Latin Music From Old Style to Modern One
Posted by adminThe many cultures of South and Central America and the Caribbean islands blend American Indian, African and European (particularly Spanish and Portuguese) traditions. In folk music, the particular combination of elements varies from region to region, from the purely Indian forms of highland Bolivia and Amazon rain forests peoples to the mestizo (‘mixed’) music of Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador, the largely Hispanic music of Argentina, and the distinctive style of Brazil, which blends African and Portuguese forms. Minorities such as the East Indians of Trinidad and Guyana, the Javanese of Surinam and the Japanese of Brazil complete this rich musical scenario.
Less Iberian heritage has in general been preserved in Latin America than British in North America; many areas are devoid of Latin influence. But some Hispanic poetic forms dating from the Middle Ages and Renaissance (for example the romance) are performed in a variety of forms throughout the continent, such as the copla of Colombia, the Andean countries and Argentina. Other folksongs, such as the Argentinian and Chilean Tonadas and Tonos, also preserve old Spanish literary forms. In contrast to the thriving Anglo-American tune repertory of the USA, however, few extant Iberian melodies are current in Latin America except the Hispanic children’s repertory, which is similar in its Old and New World settings. In the Andean region of Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador, indigenous Indian music has absorbed Spanish elements, a process that began under the influence of 16th-century Christian missionaries. Andean tunes are essentially European, but often have much repetition and use tetratonic and pentatonic scales. This blend stands in contrast with the marked lack of acculturation between Anglo and Indian style in North America.