Murga is a form of popular

musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...

performed in

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

during the

Carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Carnival typi ...

season. Murga groups also operate in the Buenos Aires Carnival, though to a lesser extent than in Montevideo; the Argentinian murga is more centred on dancing and less on vocals than the Uruguayan one. Uruguayan murga has a counterpart in Cadiz,

from which it is derived, the chirigota, but over time the two have diverged into distinct forms.

Types of murga

Argentine murga

Argentine murga is part of the cultural heritage of

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

, where it is almost exclusively performed. It has considerable influence from

candombe ''Candombe'' is a style of music and dance that originated in Uruguay among the descendants of liberated African slaves. In 2009, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) inscribed ''candombe'' in its Rep ...

and other African dances and music. ''Murga porteña'' places a considerable emphasis on dance and instrumentals, more so than lyrics (in contrast to Uruguayan murga). Performances take place in the form of parades (known as ''corsos'') across the various neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires; some groups feature not only dancers and musicians but also

juggler Juggling is a physical skill, performed by a juggler, involving the manipulation of objects for recreation, entertainment, art or sport. The most recognizable form of juggling is toss juggling. Juggling can be the manipulation of one object o ...

s, stilts, flagbearers, and other types of visually stimulating elements. ''Corsos'' take place throughout the year, but are recurrent during carnival season in February. A very famous song involving a Murga is the song " El Matador" by Los Fabulosos Cadillacs. It also incorporates the use of a

whistle A whistle is a musical instrument which produces sound from a stream of gas, most commonly air. It is a type of Fipple, fipple flute, and may be mouth-operated, or powered by air pressure, steam, or other means. Whistles vary in size from a s ...

, a very common element in the Argentine Murga.

Panamanian murga

Panamanian murga was pioneered by Manuel Consuegra Gómez in the mid-20th century; Consuegra Gómez mixed traditional carnival rhythms that existed in Las Tablas and

Chitré Chitré is the capital of the Panamanian province of Herrera. Located in the northeast of the Azuero Peninsula, the district of Chitré has a population of 60,500 inhabitants. At present, approximately 100,000 inhabitants live in the metropolita ...

with larger orchestra-style ensembles. The style was referenced in

Héctor Lavoe Héctor Juan Pérez Martínez (September 30, 1946 – June 29, 1993), better known as Héctor Lavoe, was a Puerto Rican people, Puerto Rican salsa music, salsa singer. Widely regarded as one of salsa’s most important and influential vocalist ...

and Willie Colón's song ''La Murga de Panamá''.

Uruguayan murga

Uruguayan murga is typically performed in

Montevideo Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

. Uruguayan murga performances feature up to 17 performers, usually men. In the period preceding Carnival, which takes place from late January to early March in

, each group will prepare a musical play consisting of a suite of songs and

recitative Recitative (, also known by its Italian name recitativo () is a style of delivery (much used in operas, oratorios, and cantatas) in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms and delivery of ordinary speech. Recitative does not repeat lines ...

(heightened speech) lasting around 45 minutes. This suite will be performed on community stages known as ''tablados'', set up in Montevideo's various neighbourhoods, throughout the Carnival period. Groups also vie against one another in a prestigious official competition. Lyrical content is based on a particular theme, chosen by the group, which serves to provide commentary on events in Uruguay or elsewhere over the preceding year. Consequently, murga lends itself well to being used as a form of popular resistance. For example, during the dictatorship in Uruguay in the 1970s, groups like became known for their left-wing tendencies, subversive commentary and oppositional stance. A traditional murga group is composed of a

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song), the part of a song that is repeated several times, usually after each verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in whic ...

and three percussionists and this is the type of murga performed on stages at Carnival. The singers perform in polyphony using up to five vocal parts. Vocal production tends to be nasal and loud with little variation in volume. The percussion instruments, derived from the European military band, are ''bombo'' (a shallow

bass drum The bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. The instrument is typically cylindrical, with the drum's diameter usually greater than its depth, with a struck head at both ends of the cylinder. The head ...

worn at the waist and played horizontally), ''redoblante'' (

snare drum The snare drum (or side drum) is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often u ...

) and ''platillos'' (clash

cymbal A cymbal is a common percussion instrument. Often used in pairs, cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys. The majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs sou ...

s). The two most important pieces of the performance are the opening song (''saludo'') and the exit song (''retirada'' or ''despedida''). These get played on the radio during the Carnival period and some of them, such as the Saludo Araca La Cana 1937, are cherished by Uruguayans as cultural icons. ''Murguistas'' dress in elaborate, colourful, jester-like costumes. Staging is sparse with minimal use of props. The singers tend to be foregrounded with the percussionists at the back or off to the side of the stage. The musical style or rhythmic structures of the murga is sometimes incorporated into Uruguayan popular music. Examples of artists who have included murga in their arrangements are Jaime Roos, Rubén Rada, No Te Va Gustar, Máximo Diego Pujol , and Alejandro Balbis. It has also been incorporated by some Argentine artists, such as Bersuit Vergarabat,

Los Auténticos Decadentes Los Auténticos Decadentes (Spanish language, Spanish for "The Authentic Decadents") is an Argentina, Argentine band that mixes ska with Latin American rhythms. The band was formed around the year 1986 by Cucho and Nito, who invited Gastón to jo ...

, and Los Fabulosos Cadillacs.

Types of murga

Argentine murga

Panamanian murga

Uruguayan murga

References

See also