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| Andean charango tradition | |
|---|---|
| Name | Charango |
| Classification | String instrument; lute-family |
| Developed | 16th–18th centuries |
| Region | Andes |
| Related | Bandurria; Vihuela; Guitar; Cuatro; Laúd; Ronroco |
Andean charango tradition The Andean charango tradition is a multi-century musical and craft practice centered on the charango, a lute-like instrument associated with the Andes, Altiplano, Quechua and Aymara communities, and indexed in the repertoires of festivals such as Inti Raymi and Carnival of Oruro. Its diffusion touches urban centers like La Paz, Cusco, Quito, Potosí, and Lima and transnational movements linking Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Chile, and Argentina through ensembles, state institutions, and cultural policies such as those enacted by the Ministry of Culture (Peru) and Ministerio de Culturas y Turismo (Bolivia). The tradition intersects with colonial histories involving Spanish Empire, missionary networks like the Jesuits, and trade routes between the Viceroyalty of Peru and Andean haciendas.
Scholars trace charango lineage through post-contact exchanges among instruments including the vihuela, bandurria, and guitarra introduced by the Spanish colonizers and adapted within indigenous workshops near sites such as Cusco Cathedral, Potosí silver mine, and mission posts like San Francisco de Borja Mission. Ethnomusicologists reference archival sources from the Archivo General de Indias and iconography from the Colonial Andes to connect the charango to mestizo musical forms performed at events like Fiesta de la Candelaria and ceremonies upheld by communities governed under systems influenced by the Encomienda and later reforms under the Bourbon Reforms. The instrument's social visibility grew in the 19th and 20th centuries alongside movements such as the Indigenismo cultural movement and platforms including the National Conservatory of Music (Peru) and radio stations like Radio Nacional de Bolivia.
Luthiers in regions including Cochabamba, Oruro, Ayacucho, Huancayo, Ambato, and Salta produce diverse variants: the traditional backed-wood charango of Potosí, the armadillo-shell tipo charango once sourced from regions of Chaco and regulated by treaties such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, and larger relatives like the ronroco and charangón favored in ensembles from La Paz and Santiago. Makers draw materials from guilds and workshops influenced by institutions such as the National School of Arts (Quito) and historical suppliers linked to markets like Wanderer Market (Mercado de las Brujas). Construction techniques reference fretting systems, scale lengths, and tuning traditions shaped by cross-cultural exchange with performers tied to ensembles like Los Kjarkas, orchestras such as the Symphony Orchestra of Cusco, and collectors associated with museums like the Museo Nacional de Arqueología, Antropología e Historia del Perú.
Repertoires include highland forms such as sikuri, huayno, taquirari, carnavalito, and ritual pieces performed at pilgrimages to sites like Copacabana Basilica and Sajama National Park. Technique vocabularies range from pañuelo and rasgueado styles found in urban settings around Buenos Aires to fingerstyle traditions preserved in villages near Lake Titicaca and Vilcanota River. Ensembles combine charango with instruments such as the zampoña, quena, bombo, guitar, mandolin, and accordion in arrangements popularized by groups performing at venues like Teatro Mayor (Bogotá) and festivals such as Festival del Lago Titicaca and the Festival Internacional de la Cultura Musical de Arequipa. Pedagogical transmission occurs in programs at institutions including the National University of San Marcos, conservatories, and community workshops sponsored by organizations like Fundación Cultural branches.
The charango functions as a ritual, festive, and identity marker in ceremonies tied to cosmovisions centered on places like Apu mountains, Lake Titicaca shrines, and communal commons governed by Ayllu practices, while being performed in civic occasions overseen by municipal authorities of Cusco Province and communities participating in assemblies following traditions comparable to those represented in Tinku gatherings. It figures in social movements connected to agrarian reform policies influenced by actors such as the Movimiento Nacionalista Revolucionario (Bolivia) and political cultural agendas under leaders from regions like Puno, where musicians have mobilized during electoral campaigns and indigenous rights forums hosted at venues like Plaza Murillo. Oral histories archived by institutions like the Smithsonian Institution and collections at the British Museum document continuities and transformations of charango-making families in towns such as Ananea and Chucuito.
Revivalary waves since the 1950s and 1960s linked to folk revival movements involving figures associated with the Nueva Canción movement and platforms like Havana International Book Fair fostered collaborations with composers, ethnomusicologists, and producers from institutions such as the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru and labels like Discos Fuentes. Contemporary fusion blends charango with genres including jazz, rock, electronica, classical music, and hip hop, producing crossovers in scenes centered on cities like Buenos Aires, Quito, Santiago, and venues like BIMHUIS and Carnegie Hall guest programs, and involving artists who tour festivals such as Viva Exposition and WOMEX. Technological adaptation includes electric charangos, amplification developed by ateliers influenced by firms like Fender and luthiers connected to trade fairs at institutions such as the Cámara de Comercio and cultural exchange residencies sponsored by the Getty Foundation.
Prominent performers include members and founders of ensembles such as Los Kjarkas, soloists who appear with orchestras like the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional (Peru), and innovators who collaborated with artists from Mercedes Sosa to international acts that played stages from Royal Albert Hall to Montreux Jazz Festival. Renowned luthiers and families—documented in museum catalogues and university theses at institutions including Universidad Mayor de San Andrés and Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú—maintain workshops in localities like Sicuani, Oruro, Chuquisaca, and Ibarra, while contemporary virtuosi contribute arrangements and recordings under labels such as Nonesuch Records and Sony Music Latin and appear at cultural centers like the Kennedy Center.
Category:Andean musical instruments Category:Music of Bolivia Category:Music of Peru Category:Music of Ecuador Category:Music of Chile Category:Music of Argentina