Andean music
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A quena, a traditional Andean instrument |
Andean music comes from the approximate area inhabited by the
Incas prior to
European contact. It includes the countries
Chile,
Peru,
Argentina,
Ecuador and
Bolivia.
Wind and
percussion instruments are known to have existed even prior to the Incas, but musical evolution peaked with the Incan empire. The arrival of the Spaniards in the
16th century brought
string instruments and new forms, spurring the invention of the distinctive
charango, a stringed instrument similar to a
lute.
Panpipes (
Aymara:
siku;
Quechua:
antara;
Spanish:
zampoña) are an ancient indigenous instrument that comes in multiple varieties. Some modern panpipes are capable of playing a full scale, and are used as solo instruments, while traditional panpipes were played in pairs; this is still commonplace with two performers sharing a
melody.
Quenas (notched-end
flutes) remain popular, and are traditionally made out of
bamboo, though
PVC piping has become popular. Quenas are generally only played during the dry season, while vertical flutes called
tarkas taking over in the wet.
Marching bands dominated by
drums and panpipes are commonplace, and are used to celebrate weddings and other holidays.
The
20th century has seen drastic changes in Andean society and culture. Bolivia, for example, saw a
nationalistic revolution in
1952, leading to increased rights and social awareness for natives. The new government established a
folklore department in the
Bolivian Ministry of Education, and
radio stations began
broadcasting in Aymara and Quechua. By
1965, an influential group called
Los Jairas formed in
La Paz, Bolivia; the quartet fused native sounds into forms suitable for urban Europeans and the
middle class. One member of Los Jairas,
Gilbert Favre (a
Swiss-
French flautist) had previously been an acquaintance of the Parras (
Angel,
Isabel and their mother
Violeta) in
Paris. The Parras eventually began promoting indigenous music in
Santiago,
Chile. The late
1960s released native groups such as
Ruphay,
Grupo Aymara and the emblematic
quechua singer Luzmila Carpio. Later Chilean groups like
Inti-Illimani and
Los Curacas took the fusion work of Los Jairas and the Parras to invent
nueva canción, which returned to Bolivia in the
1980s in the form of
canto nuevo artists like
Emma Junaro and
Matilde Casazola.
* Radio Set: Free
Andean Music*
Bolivian Music and Web Varieties
