Description: Charango is a small, stringed instrument originating from the Andes.
Construction: Originally crafted from armadillos; current versions are made from wood.
Cultural Significance of Flowers in Aztec Culture
Importance of Flowers: Flowers hold significant cultural value in Aztec traditions, reflected in the use of bright colors and intricate designs in clothing.
Indigenous Groups and Their Musical Traditions Prior to Colonization
Presence of Indigenous Groups: Latin America was home to numerous Indigenous communities pre-colonization.
Musical Heritage: Indigenous traditions were prominently showcased through musical expressions.
Cuicatl
Definition: Nahuatl word meaning “song,” “poem,” or “singing.”
Role: Essential to Aztec artistic expression; embodies spirituality and emotion.
Key Regions and Musical Characteristics
Mesoamerica:
Cultures: Aztec/Mexica, Maya.
Characteristics: Ceremonial music featuring drums, flutes, and voice, intricately linked to religious and ritualistic practices.
Andean Music:
Culture: Inca.
Instruments: Use of panpipes, flutes, and drums, employing pentatonic scales.
Significance: Music associated with agriculture and communal identity.
Caribbean Indigenous Music:
Culture: Taíno.
Characteristics: Music and dance integral to rituals, illustrating the connection between sound and movement.
Musical Elements in Indigenous Cultures:
Scales: Predominantly pentatonic and modal.
Structure: Common usage of repetition.
Bombo: A member of the Latin American drum family.
Impact of Colonization on Music
Introduction of European Musical Systems:
Influences: Colonization led to the establishment of musical structures centered around religious institutions.
New Elements: European harmonies, polyphony, and counterpoint introduced.
Dance Forms and Notation
Development: Pre-established dance forms developed along with notation and literacy in musical expression.
Common Instruments: Instruments prevalent included guitar, violin, piano, brass, harp, etc.
Viceroyalties
Definition: Following the Spanish conquest in the 16th century, viceroyalties were established to exert control over colonial territories.
Purpose: Maintained Spanish dominion, organized taxation and defense, enforced religion and Spanish culture, and controlled Indigenous populations.
Key Viceroyalties:
New Spain (1535): Included Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.
Peru (1542): Encompassed most of South America.
New Granada (1717): Covered Northern South America.
Río de la Plata (1776): Represented Southern South America.
Economic and Cultural Control: New Spain and Peru were pivotal due to their large Indigenous populations, such as the Aztecs and Incas.
Role of Catholic Church: The Catholic Church emerged as the most powerful institution, establishing choirs, orchestras, and music schools for religious teachings. Promoted sacred forms like motets and villancicos.
Integration of Indigenous and Afro Musical Traditions
Employment Hierarchies: Indigenous and Afro musicians were engaged according to established hierarchies.
Syncretism: Music created a blend of European forms with Indigenous and African cultures.
Hanac Pachap:
Composer: Juan Pérez Bocanegra; significant as the first polyphonic music publication in the Americas in 1631 (essential to memorize!).
Language: Written in Quechua.
Title Meaning: “Hanac” means “upper, above high”; “Pachap” translates to “of the world.”
Example of Syncretism: This piece fused Catholic ideas of heaven with Inca cosmology regarding the upper world.
Urban Centers and Courtly Life
Viceroy Activities: Courtly music traditions formed under viceroys, integrating both Indigenous and African influences in public parties, civic ceremonies, and theater.
Reshaping Colonial Music: Despite colonization, Indigenous and African music traditions reshaped the musical landscape, integrating into both religious and popular music.
Historical Context Notes (Feb. 10th)
1519: Hernan Cortés defeated the Aztec Empire with Indigenous allies.
1821: Mexico gained independence from Spain; substantial territorial losses to the U.S. followed in the Mexican-American War (1846-1848).
Definition: Refers to individuals of mixed Indigenous and European heritage, embodying cultural blending resulting from colonization, particularly in Mexico.
Post-Independence Developments
Leadership: Porfirio Díaz's regime (1876-1911) led to large estates displacing rural and Indigenous communities.
Wealth Concentration: Concentrated at the top, leading to social inequalities.
Modernization: Transition from an agrarian society to a modern state at a significant social cost.
Cultural Preferences: European styles predominated; mariachi received little to no national prestige.
Revolution: After Díaz was deposed, the Mexican Revolution commenced in 1910.
Result: The Mexican Constitution of 1917 emphasized land reform, labor protections, and limitations on foreign ownership.
Heroes: Folk heroes such as Emiliano Zapata and Pancho Villa emerged; numerous corridos were written about them.
Redefining Cultural Identity in Mexico
Transformation: Post-Díaz, Mexico embraced folk traditions, leading to mariachi becoming the national emblem.
Standardization: Mariachi ensembles became standardized in Mexico City.
Charro Culture
Definition: A charro is a Mexican cowboy, stemming from ranching and cattle herding.
Cultural Dynamics: Primarily male-dominated culture infused with machismo, often disguised as gallantry.
Serenata: A special courtship ritual inherent to charro culture.
Mariachi Music's Origins
Emergence: Mariachi music developed in Western Mexico, especially Jalisco.
Roots: Deeply rooted in Indigenous musical practices.
Early Ensembles: Utilized local stringed instruments such as vihuela, guitarrón, violins, and harps.
Characterization: Originally rural and communal, often performed at weddings, religious events, and village festivals.
Bolero Notes (Feb. 17th)
Origin: Emerged in late 19th century Cuba as a poetic love song.
Popularization: On reaching Mexico, bolero evolved into a style characterized by three-man trios.
Musical Traits: Emphasized romantic themes, slow tempo, and guitar harmonies influenced by European romanticism.
Peruvian Music Before Colonization
Historical Context: Predating European colonization, music was central to rituals, labor, and cosmology within the Inca Empire.
Instruments: Key instruments included the 'queen' (end-blown flute), 'antaras' (wankara/drums), and 'siku/zampoña.'
Inca Empire Fall: Concluded in 1526, primarily due to diseases introduced by Europe; Francisco Pizarro's conquest led to the establishment of the Viceroyalty of Peru in 1532.
Marginalization: Andean native groups faced significant marginalization following colonization.
Capital: Lima became the capital of Peru, with Spanish colonization profoundly reshaping its music.
Adaptation of Indigenous Music Post-Colonization
Indigenous music faced suppression and Christianization during colonization.
Indigenous musicians adapted European forms while incorporating local aesthetics.
Introduction of Enslaved Africans: The Spanish initiated the importation of enslaved Africans.
Tupac Amaru II
Rebellious Symbol: Led an uprising against Spanish rule in 1780; executed in Cuzco in 1781.
Legacy: Remains a foundational symbol of Peruvian independence and Indigenous resistance.
Confusion: Often confused with Tupac Amaru I, the 16th-century Neo-Inca ruler executed in 1572.
African Musical Contributions
Key Elements:
Rhythm: Central to African musical styles.
Call-and-Response Structures: Encouraged engagement in music.
Percussive Traditions: Notably included the cajón peruano.
Musical Genres: Included Festejo, Landó, and Zamacueca.
The Cajón
Invention: Originally banned African instruments led to improvisation using household items, creating the cajón - a wooden box with a soundhole at the back.
Influence: In 1977, flamenco musician Paco de Lucía incorporated it into Spanish flamenco, significantly influencing Afro-Peruvian music.
Vals Criollo: Represented a fusion of European harmony with Afro-Peruvian rhythms and Spanish lyrical elements.
Urban Music Developments
Historical Context (Feb. 19th):
Criollo: Originally referenced people of European descent born in the Americas; also denotes a Peruvian waltz.
Creolization: The development of new cultural forms under unequal colonial conditions.
Post-Independence Influence in Peru (1821): Increased prominence of criollo music in Lima, serving as a space for negotiating class, race, and national identity.
Zamacueca: Originated from Angola, entering Peru through enslaved Africans in the 18th and 19th centuries. Early forms featured movements considered obscene, later removed from the dance.
Afro-Peruvian Music Genres
Festejo: Technical traits include celebratory themes, communal participation, fast tempos, and rhythms driven by cajón and clapping.
Landó: A slower, grounded genre characterized by sensuousness and an emphasis on syncopation and reflective space.
Emotional Resonance: Often associated with memory and longing.
20th Century Revival of Afro-Peruvian Music
Urban Migration: Brought Andean music into urban areas, with a notable revival of Afro-Peruvian music between the 1950s and 70s.
Prominent Artists: New generations, including figures like Susana Baca, focused on the research and preservation of Afro-Peruvian traditions.
Contributions: Emphasized socially and politically charged narratives along with musical ones.
Milonga (Notes for Feb. 24th)
Geographic Roots: Originated in rural Argentina and Uruguay, particularly in the fertile pampas region.
Pampas Definition: An area of flat, fertile land surrounding Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Historical Context: Argentina gained independence in 1816; migration trends featured Spaniards and Italians with a distinct accent.
Indigenous Eradication: The majority of indigenous populations was decimated due to European contact and diseases.
Demographic Changes: The 19th century witnessed a significant decline in the black population due to yellow fever or conscription into the army.
African Influence on Argentine Music
Dominant Influence: African musical heritage grounds the essence of Argentina's music.
Ethnic Composition: More than 95% of the Argentine population is of European descent.
Milonga Characteristics:
Culture: Contains gaucho musical traditions, such as guitar playing and improvisational poetry (payada).
Function: Payadas conveyed contemporary events and history to an illiterate rural audience.
Gaucho Definition: The Argentine equivalent of a cowboy, analogous to the charro in Mexico.
Tango and Its African Roots
Definition: The term 'tango' emerged in 1616 in response to the prohibition of African dances by the Montevideo Cathedral.
African Legacy: Originally referred to various African ceremonies, dancers, and musicians.
Candombe: An Afro-Uruguayan and Argentinean tradition involving drumming, dancing, and communal gatherings, crucial for preserving African heritage.
Development of Tango
Influences: Formed through the integration of rural milonga and payada into urban settings enriched by African contributions.
Tango Evolution: Involved the adaptation of European social dances (pair dancing) enriched by elements from the Cuban habanera.
Cuban Habanera's Impact on Tango
Entry to Argentina: Introduced through Spanish opera performances; early tangos reflected the struggles of immigrants in port cities.
Tango Lyrics and Cultural Significance
Lunfardo: The slang of the working class, shaped through a mix of rural dialects and foreign languages—including Italian, French, Portuguese, and Quechua—introduced by sailors and immigrants.
Linguistic Features: Many terms contained double meanings and innuendos; dance steps were initially erotic and dramatic.
Accompaniment of Tango
Instrumentation: Typical tango music includes flutes, violins, and guitars.
Bandoneón:
Invention: A German instrument created in the 1840s, initially used as a portable organ substitute in small churches.
Cultural Adoption: German immigrants brought bandoneons to Buenos Aires and Montevideo; it became intrinsic to port and working-class communities, tailored for tango performances.
Symbolism: The bandoneón emerged as a defining sound of tango and a symbol of Argentine identity.
Stages of Tango Development
Stage 1: Tango-Guardia Vieja:
Emergence: Tangos began to appear in the 1870s, preserving improvisational elements from payada.
Social Perception: Initially associated with the working class, much like jazz in the U.S., reflecting marginalized communities.
Notable Figures in Tango Evolution
Carlos Gardel: A pivotal figure in early tango music (important to remember).
Astor Piazzolla: Recognized for creating the "New Tango Movement" (important to remember).