Candombe

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Candombe is a drum-based musical style of Uruguay. Candombe originated among the Afro-Uruguayan population of Montevideo and is based on Bantu African drumming with some European influence and touches of Tango.

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[edit] Origins

Candombe's origins lie in the Kings of Congo ceremonial processions from the period of African slavery in South America. Candombe is related to other musical forms of African origin found in the Americas such as Cuban son and tumba and Brazilian maracatu. The form had evolved by the beginning of the 19th century and was immediately seen as a threat to the elites, who sought to ban the music and its dance in 1808.

[edit] Instruments and musical features

The music of candombe is performed by a group of drummers called a cuerda. The barrel-shaped drums, or tamboriles, have specific names according to their size and function: chico (small, high timbre, marks the tempo), repique (medium, syncopation and improvisation) and piano (large, low timbre, melody). An even larger drum, called bajo or bombo (very large, very low timbre, accent on the fourth beat), was once common but is now declining in use. A cuerda at minimum needs three drummers, one on each part. A full cuerda will have 50-100 drummers.

Tamboriles are made of wood with animal skins that are rope-tuned or fire-tuned minutes before the performance. They are worn at the waist with the aid of a shoulder strap called talig or talín and played with one stick and one hand.

A key rhythmic figure in candombe is the clave (in 3-2 form). It is played on the side of the drum, a procedure known as "hacer madera" (literally, "making wood").

[edit] Performance

A full candombe group, collectively known as a comparsa, is comprised of the cuerda, a group of female dancers known as mulattas, and several stock characters, each with their own specific dances. The stock characters include:

  • Mama Vieja ("Old Mother"), the matriarch
  • El Gramillero ("Medicine Man"), Mama Vieja's husband, responsible for health and well-being
  • El Bastonero ("Stick Holder"), who carried a long magical wooden stick that he uses to create new ways and possibilities for the future

Candombe is performed regularly in the streets of Montevideo's central neighbourhoods on Sunday evenings as well as on many other occasions, and massively on January 6, December 25 and January 1. During Uruguay's Carnival period, all the comparsas, of which there are 80 or 90 in existence, participate in a massive Carnival parade called llamadas ("calls") and vie against each other in official competitions in the Teatro de Verano theatre. During llamadas, members of the comparsa often wear costumes that reflect the music's historical roots in the slave trade, such as sun hats and black face-paint. The monetary prizes are modest; more important aspects include enjoyment, the fostering of a sense of pride and the winning of respect from peers.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

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    [edit] External links

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