http://venus.javeriana.edu.co/musica/paginas/bamb.htm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- COLOMBIAN MUSIC How did it start ? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The precolonial cultures that habitated what today is known as Colombia, achieved their economical and cultural development in two vast regions : The Andean región, and the Amazonic región. With the pass of time, and after continuous migrations, unifications, and agreements, three main groups were formed : The Chibchas, The Arawaks and the Amazonics. The Chibchas were the people who contribute most to the development of Colombian Music, due to their high cultural level, which is expresed in a great variety of demostrations, along and across their vast territories. Although some of these groups are still alive, culturally alive, most of them were extinguish for several reasons : wars, illness, influence of the spaniards, etc. Music were part of the ritual celebrations of the Chibchas. They did not pray toGod, but celebrated to their gods with music. But music was not for religious purposes. They played music for enjoyment and entertainment ( when it is said They, it is referred to the musicians. The precolonial musicians in that time). The guajiros are the most representatives of the Arawaks in this territory. They had not achieved a aceptable cultural development when europeans arrive to this territory for the first time. The guajiros have preserved their cultural aspects, in spite of the pass of time, and the continuos and changing influence of the spaniards, and the rest of european cultures. The Amazon region is not only the most important natural reserve that the humanity have got to take care, but is the territory where several human groups lived, developed their own culture, their own way of government, their own civilization for centuries. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MUSICAL HALF-CASTING In order to give a better understanding of the development of Colombian Music, is important to have a clear idea of the social context of the time, through the history of this nation. First of all, we have to know that Colombia were habitated for three main cultural groups : - The spaniards - The precolonial people - The africans -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SPAIN AND THE PRECOLONIAL PEOPLE In the times of Cristopher Columbus, the government of spain of that time gave the order of send several expeditions to the new and recently discovered territories. These expeditions were complete regiments, most of them males. Not females were included in the expeditions. So, when this huge crowd of spaniards came for these territories, due to the lack of women, they had sexual relationships with the precolonial women. These was a complex phenomenon that happend with the pass of dificult years of wars, confrontations, fights, and death. As a result of these, the half-caste people were born, as a new group of spaniard-precolonial people. As Spain finally toke the decision to impose order and laws to the new conquered territories, they created colonial settlements, big farms, they send people, in order to inhabit these new territories. Inmigration increased, and so, the mix between the spaniards and the indians increased, spread, and became a very popular phenomenon. However, unfortunately, they were considered less honorable that the spaniards. The spaniards didn't impose their cultural standards at all. It is good to say that there were a mix between the cultural elements of the spaniards, and the cultural heritage of the precolonial people. Both the spaniards and the precolonials had got their own language, music, dances, instrument, religion, arts, moral principles. Those elements became with the pass of the years in one element, one standard, for the people of these days, the colombians. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AFRICA Colombian music has also a tremendous influence from Africa standards. Maybe africans contribute more to the development of colombian music, specially on the regios of the Atlantic Coast. It is good to make clear that the spaniards that arrive at these territories many years ago, had already received a good part of cultural influence of the africans, and the arabians, many years before the discover of América, by Cristopher Columbus, in 1492. So, the african influence to the colombian music come from two cultural elements. - The afro-standards that spaniards had already got. - The inmigration of african slaves. The Magdalena region, Cauca, and the Pacific Coast are better influenced by african musical standards, This is due to the fact that there were they ( the africans ) were better required for hard jobs, in mining, agriculture, cattle raising. The phenomenon of slavery generated a big business for many europeans. Some of them were landowners, deputies, slave traffickers, between others. This business began to decrease in the XVIII century, and in the XIX century, it finally stoped, with the law of slavery abolition. While all these things happened, many africans ( most of the slaves ) got relationships with europeans and indians, generating a new group of people. Furthermore, this new group of people would define their own standards in order to state their own cultural context. Both the afro-european context, and the precolonial-european context define the main standards of colombian music. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE ATLANTIC COAST OF COLOMBIA AND ITS MUSIC This region was of true importance for the development of comerce between between the colonies, and as a point of start of big expeditions to the inner territories. Cartagena, Santa Marta, Rioacha, Valledupar, Mómpos were crucial for the development of these things. Here, spaniards, african slaves, and indians mixed. Musical events and parties were organized by the spanish residents as well, in honor to the Virgin Mary (La Candelaria, los remedios, la inmaculada). Virtual religious figures such as 'la cuaresma', Corpus Christi, Saint John, and Christmas were of such usefulness for the conversion of precolonials and africans, from their religion, to Christianity. This is the way how all of these musical half-casting began to occurred. Several spanish parties ('las tertulias', for instance), and various spanish dances such as 'la gavota', 'el rigodón', 'paspies','pasacalle', 'contradanza', and some of them more popular such as 'la jota', 'el fandango', and 'las seguidillas' were taken both by the indians, and the africans, and converted in other styles, with the pass of time. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE VALLENATOS SINGINGS It started with old and antique singings composed by peasants from the cattle zones of Valledupar. This singing were perfomed by various instruments : one of those was a little drum, well known in these days in Colombia as 'la caja' ( like a conga ), other instrument was one called 'la guacharaca' ( like a closed hi-hat ). While the musicians played with these instruments, another one, the singer, sang. Their song was a reflect of a critic of the social context of that time. Not romantic ( as most of the music in these days ), just social critics. It got influence from the arhuacos and the guajiros, with their melodic methods, then from the africans, and finally from the europeans. Maybe one of the most notable influence is the influence of the europeans, with the accordeon of bottons. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE MUSIC OF THE ANDEAN REGION The economical development of the Andean region depend most on agriculture, mining, and commerce. This development was better supported with the continuous and increasing inmigration of spaniards, the construction of big farms, and the growth of half-caste people. Religious parties were organized as well. We can take for example the following : Chritsmas, Corpus Christi, San Juán, las peregrinaciones a los santuarios de la Virgen ( Chiquinquirá, Monguí, Chinavita), between others. It helped to mix both the spanish and the indigenious culture. As a result of these mix, various rthythm styles were created from these mix. (Bambuco and Torbellino for instance). The singings of 'la guabina' were created too, and a great amount of dancing games. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE BAMBUCO Several dances such as the fandango, la tirana, el bolero, and the seguidilla de la provincia de Andalucía, were very popular between the spanish residents in the colombian territory. These dances made part of new musical styles. These styles changed, diversify, and the a new standard is considered to be called Bambuco. The Bambuco was born. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FROM EUROPEAN WALTZ TO ANDEAN PASILLO The influence of the waltz spread across the european continent in the XIX century. It influence arrive at these territories. Several musicians toke these influence with most of their musical appreciation, and transformed it into the 'Pasillo' rthythm, known earlier as the 'waltz of the country' or the 'colombian'. Pasillo music were perfomed in great and refined dance halls. Afterwards, popular people realized of these musical concept, and created their own version, creating 'El Pasillo Fiestero'. Many 'Pasillos Fiesteros' were played as well in public events, and people liked them. Finally, it is good to say that the joining between poets and composers, gave to the Pasillo a great contribution of artistic value. It made the Pasillo more expressive, more romantic, and quite exciting. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE MUSICAL ART OF THE COLOMBIAN PACIFIC COAST The hard work of the african slaves gave goodness and prosperity to the big farms of the old Cauca region ( Chocó, Valle, Cauca, Nariño ) and their big contribution in the mining sector made very rich to the spanish crown, and after to the local landowners. The african cultures that toke place in the pacific coast were quite sensible to the spanish cultural influence, fact that explains the great adaptation and re-interpretation that these people made of that influence. Some music and dances were very popular such as the tertulias and saraos, where some rich spaniards enjoyed. Other very popular dances were the contradanzas, mazurcas, polcas, jotas and some romances, sang by women very font of singing. Is important to mention here the role of a very reduced group of african people. Slaves dedicated to the domestic service. They had a closer contact with the european music. It let them start the process of assimilation, spreading and the change of these european cultural demonstrations. The Catholic religion gave a significant influence to the religious singing of the slaves, who little by little substituted their own religious beliefs by singings to the Virgin. 'Trisagios', 'arrullos a los santos' as catholic religious festivities were very popular as well. The strongest african cultural contribution is the curralao, and the bunde. The bunded is composed by marímbas de Chonta, male and female conunos, bombo (bass drum), and the old african sing that was in charge of the 'cantaoras' and 'repondeoras', who played together with the guases. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MUSIC FROM THE COLOMBIAN EASTERN VALLEY The beginning of the economical development of this region was first started by the Jesuits in the XVII century. They toke the task of spread the Catholic religion, and develop the livestock at the same time, across the vast extension of plain territories. The indigenious people of that region received the musical influence of the Jesuits, and the influence of the guitars, strings, harps, instruments introduced by the Jesuits, and so on. These instruments were mixing with other instruments of the region, such as 'carracas', 'maracas', 'capachos'. As a result of this mix, some new styles were born, making part of the musical context of these days. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Design : Manuel Cortés Granados email : mcortes@pollux.javeriana.edu.co