"Cuando vuelva a tu lado": A Journey of Self-Discovery Through the Music of María Grever

Abstract

This project focuses on countering historical erasure by telling the story of Mexican-American composer María Grever and my own great-grandfather, Barney Rees. It specifically highlights the contributions of women composers to bolero and challenges notions of who composed popular music in the United States in the mid-20th century. While María Grever was extremely well-known as a composer while she was alive, her story has since been erased from musical narratives in the United States. Through revisiting the music of María Grever and composing music inspired by her compositions and my family history, I plan to combat erasure of women in musical narratives, embark on personal reflection, and explore the converging of bolero and jazz in Grever’s life and work. I grounded my work by researching Grever’s life, reading about the historical, political, and cultural context of bolero in Mexico City and New York City in the 1920s-1940s, exploring documentation of Grever’s career from the era, and speaking to relatives and looking at family photos and documents about my great-grandfather. I then used this research to compose original music incorporating BGJI concepts like tetrachords, Zero Gravity, and comprovisation. I recorded my compositions in a studio, collaborating with other musicians and lyricists. As a result, I have learned a great deal about what it means to uplift marginalized voices, tell stories that have been forgotten, promote the contributions of women in music, and even who I am and where I come from.

Publication Date

7-1-2026

Campus

Boston Campus

Keywords

Bolero; historical erasure; women composers

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