Afro-Peruvian music, African Peruvian music, Black Peruvian Music, ''Música afroperuana'' (), or ''Música negra'' (), is a type of
Latin American music
The music of Latin America refers to music originating from Latin America, namely the Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese-speaking regions of the Americas south of the United States. Latin American music highly incorpor ...
first developed in
Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
by enslaved black people from West Africa, where it is known as ''
Festejo''. The genre is a mix of
West African
West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Ma ...
and
Spanish music Spanish music may refer to:
*Music of Spain, music of the Spanish people in Spain
*Latin music, though note that not all Latin music are in Spanish
''Spanish music'' may also refer to the music of Spanish-speaking countries:
*Music of Argentina
* ...
.
About
Música Criolla includes flamenco-influenced guitar sounds, as well as percussion instruments, including
cajon,
cajita, cowbell and
quijada.
History
Much of the original music has been lost, but in the 1950s a revival was staged by
José Durand, a white Peruvian criollo who was a folklore professor, and Porfirio Vásquez. Durand founded the Pancho Fierro Dance Company. Drawing upon elderly members of the community for memories of musical traditions, Durand collaborated with Vásquez to revive various songs and dances to create the repertoire for the group. One of the best known is his revival of the carnival dance “El Son de los Diablos.” In colonial times, this dance was featured in parades with a fleet of austere, pure angels leading the way, followed by the mischievous devils. In the revival of the dance, the angels were eliminated, and the crowds were entertained by rambunctious devils and their leader “el diablo mayor.” The dance featured energetic
zapateo tap-dancing. The group performed for about two years, including a concert for Peruvian composer
Chabuca Granda
María Isabel Granda Larco (3 September 1920 – 8 March 1983), better known as Chabuca Granda, was a Peruvian singer and composer. She created and interpreted a vast number of Creole Waltz, Criollo waltzes with Afro-Peruvian rhythms.
Granda's " ...
and a tour through Chile.
Actually, poet Nicomendes Santa Cruz and Victoria Santa Cruz (siblings) both created Cumanana (1957) an Afroperuvian ensemble that highlighted the rich West and Central African call and response poetry, music / dance traditions that were a staple of Peruvian culture and are essentially valued to this day.
One long lasting Afro-Peruvian dance company was
Perú Negro, which, incorporated more modern use of percussion combined with criollo music. Perú Negro is also known for their use of
blackface
Blackface is the practice of performers using burned cork, shoe polish, or theatrical makeup to portray a caricature of black people on stage or in entertainment. Scholarship on the origins or definition of blackface vary with some taking a glo ...
, celebrating the mixture of African and Spanish heritage. Two of their best known pieces are “Dance of the Laundresses,” which depicts historical hard working yet beautiful black women in Peru, and the “Canto a Elegua,” which shows tribal religion before the Spanish influence.
Lima, Cañete and Chincha are areas where there are many performers of this music, which is played in night clubs, dinner dances and festivals.
Notable artists and groups through the years have included Victoria and Nicomedes Santa Cruz, Ronaldo Campos, Caitro Soto,
Lucila Campos,
Pepe Vásquez, and
Susana Baca.
One of the best known songs in the genre is Peru's "
Toro Mata
"Toro Mata" ("The Bull Kills" in Spanish) is one of the most famous Afro-Peruvian songs in Peru, which has been recorded and developed by many different musical artists throughout its history. "Toro Mata" is a type of Peruvian music initially deve ...
".
However, regardless of the reconstructed dances, there are manifestations that did last in time, such as the "Dance of Negritos and Pallitas" practiced at Christmas parties in the towns of the central-south coast of Peru.
See also
*
Afro-Peruvian
Black Peruvians or Afro-Peruvians are Peruvians of mostly or partially African descent. They mostly descend from enslaved Africans brought to Peru after the arrival of the conquistadors.
Early history
The first Africans arrived, as enslaved ...
*
Cañete
*
Music of Peru
*
Música criolla
Música criolla, Peruvian Creole music or ''canción criolla'' is a varied genre of Peruvian music that exhibits influences from European music, European, African music, African and Andean music, Andean music. The genre's name reflects the coas ...
References
*
External links
MaríaLamento, Peruvian Music
* {{usurped,
Peru Profundo Dance Company} - folkloric dance company in Chicago that performs Afro-Peruvian and Andean dances.
Peruvian Dance Company- San Francisco Bay Area's most prominent Peruvian dance troupe (Dancers Group).
DE CAJóN Project- Seattle-based community arts organization dedicated to educating populations about the cultural contributions of Peruvians of African descent.
African diaspora in Peru
Afro–Latin American culture
Music of Peru