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Venezuelan Folk Music
| Article
# : |
18540 |
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Section : |
CULTURE
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| Issue
Date : |
4 / 1991 |
2,152 Words |
| Author
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Salvador Toro Moya and David Evans
Salvador Toro Moya is the national supervisor of music for the
Venezuelan Ministry of Education. A pianist and arranger of
folk music, he has directed many community and university
vocal and instrumental groups in Venezuela. David Evans is
professor of music at Memphis State University and director of
its graduate programs in ethnomusicology. The author of two
books and many articles, he has produced more than twenty
phonograph record albums of blues, gospel, and folk music. In
1989 and 1990, Evans and Toro Moya conducted field research in
Venezuelan folk music sponsored by Partners of the Americas.
They have recently produced an album of their work done in
1989. |
Throughout the year, visitors to Venezuela can encounter the purest manifestations of the country's musical traditions at folkloric celebrations. Old and young take part in the festivals, which guarantees that these events and their music will be perpetuated. Indeed, Venezuela is a highly musical nation; if a visitor makes contact with the people, especially those who live in the interior of the country, he can experience this. He need not scour the tourist hotels and auditoriums for special presentations--music is alive in the streets and plazas, especially of the more remote towns.
Venezuelan music is a single entity yet contains varied types of expression. The mixture of African, Indian, and European elements, crosscut by a strong sense of regionalism, presents a very complex picture. Added to the factor of ethnic and regional diversity is the close interplay of folk, popular, and classical levels of musical expression.
Another striking characteristic of Venezuelan folk music is the variety of musical instruments that it utilizes. This is especially the case with string and percussion instruments, the former mainly derived from European folk tradition and the latter mainly from African tradition. The small variety of wind instruments derives largely from native Indian traditions.
A symbol of national tradition
Because the role of folk music is particularly pervasive, it is readily recognizable but difficult at times to isolate. Popular semi- and fully professional musicians draw freely from their own ethnic and regional musical backgrounds but often from other folk traditions as well--particularly the music of the plains area, which has become symbolic for many Venezuelans of their entire national tradition. Popular musicians also create many new songs in various folk styles, thus expanding and enriching the folk repertoire. Venezuelan classical music also draws inspiration from folk music. On the other hand, classical influences work their way into the fabric of the nation's folk music; this is seen especially in the extent to which musicianship and technical mastery are cultivated in all types of music.
Venezuela's educational system also contributes to the musicality of its people. Programs of music education in public schools emphasize Venezuelan music and reinforce the attraction of the folk music tradition. National music is also emphasized in the schools of music, whose students hope to become professional musicians, and in the work
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