charango

charango
Photo taken by Villanueva · Public domain · source
Name	Charango
Classification	String instrument; plucked lute
Developed	16th–18th centuries
Region	Andes (Peru, Bolivia, northern Argentina, northern Chile, Ecuador)
Related	Bandurria, Laud, Vihuela, Ronroco, Cuatro, Mandolin

charango

The charango is a small Andean plucked string instrument prominent in Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile, and Ecuador. Originating during the colonial period, it interweaves indigenous Quechua and Aymara musical practices with Spanish vihuela and bandurria influences, becoming central to rural and urban repertoires tied to festivals, protests, and nationalist movements. Its construction, playing techniques, and tunings vary regionally, and it has influenced and appeared alongside artists, ensembles, and institutions across Latin America and beyond.

History

The charango emerged in the colonial era amid encounters between Spanish colonizers and Andean societies such as the Inca Empire, Aymara, and Quechua communities. Spanish instruments like the vihuela de mano, guitarra and bandurria were introduced by missionaries linked to orders including the Jesuit Order and the Franciscan Order, while colonial centers such as Lima, Cusco, and La Paz became nodes of hybrid musical exchange. Over the 19th and 20th centuries the charango surfaced in nationalist projects associated with figures like Andrés de Santa Cruz and cultural movements involving intellectuals from institutions such as the University of San Andrés (Bolivia) and the National University of San Marcos. In the 1960s and 1970s it entered broader Latin American protest and Nueva Canción currents alongside artists linked to Víctor Jara, Violeta Parra, and networks including the Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana and Casa de la Cultura Boliviana.

Construction and design

Traditional charangos were often carved from a single block of wood—practices documented in workshops from Potosí to Cusco—and sometimes used resonators made from the shells of the armadillo (famously the Chaetophractus and Dasypus genera), though many makers replaced shell bodies due to conservation concerns and legality under treaties like the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Modern luthiers in cities such as La Paz, Quito, Buenos Aires, and Santiago produce laminated and hollow-bodied charangos using woods like cedar, walnut, and spruce inspired by designs from luthiers associated with workshops in Valencia and Madrid. The instrument typically has five courses (ten strings in double-course configurations), a fretted neck like the guitarrón family, and decorative elements—tuners, soundholes, rosettes—reflecting motifs from Andean textile traditions and colonial baroque ornamentation seen in churches like the Basilica of San Francisco, Lima.

Playing technique and tuning

Players employ a range of right-hand techniques derived from mestizo, indigenous, and European practices: fingerpicking patterns akin to those used by Francisco Tárrega-influenced guitarists, rhythmic rasgueado strums reminiscent of flamenco traditions, and tremolo passages found in works performed by ensembles linked to institutions such as the Conservatorio Nacional de Música (Peru). Common tunings include the ten-string standard (GCEAE), the five-string variant tuned to GCEAE with reentrant strings, and regional tunings used by players in Altiplano communities; noted tunings parallel those of the mandolin and bandurria families. Advanced techniques—pizzicato melodies, percussive golpes, and contrapuntal double-stopping—have been codified by pedagogues at conservatories in La Paz and universities like the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba.

Repertoire and genres

The charango appears across genres spanning indigenous Andean forms like the huayno and Saya to mixed-heritage styles such as zamba and cueca. It features in mestizo and urban repertoires promoted by groups including Los Kjarkas, Sajama Cut, and orchestras collaborating with institutions like the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Bolivia. Composers and performers have incorporated the charango into chamber works, film scores screened at festivals like the Festival Internacional de Cine de Lima, and popular music movements linked to artists from labels and collectives in Buenos Aires, Mexico City, and Madrid. Transcriptions exist for classical works by composers associated with the Romantic and 20th century traditions, and contemporary composers tied to conservatories such as the Conservatorio Nacional de Música (Bolivia) and the Escuela Superior de Música (Perú) have written concert pieces featuring the instrument.

Cultural significance and symbolism

The charango functions as a marker of Andean identity in political and cultural arenas, used in ceremonies alongside garments like the poncho and headdresses from Aymara and Quechua traditions. It has been adopted by indigenous rights movements represented by organizations such as the Movimiento al Socialismo and cultural festivals organized by municipalities like Cusco Municipality and La Paz Municipality. Its iconography appears in museums including the Museo de la Nación (Peru), the Museo Nacional de Etnografía y Folklore (Bolivia), and in exhibitions curated by entities such as the Smithsonian Institution, signaling dialogues about heritage, repatriation, and intangible cultural property discussed in forums at institutions like the Inter-American Development Bank and UNESCO.

Makers and notable performers

Prominent makers include traditional artisans from workshop lineages in Potosí, Huaraz, and Quito as well as luthiers working in urban studios in Buenos Aires and Madrid. Notable performers and ensembles who popularized the instrument include Los Jairas, Los Kjarkas, Yma Sumac (in cross-cultural collaborations), Enrique Lazo, Eddie Senz, and contemporary virtuosos connected to conservatories and festivals across Lima, La Paz, Quito, and Buenos Aires. International artists and researchers from institutions like The Juilliard School, Royal Academy of Music and universities such as University of California, Berkeley and University of Oxford have engaged in interdisciplinary projects documenting charango construction, repertoire, and pedagogy.

Category:Andean music Category:String instruments Category:South American musical instruments