Música criolla
Encyclopedia
Música criolla is a category of Peruvian music that combines mainly African, Spanish and Andean influences. Afro-Peruvian
music was first created by African slaves in Peru during the Colonial Period and beyond. The rhythms include Festejo
, Landó
, Socabon, Pregon
, Zamacueca
, and Alcatraz. Many of those were played with a mixture of Spanish and Indian instruments and used the Spanish coplas as lyrics. They were practiced only in private black gatherings until the 1950s, when efforts of some scholars studying the Peruvian community, such as Nicomedes Santa Cruz
, Victoria Santa Cruz and Jose Durand, compiled songs and dances after struggling with racism and poor recognition. Interpreters such as Lucila Campos, Caitro Soto
, Susana Baca
, Eva Ayllon
, and the Peru Negro
dance company, among others, have brought these genres to the world's attention.
The most popular genre of música criolla in Perú
is the marinera
, often called the national dance of Perú. Other main genres are Peruvian vals and tondero
, festejo
, polka
, zamacueca
, coplas de amor fino, and landó
. Peru's national "Day of the Creole Song" (Día de la Canción Criolla) takes place on October 31.
. Musically the Landó is slower than the Festejo. Victoria Santa Cruz (who directed the National School of Folklore in Peru), worked to develop this genre around 40 or 50 years ago. It is related to South American dances of courtship because of its sensual movements and the soft tempo. Composed in 3/4 time, it has become a popular choice for new Peruvian songwriters. It has its origins in the Angolan
londu, and is also related to the Brazilian lundu.
'fiesta') is a festive form of music. It can be seen as a celebration of Perú
's independence and the emancipation of slaves, or as an attempt to reinvent diaspora African music without reference to slavery. Composers of all races have contributed to the development of festejo repertoire. Its origins are in a competitive circle dance performed by men playing cajón
es. Nowadays, people of all ages and races participate in a witty dance accompanying the festejo.
, one of the most important composers of the genre, started touring heavily. Other singers, songwriters and ethnomusicologists were compiling old interpretations and began recording songs that were never recorded before. This type of music includes elaborate Spanish guitar work accompanied in recent years by cajón
and castanet
s with lyrics that talk about love, social dilemmas and nostalgia. This form is known outside of Peru as vals peruano (Peruvian waltz). Popular vals artists include singers like Arturo "Zambo" Cavero, Jesús Vásquez
, groups like Los Morochucos, Fiesta Criolla, Los Troveros Criollos
, Los Embajadores Criollos and composers like Felipe Pinglo Alva
, Chabuca Granda
and Augusto Polo Campos
.
Afro-Peruvian
Afro Peruvians are citizens of Peru mostly descended from African slaves who were brought to the Western hemisphere with the arrival of the conquistadors towards the end of the slave trade.-Early history:...
music was first created by African slaves in Peru during the Colonial Period and beyond. The rhythms include Festejo
Festejo
Festejo is a festive form of Peruvian music. It can be seen as a celebration of Perú's independence and the emancipation of slaves, or as an attempt to reinvent diaspora African music without reference to slavery. Composers of all races have contributed to the development of festejo repertoire...
, Landó
Landó (music)
Landó is an Afro-Peruvian form of music in the musica criolla genre. Its unique sound had been likened to the American blues genre.-Influences:...
, Socabon, Pregon
Pregón
Pregón, a Spanish word meaning announcement or street-seller's cry, has a particular meaning in Cuban music, and Latin American music generally...
, Zamacueca
Zamacueca
The Zamacueca is an ancient colonial dance that originated in the Viceroyalty of Peru, taking its roots from African, Spanish, and Andean rhythms...
, and Alcatraz. Many of those were played with a mixture of Spanish and Indian instruments and used the Spanish coplas as lyrics. They were practiced only in private black gatherings until the 1950s, when efforts of some scholars studying the Peruvian community, such as Nicomedes Santa Cruz
Nicomedes Santa Cruz
Nicomedes Santa Cruz was an Afro-Peruvian musician who helped raise public awareness of Afro-Peruvian culture....
, Victoria Santa Cruz and Jose Durand, compiled songs and dances after struggling with racism and poor recognition. Interpreters such as Lucila Campos, Caitro Soto
Caitro Soto
Pedro Carlos Soto de la Colina, popularly known as Caitro Soto was an Afro-Peruvian musician and composer...
, Susana Baca
Susana Baca
Susana Esther Baca de la Colina is a prominent Peruvian singer-songwriter; two-times Latin Grammy Award winner. She has been a key figure in the revival of Afro-Peruvian music within Peru....
, Eva Ayllon
Eva Ayllón
Eva Ayllón , a composer and singer, is one of Peru's foremost Afro-Peruvian musicians, and one of the country's most enduring stars.-Biography:...
, and the Peru Negro
Perú Negro
Perú Negro is an Afro-Peruvian musical ensemble founded in 1969 to celebrate and preserve Peru's black culture and música criolla. Ronaldo Campos de la Colina founded the Lima-based group with 12 family members...
dance company, among others, have brought these genres to the world's attention.
The most popular genre of música criolla in Perú
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
is the marinera
Marinera
Marinera is a coastal dance of Peru, generally called the "National Dance of Peru." Marinera is a graceful and romantic couple's dance that uses handkerchiefs as props. The dance is an elegant and stylized reenactment of a courtship, and it shows a blend of the different cultures of Peru...
, often called the national dance of Perú. Other main genres are Peruvian vals and tondero
Tondero
Tondero is a dance and guitar rhythm from the Peruvian north coast .-Geographical origin of tondero and cumananas:The Tondero is a Peruvian dance and rhythm born in the north coast adjacent to the eastern valleys of the Sierra or “yungas” of Piura, Sechura and Lambayeque...
, festejo
Festejo
Festejo is a festive form of Peruvian music. It can be seen as a celebration of Perú's independence and the emancipation of slaves, or as an attempt to reinvent diaspora African music without reference to slavery. Composers of all races have contributed to the development of festejo repertoire...
, polka
Polka
The polka is a Central European dance and also a genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia...
, zamacueca
Zamacueca
The Zamacueca is an ancient colonial dance that originated in the Viceroyalty of Peru, taking its roots from African, Spanish, and Andean rhythms...
, coplas de amor fino, and landó
Lando
-Fictional characters:*Lando Calrissian, fictional character in Star Wars*Lando Griffin, pseudonym adopted by Peter Griffin in the Family Guy episode "Let's Go to the Hop"-Given name:*Lando Buzzanca , Italian actor...
. Peru's national "Day of the Creole Song" (Día de la Canción Criolla) takes place on October 31.
Landó
Landó is a form of blues music popular in PerúPeru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. Musically the Landó is slower than the Festejo. Victoria Santa Cruz (who directed the National School of Folklore in Peru), worked to develop this genre around 40 or 50 years ago. It is related to South American dances of courtship because of its sensual movements and the soft tempo. Composed in 3/4 time, it has become a popular choice for new Peruvian songwriters. It has its origins in the Angolan
Music of Angola
The music of Angola has been shaped both by wider musical trends and by the political history of the country. It has been described a mix of Congolese, Portuguese, and Brazilian music, while and Angolan music also influenced the music of the other Lusophone countries.The capital and largest city of...
londu, and is also related to the Brazilian lundu.
Festejo
Festejo (from SpanishSpanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
'fiesta') is a festive form of music. It can be seen as a celebration of Perú
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
's independence and the emancipation of slaves, or as an attempt to reinvent diaspora African music without reference to slavery. Composers of all races have contributed to the development of festejo repertoire. Its origins are in a competitive circle dance performed by men playing cajón
Cajón
A cajón is a box-shaped percussion instrument originally from Peru, played by slapping the front face with the hands.-Origins and evolution:...
es. Nowadays, people of all ages and races participate in a witty dance accompanying the festejo.
Vals
The vals criollo is a unique musical form characterized by 3/4 time, originating in the coast of Peru. The vals criollo is a variation of the European Waltz brought by Spaniards to Peru, played with Spanish instruments by criollos or mestizos of all races since the Peruvian Colonial Period. It was around the 30's when city neighborhoods or barrios started developing their own styles. It was not heavily promoted by the media until the 50's when Chabuca GrandaChabuca Granda
María Isabel Granda Larco , better known as Chabuca Granda, was a Peruvian singer and composer. She created and interpreted a vast number of Criollo waltzes with Afro-Peruvian rhythms...
, one of the most important composers of the genre, started touring heavily. Other singers, songwriters and ethnomusicologists were compiling old interpretations and began recording songs that were never recorded before. This type of music includes elaborate Spanish guitar work accompanied in recent years by cajón
Cajón
A cajón is a box-shaped percussion instrument originally from Peru, played by slapping the front face with the hands.-Origins and evolution:...
and castanet
Castanet
Castanets are a percussion instrument , used in Moorish, Ottoman, ancient Roman, Italian, Spanish, Sephardic Music, and Portuguese music. The instrument consists of a pair of concave shells joined on one edge by a string. They are held in the hand and used to produce clicks for rhythmic accents or...
s with lyrics that talk about love, social dilemmas and nostalgia. This form is known outside of Peru as vals peruano (Peruvian waltz). Popular vals artists include singers like Arturo "Zambo" Cavero, Jesús Vásquez
Jesús Vásquez
María de Jesús Vásquez Vásquez , known by the pseudonym La Reina y Señora de la Canción Criolla was a virtuoso Peruvian singer.She was daughter of Pedro Vásquez Chávez and María Jesús Vásquez Vásquez...
, groups like Los Morochucos, Fiesta Criolla, Los Troveros Criollos
Los Troveros Criollos
Los Troveros Criollos is one of the most relevant groups in the history of Peruvian's musica criolla. Between 1952 and 1961 they recorded a wide range of songs, which became standards within this genre.-History:...
, Los Embajadores Criollos and composers like Felipe Pinglo Alva
Felipe Pinglo Alva
Felipe Pinglo Alva , known as the father of Peruvian Musica criolla, was an influential and prolific poet and songwriter best known for his often covered "El Plebeyo"...
, Chabuca Granda
Chabuca Granda
María Isabel Granda Larco , better known as Chabuca Granda, was a Peruvian singer and composer. She created and interpreted a vast number of Criollo waltzes with Afro-Peruvian rhythms...
and Augusto Polo Campos
Augusto Polo Campos
Augusto Armando Polo Campos is a Peruvian composer.-Life:One of the best Peruvians compositors of all times. He is author of innumerable popular international hits which represent the originality and richness of Peruvian identity with their melody and lyrics.In 1933, his family went to reside in...
.
Polca Criolla
The Polca Criolla is similar to the vals in some respects, but is composed in 4/4 time and has a much faster rhythm. The style and lyrics are an expression of mischivious and joyous celebration of life. It is also called "polquita", a term of endearment. Like the vals, it is typical of the coast, using the same basic repertoire of instruments, interpreters, and songwriters. Some common examples are "La Pitita", "Callao", and "Tacna".External links
- Música Criolla Peruana
- Romantic Peruvian Music
- Los Troveros Criollos, LIVE
- El Rosario de mi Madre Peruvian Waltz
- Ingrata Palomita Peruvian Polka
- El Veneno Peruvian Marinera
- Afropop.org article on Afro-Peruvian music
- Música Criolla del Perú - Canciones y videos
- Peru Profundo Dance Company - folkloric dance company in Chicago that performs Afro-Peruvian and Andean dances.
- Peruvian Dance Company - Dance Company in California specialized in dances from the different regions of Peru.