De preferencia is the second song from José Enrique González Medina's Cinco canciones tijuanenses, a cycle inspired by the voices, humor, and everyday life of Tijuana. The song sets a poem by acclaimed Mexican writer Rosina Conde and is written for soprano, bassoon, and piano.
Presented as a witty mock job advertisement, the poem opens with the repeated call, "¡Se solicita!" ("Help wanted!"), listing an endless series of domestic skills expected from the ideal candidate: cooking, washing dishes, serving the table, ironing, mending socks, sweeping, and mopping. Only near the end does the advertisement reveal its unexpected condition: the applicant should preferably be bilingual, and, even more importantly, should stay—remaining "forever asleep." Through irony and satire, Rosina Conde exposes traditional gender expectations while questioning the unequal roles imposed within domestic life.
González Medina translates the poem's theatrical humor into music through an energetic Allegretto, characterized by rhythmic vitality, playful exchanges between the soprano and bassoon, and frequent changes of texture. The repeated declamation of "¡Se solicita!" gives the song a dramatic, almost theatrical character, while the bassoon acts as an expressive commentator, reinforcing the poem's irony with colorful melodic gestures. A contrasting central section introduces a more restrained atmosphere before the lively opening energy returns, leading to a memorable and humorous conclusion.
Instrumentation: Soprano, Bassoon, and Piano
Voice Type: Soprano
Language: Spanish
Composer: José Enrique González Medina (Mexico)
Poet: Rosina Conde
Collection: Cinco canciones tijuanenses
De preferencia is the second song from José Enrique González Medina's Cinco canciones tijuanenses, a cycle inspired by the voices, humor, and everyday life of Tijuana. The song sets a poem by acclaimed Mexican writer Rosina Conde and is written for soprano, bassoon, and piano.
Presented as a witty mock job advertisement, the poem opens with the repeated call, "¡Se solicita!" ("Help wanted!"), listing an endless series of domestic skills expected from the ideal candidate: cooking, washing dishes, serving the table, ironing, mending socks, sweeping, and mopping. Only near the end does the advertisement reveal its unexpected condition: the applicant should preferably be bilingual, and, even more importantly, should stay—remaining "forever asleep." Through irony and satire, Rosina Conde exposes traditional gender expectations while questioning the unequal roles imposed within domestic life.
González Medina translates the poem's theatrical humor into music through an energetic Allegretto, characterized by rhythmic vitality, playful exchanges between the soprano and bassoon, and frequent changes of texture. The repeated declamation of "¡Se solicita!" gives the song a dramatic, almost theatrical character, while the bassoon acts as an expressive commentator, reinforcing the poem's irony with colorful melodic gestures. A contrasting central section introduces a more restrained atmosphere before the lively opening energy returns, leading to a memorable and humorous conclusion.
Instrumentation: Soprano, Bassoon, and Piano
Voice Type: Soprano
Language: Spanish
Composer: José Enrique González Medina (Mexico)
Poet: Rosina Conde
Collection: Cinco canciones tijuanenses
