The Music of the Andes Friday, January 16, 2004 Grades 4 - 8
When viewing The Music of the Andes and participating in this guide’s suggested activities, the following National Standards for Music: 6, 8, 9 will be addressed.
Background Information
The Inca Culture of the Andes Mountain Range. As Spaniards colonized the Quechua (Ke-chwa) is the mountainous Andean re- Andes traditional language of the gions, native cultures Inca people. blended with Spanish cul- The Inca people created ture. Today, many Ecuadori- and controlled the largest ans speak both Quechua native empire in American and Spanish, and Ecuador- history. Through conquering “New World” Incas — ian folk music is also a blend other peoples and governing “Old World” Europeans of native and Spanish music. their lands, the Inca Empire reached its greatest political After Columbus’ 1492 voy- and economic power around The Artists — age, “Old World” Europeans 1500 A.D., extending 2,500 ANDES MANTA became aware that the miles along the western “New World” contained vast coast of South America lands and riches. Subse- The four Lopez brothers, (modern-day Ecuador, Peru, quently, Spanish and Portu- Fernando, Luis, Bolivar, and and Chile). At that time, mil- guese explorers and Jorge, along with their friend lions of people were under conquistadors (conquerors) Nazim Flores, form the group Inca rule. invaded the Americas. In ANDES MANTA. In Spanish, Inca culture was highly 1532, Francisco Pizarro led the word manta means song; developed in the areas of a group of Spanish soldiers therefore, the group’s name art, music and dance, in the conquest of the Inca means “Songs of the Andes.” architecture, and religion Empire. Armed with horses, Growing up in Ecuador, and incorporated the canons, and guns, and these musicians learned cultures of many different bringing devastating their traditional folk music as native peoples. This diseases, the Spaniards it has been learned for thou- collective is called Andean brought the Inca Empire to sands of years, passed from culture and includes the its knees in just a few years. father to son, and brother to native cultures that brother. extended along the What to Look and Listen For
●How the Lopez brothers describe learning music as children by listening and observing at village festivals, carnivals, and ceremonial gatherings. ●Songs sung in both Spanish and Quechua. ●Families of instruments, instruments that look similar but are made in different sizes. ●The musicians yelling, shouting, or whistling encouragement to each other as they play. ●How the difficulty and speed of the music increases as the musicians play for long periods of time. ●Abrupt changes in the speed (tempo) and mood of the music.
About the Program different sizes and styles of Andean panpipes, each with ANDES MANTA is commit- a specific name. ted to performing traditional Andean music, rooted in the ●Quena (KAY-nuh) – a verti- cultural heritage of the Incas cal bamboo flute with holes and their ancestors, in its for producing different purest, most authentic form. pitches. There are also During the program, they dis- different sizes of quena . A cuss and demonstrate more small quena is called a than 35 traditional musical quenilla (kay-NEE-yah); and instruments, and share their a large one is called a history and cultural tradi- quenacho (kay0NAH-cho). tions. ●Bombo (BOM-bow) – a Andean Cultural large drum played with a Traditions Andean Musical drumstick. Instruments ●Palo de Lluvia (PA-low day In Andean traditional cul- YEW-vee-ah) – A “rain stick” ture, festivals mark life The Lopez brothers make made by hollowing out a events such as the blessing their own instruments by tube of bamboo, piercing the of a new house, the birth of a hand. Many of their instru- bamboo with small pegs that child, or the cycles of plant- ments imitate the sounds of protrude into the inside of ing and harvesting. These nature, including wind, rain, the tube, filling the empty festivals are celebrated with the forest, and birds. Some tube with seeds or small vibrant, energetic music and traditional Andean instru- stones, and capping off the dance, and combine native ments include: ends. When the “rain stick” religious practices with ●Zamonia (zam-PONE-ee-uh) is turned upside down, the Catholic rituals that were in- panpipes made by seeds hit the small pegs as troduced by the Spanish. connecting bamboo pipes of they fall from one end to the Music is central to Andean various lengths, organized other, producing a sound communities, and serves as from long to short. Each in- like rain. a metaphor for how success- dividual pipe, because of its ful community members specific length, produces a ●Chakchas (CHOK-chus) – a work together. Musicians different pitch. A musician rattle made of goat or llama like ANDES MANTA who are can blow into more than one toenails. selected to perform at festi- pipe at the same time, pro- vals earn great prestige. ducing several tones to- gether. There are many Andean Musical Instruments, Cont.
The Spanish introduced stringed instruments including: ●Guitarra (gee-TAH-rah) – the acoustic guitar familiar to North Americans.
●Cuatro (QWA-trow) – a small guitar with only four (cuatro) strings that produces higher sounds than the guitar.
●Charango (cha-RAH-goh) – an adaptation of the Spanish guitar with a body made from the shell of an armadillo. It has up to fifteen strings and is played rapidly as a solo instrument. Resources On the Web: kennedy-center.org/pwtv andes.org tiberioagency.com/andesmanta.htm
Print: Moseley, Michael E.. The Incas and Their Ancestors . London: Thames & Hudson, 2001.
Recordings: Instructional Activity ANDES MANTA. Des de los Andes and Speed Up! Causai Pacha . Available through [email protected] or During the performance, you will hear abrupt [email protected] changes in the speed of the music. Experiment with doubling your speed. Credits: 1. Count 1 –2 –3 –4 over and over, feeling a AmericArtes is presented with the generous steady beat. support of Juan Sabater, The Honorable and 2. Continue to count, and clap only on beat one. Mrs. Thomas F. McLarty, III, and Delta. 3. Now count 1 –2 over and over, keeping the same steady beat. International programming at the Kennedy 4. Continue to count and, again, only clap on Center is supported through the generosity beat one. You will feel the music moving of the Kennedy Center International twice as fast. Committee on the Arts.