While living in the city, for a time at this address, he composed his septet Batik and sent it to colleague and friend Carlos Chávez, whose recommendation brought inclusion for Revueltas in the American Association of Composers. In 1928, Chávez invited Revueltas to be associate director and featured soloist with the Orquesta Sinfónica de México in Mexico City. His works continue to garner acclaim from musicians and audiences throughout the Americas and beyond. (2006)