Souvenir de Porto Rico was written during Gottschalk's stay in the Puerto Rican countryside in 1857 and is based on Si me dan pasteles, a tune sung during the Christmas season. The piece begins softly and gradually grows in volume and complexity reaching a climax at the mid point then fades away, imitating a group walking singers, hence the subtitle 'Marche des Gibaros'. A Gibaro or Jíbaro being those peasants who live in the interior of Puerto Rico.

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