March 2012 Archives

Movement II - Bambuco

This second movement is a bambuco. A bambuco is an original folk music form that is very popular as a Colombian national dance and is associated with the many music festivals celebrating Colombian traditions. The bambuco is characteristically associated with the central Andean region of Colombia, the valleys of the Cauca and Magdalena rivers and also the foothills and plains adjacent to them. There are varying examples of the bambuco in Columbian music. Some examples are in song form and are generally slow and can be very sentimental, nostalgic and poetic in nature. In contrast to this vocal style, there exists an instrumental example and is sometimes called bambuco fiestero. This instrumental bambuco is rhythmic and animated reflecting the dance it accompanies. A syncopated triple time combining elements of 3/4 and 6/8 identifies the characteristic rhythm of the bambuco. Traditional instrumentations used for the bambuco are extremely diverse. The make-up of the ensemble is quite flexible and commonly reflects the regional and social contexts of the musical performance. Within the perspective of Colombian Andean music, the bambuco is distinguished for many reasons and is found throughout the mountainous Andean region and is also common to the cities and rural areas. The history of the bambuco as musical genre and dance can be traced back to the colonial period and has been documented in the cultural heritage of Columbia as far back at 1819.

This performance by the University of Minnesota Duluth Symphonic Wind Ensemble was given on April 17, 2011 with Maestro Dario Sotelo conducting.

Movement I - Cantadoras

The cantadoras are a group of women invited by the Lumbalú ensemble, a group of men playing percussion instruments, to accompany a funeral procession down the streets of the city on the way to the cemetery. Their function is to comfort the family members of the deceased person through chant-like song. The lumbalú is a funereal ceremony and ritual that takes place in San Basilio de Palenque. San Basilio de Palenque is a village in northern Colombia. When a person has "passed on" one of the elders of the council proclaims the death of the person who has died. The proclamation is made to convene the community to wake with a special touch pechiche drum. Once the crowd gathers the people begin singing and weeping in response which alternate raw solo voice and choir. The drums begin playing with to accompany the ritual. The sounds are characterized by the combination of elements recitatives, songs and rhythmic beats of the percussion of special significance. The lumbalú funeral rituals and ceremonies last 9 days and nights. The people use songs and drum beats of their African ancestors and it is a recalling of their African origins. During the lumbalú the women dance with tiny steps around the corpse, running and gesturing movements with their arms. Some put their hands to the head while acting and singing. They believe that the ones who passed away enter into a better life and this is a way to say goodbye.