Countries Archives: Argentina

Murga (Argentina, Uruguay)

Murga is a rambunctious form of public musical theater performed primarily during Carnival in Argentina and Uruguay. There are usually over a dozen performers in a murga–Wikipedia very specifically says “a maximum of 17”–and they’re almost always men. The group performs a play that consists of theatrical, satirical songs and broad dances. Each ensemble performs in several neighborhoods throughout Carnival. The percussion battery consists of a bombo (a bass drum a drummer attaches to him or herself with a strap and plays horizontally), a redoblante (snare) and platillos (loud cymbals).

COUNTRY: Argentina, Uruguay
KEY INSTRUMENTS: Bombo, Platillos, Redoblante

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Milonga (Argentina, Uruguay)

Nowadays the term “milonga” is just as likely to refer to a form of Argentinian/Uruguayan music–a musical predecessor of tango–as it is to a party or even a nightclub where people meet so they can dance tango. Originally the music consisted of songs performed by Argentinian and Uruguayan “gauchos” who fused Spanish habanera and Afro-Uruguayan candombe. Singers would improvise lyrics–often off-color lyrics–and accompany themselves with instrumentation as simple as a single guitar. As the genre caught on with immigrants from Europe and Africa and developed into tango, milonga ensembles grew into orchestras, and dance parties became tango extravaganzas. Let Libertango teaches more about the difference between milonga and tango.

COUNTRY: Argentina, Uruguay
KEY INSTRUMENTS: Accordion, Guitar

<a href="http://allaroundthisworld.bandcamp.com/album/all-around-this-world-latin-america">All Around This World: Latin America by All Around This World</a>

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Bombo

The bombo is a bass drum that appears throughout Latin America in a variety of contexts and musical styles, from Ecuadoran bomba music to Argentinian folk.

COUNTRY: Argentina, Cuba, Ecuador, Uruguay
KEY GENRES: Bomba (Puerto Rican), Bomba del Chota, Conga, Murga, Porro

Quena

The quena is a traditional bamboo or wooden flute used in many kinds of music found in the Andean mountains. A common quena has six finger holes and one hole for the thumb. The musician controls the airflow with both his or her mouth and fingers, creating a naturally rich tone.

COUNTRY: Andes (Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela)
KEY GENRES: Cumbia (Andean Cumbia), Nueva Cancion

FEATURED ON: Niño Colla (AATW: Latin America), Tambobambino (AATW: Latin America)

<a href="http://allaroundthisworld.bandcamp.com/album/all-around-this-world-latin-america">All Around This World: Latin America by All Around This World</a>

Bandoneon

The bandoneon is a kind of concertina that is central to the Argentinian and Uruguayan tango. The instrument was originally conceived in Germany in the mid-1800s and traveled with European sailors to Argentina in the late 1800s. The bandoneon is also popular in Lithuania. (Don’t miss the Jurbarkas bandoneon ensemble!)

COUNTRY Argentina, Uruguay
KEY GENRES: Tango

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11. Niño Colla

Niño Colla is a Spanish song about a boy from the Coya (Kolla) community of Northern Argentina who, living alone on his little ranch, sets off on a walk up into the hills. In the original he is wearing a “poncho,” a sombrero and one leather sandal, known as an “ojota.” He is also accompanied by his donkey and dog and plays his quena flute on the way.

Most Kolla live in “yungas,” which are “misty forests” found high in the Andes mountains. When the Kolla people have made the international news over the last couple decades the story usually has to do with their protesting agribusiness and mining interests encroaching on the yungas and other native lands.

Country: Argentina

Language: Spanish
Genre on CD: Andean Cumbia

Instruments on CD: Quena, charango

Meet Kollamarka, a generations-old performing ensemble that celebrates Andean music

Credits

Vocals: Pedro Ortiz

Charango and quena/panpipes: Patricio Acevedo

Percussion: Arturo Stable

Engineered by Erich Miller

Niño Colla is traditional, English lyrics and arrangement by Jay Sand, Instrumental arrangement by Arturo Stable

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Countries Archives: Argentina