Quinteto Contrapunto
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Quinteto Contrapunto began when Rafael Suárez, its founder, was studying in Italy, and wrote a series of arrangements for two voices of Venezuelan folk pieces. When he returned to Venezuela, showed his work to Domingo Mendoza, who was a singer in the Choir of the Central University of Venezuela at the time.
Mendoza, was charmed by the arrangements but suggested that instead of two voices, they should use the complete range of five voices: mezzosoprano, baritone, bass, soprano and tenor. Following this idea, in 1962, the Quinteto Contrapunto was created with Rafael Suárez, baritone voice, arranger and director, Jesús Sevillano tenor, Morella Muñoz, Aída Navarro, mezzosopranos and Domingo Mendoza, Bass voice, guitarist and cuatro executant.
In a few months, the group was hugely successful. By 1962 they had sold 50 thousand copies of their first album “Quinteto Contrapunto Vol. 1”. Its style, unique for the time, fused popular music with the methodology and the treatment of the academic music. Also, it was uncommon in Venezuela to have "formal" concerts of folk music at the time. However, this was not an obstacle for the group and soon they were widely known in Latin America and Europe.
After the death of Rafael Suárez in 1971, the Quinteto Contrapunto disbanded and did not reappear until 1998 when Jesús Sevillano staged a reunion. In this occasion the quintet was conformed by Jesús Sevillano (tenor), Otilia Rodriguez (mezzosoprano), Efraín Arteaga (Bass and arranger), Marina Auristela Guanche (soprano) and Parmenio Talavera (baritone, cuatro executant and guitarist). The reappearance was supported with the launch of a double album, Quinteto Contrapunto. Música Popular y Folklórica de Venezuela. This release contained all of the songs recorded by the original group. In 2003, they released Lo Máximo, 22 Éxitos Quinteto Contrapunto, a copilation of the best songs of the group.
