What to Listen for:

• “Busy” texture of the piece, which uses looped melodic fragments as an ostinato against which to contrast other melodies
• Strong rhythmic accents used in unconventional ways; cannot be said to have a set beat or pulse, but instead shifts the pulse frequently
• Pentatonic looped melodies, consisting of five notes rather than the seven typically found in Western music (Pentatonic melodies appear frequently in Mexican Indigenous music, and Chávez seems to be referencing “Indianness” in this way.)