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The
music I chose from the Andes is the
Bambuco, my favorite type of Colombian Music. Even though
this music takes elements of native and African origin, the strongest
component comes from Spanish traditions. This can be seen in
the way it relies on string instruments.
The typical ensemble is composed by three instruments: The Tiple, which
is in charge of rhythmic
and
harmonic support; the Mandolin, which is usually in
charge of
the melody and the Guitar, which is usually in
charge of the counter melody. The Tiple is a
guitar with 12 strings grouped in four groups of three; in each of this
groups
the
middle string is made of nylon and is tuned like one of the 4 highest
strings
of the guitar; on the other hand, the other two strings are made of
metal and are
tuned to the
same note but an octave higher, this gives the Tiple a very bright
sound. As opposed to the other
types of music I have showed you the Bambuco, as you will see, has a
more
melancholic spirit.
Rhythmically
the Bambuco is a music of great complexity including elements of
trinary and compostite rhythms. Traditionally it was
written in a measure of 3/4, but most of modern scholars agree, even
though is still debated, that a measure of 6/8 is more appropriate.
Rhythmically is related to the Currulao, the rhythm of the
Pacific coast that we talked about before, which is called some times
Bambuco Viejo (Old Bambuco). Once I found a very interesting
doctoral thesis about the Bambuco, which
you can refer to if you are curious,
that has among its
conclusions that the most appropriate measure to write Bambuco is one
of 12/8.
Following next is a very representative Bambuco played by an
ensemble composed of this three instruments. |
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| After
listening to an
instrumental Bambuco I want to show you another Bambuco of a slightly
different color: In this case we have only Tiple and Guitar,
and we exchange the mandolin by a duo that sings in a very particular
harmony characteristic of the Andes music of Colombia. This
song
touches my soul. Since is streamed directly from my server,
please be patient because sometimes is a little slow. |
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| Finally, to end
our
trip, I want to show you a Bambuco played by a very unconventional
ensemble, a saxophone quintet that gives the Bambuco a very different
color, while retaining all the rhythmic and harmonic elements of the
Bambuco. |
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