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Jesus Martinez Oral History
Jesus Martinez Oral History

Jesus Martinez Oral History

Object number2019.001.0131
Date11/12/2019
ClassificationsOral Histories
Oral history interview subject Jesus J. Martinez
Oral history interviewer Stephen Fagin
ObjectOral history
Credit LineOral History Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
MediumBorn digital (.mov file)
DimensionsDuration: 15 Minutes
Collections
DescriptionVideotaped oral history interview with Jesus Martinez. An award-winning musician and composer, Martinez is assistant band director at Sam Houston High School in Arlington, Texas. His works include "The Sixth Floor," a piece commissioned by The Sixth Floor Museum to commemorate its 30th anniversary in 2019, and "3 Hours in Dallas," a film score to accompany a compilation of Kennedy motorcade footage. Interview conducted at The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza in Dallas, TX on November 12, 2019 by Curator Stephen Fagin. The interview is 15 minutes long.
Curatorial Commentary
Exhibit Label: Originally from San Juan, Texas, in the part of the state known as “the Valley,” Jesus Martinez grew up in a musical family. He always wanted to be a drummer and was a member of the high school marching band. He attended his first orchestra concert in college and fell in love with orchestral music. Martinez describes himself as a programmatic composer: he finds a story that captivates him, that is something he feels he could invest his time in, and then creates music for it. He spoke Spanish first as a child, then English, but today he sees music as the universal language, the best way for him to tell stories. (Text from Special exhibit, "Art Reframes History," on view on the Museum's seventh floor from September 9, 2020 through May 9, 2021)
Jesus Martinez has participated in three oral history interviews with The Sixth Floor Museum. This third interview, recorded on November 12, 2019, focuses entirely on his film score, "Three Hours in Dallas." At the conclusion of the interview, Martinez was asked to briefly describe the film score in Spanish (excerpted here). When interviewed prior to their performance, the student musicians at Sam Houston High School in Arlington, Texas, were also asked to discuss their participation and feelings about President Kennedy in both English and Spanish. -- Stephen Fagin, Curator