Venezuelan bambuco

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This type of music being typical Andean (Andes), is also found in the States of Zulia, Bolívar, Lara and in the Capital District (Caracas); in the latter found in the form of romantic melodies.

The sound quality of the word Bambuco calls forth in the mind of listeners a certain proximity to African melodies. However, the reality is that the Bambuco is rhythmical and tuneful, originating in Spain and the Americas, specifically in Colombia. Its deep roots in the Colombian territory causes the Bambuco to cross the border and become attached to the western states of Venezuela, specifically in the Andes and Zulia, where it undergoes certain modifications in beat and structure. It is worth noting that in each region it acquires the very accent of the geography and traditions. In the opinion of some musicologists, the Bambuco represents certain analogies with the so called “ habaneras”, specially in the lethargic shades of the lyrics. However, while the Cuban version has a 3x4 beat, the Venezuelan rhythm is 6x8 (sixteenth-eighth-sixteenth).

Specialists remember that introductions and interludes of the Bambuco, instrumentally simulated the “bolero” trios that filled the scene in the XX century. Its musical structure breaks all rules, not being limited to four cyclical tones.

As to the accompaniment, in the Venezuelan Bambuco, piano, bass and guitar are pesent, having a special characteristic in the Andean region, where mandolin and flute are incorporated. Inspirational themes are idyllic, nostalgic and reminiscent, with certain lordly shades and even sublime.

“Mañanitas Navidenas” by Marco Antonio Useche and “Brisas del Torbes” by Luis Felipe Ramón y Rivera are characterisric pieces of the Bambuco we know, which join the success of “Tu Partida” by Augusto Brandt, “Serenata” by Manuel Enrique Perez Diaz and “Hendrina” by Napoleón Lucena. It is fair to remember the works “Isla De Toas” and “Ahora” which were compiled and incorporated to the Bambuco beat by Valentin Caruci.

The particular lyric of the Bambuco motivated the performances of Mayra Marti, Carlos Almenar Otero, Armando Molero and Mario Suárez , who perpetuated some of the great works created for this type of music. As Humberto Rodríguez and Israel Colina point out in a study on the Bambuco, “the performers of this rhythm sway between the popular and the academic, which shows how attractive the Bambuco is for the most demanding tastes for music”.