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| Latin American musicology | |
|---|---|
| Name | Latin American musicology |
| Region | Latin America |
| Disciplines | Musicology, Ethnomusicology, History, Anthropology |
Latin American musicology is a multidisciplinary field that examines musical practices, repertoires, institutions, and texts across the geographic region of Latin America, engaging with sources from colonial archives to contemporary media. Scholars in the field draw on archival research in institutions such as the Archivo General de Indias, fieldwork in communities like Cayenne and Cusco, and analysis of repertoires from Mestisaje-influenced liturgy to urban popular genres, bridging debates linked to nationalism, indigenismo, and transnational exchange. Research connects figures and institutions including Carlos Chávez, Tania León, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Alberto Ginastera, Astor Piazzolla, and organizations like the Conservatorio Nacional de Música de México and the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia.
The field encompasses histories centered on composers such as Camargo Guarnieri, Silvestre Revueltas, Ernesto Lecuona, Cándido Fabré, Chico Buarque, and Violeta Parra while also examining archives like the Archivo General de la Nación (Argentina), Archivo General de la Nación (Perú), and Archivo Nacional de Cuba. It treats musical texts including the Misa criolla, Estancia (ballet), and Libertango alongside ethnographic data from communities studied by scholars like Carlos Vega (musicologist), Mauro Ramos, and Simón Bolívar-era performance histories preserved in collections at the Biblioteca Nacional de Chile, Biblioteca Nacional de Brasil, and Biblioteca Nacional de Colombia. The scope includes urban genres tied to labels such as Okeh Records, Discos Fuentes, and Tropicalia movements associated with Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Os Mutantes, and festivals like the Festival de Viña del Mar.
Periodization traces precolonial practices documented among groups such as the Mapuche, Quechua, Aymara, Guarani, and Taino; colonial impositions reflected in viceroyal institutions like the Viceroyalty of New Spain and the Viceroyalty of Peru; republican-era nation-building around figures such as José Martí, José Martí's contemporaries, Dom Pedro II, and postwar modernism represented by Olivier Messiaen-influenced curricula at the Conservatorio Nacional (Peru). Twentieth-century transformations involve the careers of Heitor Villa-Lobos, Carlos Chávez, and Silvestre Revueltas; leftist cultural policies in the era of Getúlio Vargas, Lázaro Cárdenas, and Juan Perón; and late-century globalization reflected through Buena Vista Social Club, Bossa Nova artists like Antônio Carlos Jobim, and the rise of hip hop scenes linked to Calle 13, Control Machete, and Illya Kuryaki and the Valderramas.
Scholars apply archival methods used by researchers at the Archivo General de la Nación (México), Archivo General de la Nación (Argentina), and National Archives of Chile; ethnographic techniques associated with Bronislaw Malinowski-inspired participant observation adapted by Latin American researchers such as Mauro Ramos and Helmut Bakke; and analytical frameworks influenced by Theodor Adorno, Clifford Geertz, and Pierre Bourdieu. Interdisciplinary approaches integrate work from Walter Benjamin-informed media studies, Sergio Pitol-era literary musicology, and postcolonial theory drawn from Edward Said, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, and Homi K. Bhabha. Methods encompass transcription practices advanced by Alejo Carpentier-era music historians, comparative-historical techniques used by Nicolás Guillén scholars, and digital humanities projects hosted by institutions like the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and the Universidad de São Paulo.
Regional studies cover the Andean repertoire of Peru and Bolivia examining siku and charango traditions tied to communities such as Paucartambo and Oruro; Caribbean studies focus on Cuban trova, salsa, and son linked to figures like Ibrahim Ferrer, Arsenio Rodríguez, and labels such as EGREM; Southern Cone scholarship analyzes tango with reference to Carlos Gardel, Osvaldo Pugliese, and institutions like Teatro Colón; Brazilian research spans choro, samba, and tropicalia featuring Pixinguinha, Cartola, Elis Regina, and Gilberto Gil; Central American and Mexican case studies address marimba traditions in Guatemala and Chiapas, mariachi in Jalisco with ensembles at the Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, and son jarocho from Veracruz associated with groups like Los Cojolites.
Genre scholarship treats samba, bossa nova, bolero, cumbia, bachata, merengue, tango, son, trova, crema, rock en español, reggaetón, and nueva canción, highlighting artists such as Rubén Blades, Mercedes Sosa, Silvio Rodríguez, Los Tigres del Norte, and Daddy Yankee. Instrumental studies focus on instruments like the bandoneón, cuatro, charango, quena, maracas, marimba, vihuela, accordion, and piano as played by Astor Piazzolla, Ernesto Nazareth, Aníbal Troilo, Narciso Yepes, and regional luthiers in Paraguay and Bolivia. Performance practice analyses examine dance contexts from Carnaval (Rio de Janeiro) parades to milonga salons, religious liturgies in Cusco and Lima, and studio practices in recording centers such as Buenos Aires and Havana.
Ethnomusicological research addresses questions of indigeneity, race, and class through studies of communities like the Garifuna, Afro-Brazilian terreiros, and Palacio de Bellas Artes-supported ensembles, engaging with theorists such as Stuart Hall and activists connected to Zapatista Army of National Liberation. Scholarship explores music’s role in social movements exemplified by Nueva Canción artists like Victor Jara, Violeta Parra, and Inti-Illimani; labor union concerts under Peronism; and diasporic networks linking Puerto Rico to New York salsa scenes involving Fania Records and musicians like Willie Colón and Celia Cruz.
Major institutions include the Conservatorio Nacional de Música de México, Conservatório Brasileiro de Música, Universidad de Buenos Aires (Facultad de Filosofía y Letras), Instituto de Etnomusicología (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México), Centro Nacional de Música (Perú), and libraries such as the Biblioteca Nacional de Chile. Key archives and collections are held at the Archivo General de la Nación (Cuba), Archivo General de la Nación (Colombia), and private holdings like the Colección Pablo Neruda and the Archivo de la Música Latinoamericana. Journals and publishers include Revista Musical Chilena, Latin American Music Review, Revista de Musicología (España), university presses at Universidad de Chile and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, and international collaborations with the Smithsonian Institution and British Library. Prominent contemporary scholars and practitioners active in production, curation, and pedagogy include Roland Greene-style humanists, regional experts such as Alberto M. Pina, and performers who direct ensembles at institutions like the Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar, Orquesta Sinfónica del Estado de São Paulo, and Filarmónica de Bogotá.