Music of Guatemala
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Like its Central American neighbors, Guatemala's national instrument is the marimba, a sort of xylophone. There are also many wind orchestras. The Garifuna people, who are spread throughout the region, have their own distinct varieties of popular and folk music.
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[edit] Folk music
Native traditional music stems from the culture of the Maya people, and has been modified by the influx of Spanish and West African immigrants beginning in the 16th century. The marimba is the most important instrument, and is used to play a variety of kinds of music, including both local folk and internationally well-known and sophisticated popular music. The Afro-Caribbean Garifuna music includes styles like those of the Garifuna population elsewhere in Central America, such as punta. Marimba is also used on Guatemala's national anthem.
[edit] Marimba
Main article: Marimba
The marimba's first ironclad evidence of existence comes from 1806, when Juan Domingo Juarros, a Spanish historian, described it in the Compendium of the History of Guatemala. The instrument is, however, probably much older, and is probably an attempt at recreating an older West African instrument; they may be a mention of it in a description of an Antigua parade in 1680, and could have been introduced as early as 1550 [1]. An ancient Mayan manuscript depicts a marimba musician, and the instrument has varied greatly over the years. The arc marimba was probably the first, followed by a simple instrument with a keyboard, gourd resonators and a stand. In the 19th century, cases of wood replaced the keyboard and modern marimba orchestras began to settle on a form that includes percussion, saxophones, trumpets and banjos. Paco Pérez's "Luna de Xelajú", a 1942 waltz, is perhaps the best-known composition for a marimba, and it is also the unofficial National Anthem.
[edit] Garifuna music
Main article: Garifuna music
The Garifuna are a distinct people of Central America of Afro-Amerindian descent. Their music is rhythmic and communal, with a call and response structure and spiritual or ritual purposes. Garifuna music is fundamentally African in nature, and is based around drums and other percussion instruments. The two major secular genres of Garifuna popular music are punta and paranda.
[edit] Modern music
Modern Guatemala includes a wide variety of performers, including several symphonic orchestras, ballets, chamber ensembles, opera and pop vocalists, hip hop crews, Guatemalan rock and mariachi bands. Other forms of Guatemalan music include brass bands and a number of instrumental styles: the q'eqchi violin, guitar and harp ensemble and the k'iche and kaqchikel flute and drum [2].
The best known modern singer/songwriter from Guatemala is Ricardo Arjona. The most famous modern band is Alux Nahual, and while the group had split up, their music is still part of the culture. The group leader Alvaro Aguilar is still an active musician, as well as his brother Ranferí and other members of the group.
Today, the musical scene in Guatemala is populated by many different bands and vocalists. Perhaps the best known bands are Malacates Trebol Shop [3] and Viento en Contra, although there are many others. Notable vocalists include Magda Angélica [4], Shery [5], Giovanni Passarelli [6], Jose Pablo [7], and Andrea [8], just to name a few.
| Central American music |
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Belize - Costa Rica - El Salvador - Garifuna - Guatemala - Honduras - Nicaragua - Panama |
| Latin American music |
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Argentina - Bolivia - Brazil - Chile - Colombia - Costa Rica - Cuba - Dominican Republic - Ecuador - El Salvador |
