Salvador Baltodano

My Musical Trail

I was born in Nicaragua, Central America, into a family where my grandfathers, aunts and sisters played piano, guitar or sang. Those early years were magnificent; full of color and motivation. Next, I took my guitar and my voice onto school stages, and later I jumped into traditional groups of dance and experimental music.
My first attempts at song-writing failed, so I set out to make good lyrics by reading a great deal of poetry and philosophy. It seemed that I should put music to some poem, when in fact the treatment for songwriting is different. Songs, according to my understanding, do not have to be linear. Composers play with the memories and the interests of the listeners. The public also wants to participate in singing the song and needs to listen to a refrain or phrase that is repeated. In my first years of composing, I was convinced that, without exception, all songs had to have a message, and I rejected most compositions of others’; they seemed to me too light, or lacking in depth. In time I reached the conclusion that music also is entertainment, and that four lines and a good rhythm can make a song a classic.
First it was songs with social content. Next, groups with music of diverse styles captured my interest. I competed in popular and romantic musical festivals in my country and abroad, and continued composing until the voice of love called me to the United States, where I now permanently reside.
Here in the U.S., I assume the challenge of making music in a country with incredible professional exigency, still coveting those fruits of triumph. I close this brief route of the artistic history of my life, hoping this is not the last time that you visit me.