Novus as the Magnum Opus of the Musico-Spiritual Ministrations of Carlos Santana: An Appraisal of his Works

Abstract

The music of Santana, arguably, magnificently embodies the
virtuosity and raw creativity of the sixties, seventies and eighties,
the “cool” of the nineties and twenties and the oneness and
spiritual essence of the human race. It has therefore demonstrated
the resilient capacity for continually reaching and sensitively
touching successive generations of fans of multicultural extraction
with passionate musical idioms, which are a fusion of
rock, jazz, blues, soul and Latin and, therefore, serving a musical
menu of multicultural melodic phraseology that is as unique as it
is instantly identifiable, globally. From the sixties to the present
and utilizing personnel from variegated cultural and genre setting,
Santana's music has become an event of global culture,
transcending genre, crossing national boundaries and cultures
and creating music that has emerged the soundtrack for the world.
The paper subjects the works of Carlos Santana to critical analysis
26.1.2010 [01-16]
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covering the musical idioms and lyrical idiomatic expressions from
the perspective of the universalism of his lyricism and opines that
there is a religio-philosophical stream of thoughts that runs
through his albums over a timeframe of more than three decades,
from Santana I (1969) to Shaman (2002) from which “Novus” is
taken. The paper opines that “Novus,” a song that suavely
combines canal love and the eternity of Divine Love, is the magnum
opus of Santana's musical ministrations and mission in which he has
consistently advocated harmony in humanity from the perspective
of Mayan philosophies and shamanism. Same as his other works
with spiritual essence, “Novus,” transcends religion and touches
the human spirit irrespective of color or creed, station or location.
“Novus,” the paper concludes, is vintage Carlos Santana—the
multidimensional spirit; it represents the quintessence of the man;
it is his magnum opus and, therefore, valedictory.