Joropo

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Venezuelan Joropo. Drawing by Eloy Palacios (1912)

The Joropo is a musical style resembling the waltz, and an accompanying dance, having African and European influences. It is a fundamental genre belonging to Venezuelan and, to a lesser extent, Colombian folklore, specifically of its typical music or música criolla (creole music). It is also the most popular "folk rhythm" and the well known song "Alma Llanera" is considered an unofficial national anthem in Venezuela (Dydynski 2004, p.34).

Formerly, the Spanish word joropo was defined as a “party,” but now it is a type of music and dance that identifies Venezuelans. This is because in the 1700s the field workers started using the word “joropo” and not the word “fandango,” which was the word used at the time for party and dance. Fandango is the Spanish term that is defined for popular dances and singing in flamenco. The joropo adopted and still uses the hand turn, the movement of the feet, and waltz turns.

First, the partners dance a type of waltz holding each other tightly. Then they stand facing each other and make small steps forward and backward as if sweeping the floor. Lastly they hold each others’ arms, and the woman does sweeping steps while the man stomps his feet with the music’s rhythm.

The Joropo is played with the arpa llanera (harp), bandola, cuatro, and maracas (ibid), making use of polyrhythmic patterns, especially of hemiola, and alternation of 3/4 and 6/8 tempos. It was originally played, most often also sung, by the llaneros, the inhabitants of the Venezuelan and Colombian Llanos (plains), and thus also called música llanera (ibid). The singer and the harp or bandola may perform the main melody while a cuatro performs the accompaniment, adding its characteristic rhythmic, sharp percussive effect. The cuatro and the bandola are four-stringed instruments which are descendants of the Spanish guitar. The only real percussion instruments used are the maracas. Besides the genre and dance, the name joropo also means the performance, the event or occasion of performance.

In modern times, several other instruments have been adding themselves to playing various parts in Joropo performances, for instance, guitar, flute, clarinet, piano, and so on, up to having a complete symphony orchestra playing Joropo arrangements. Since the 1950's the Venezuelan composer Aldemaro Romero has pioneered his praiseworthy orchestrations of numerous Joropos, among other native Venezuelan genres, allowing international audiences to enjoy the beautiful Venezuelan music, albeit in a more conventional presentation. Curiously enough, it often happens that when a Symphony Orchestra plays a Joropo, the cuatro is still included.

Joropo represents Venezuelans because of the influence of three different cultures. These are, European music, the independent melody is the presence from the slaves brought from Africa, and the instrument called “maracas” the indigenous people of Venezuela.

There are three types of joropo. These are llanero, central, and oriental.

The joropo llanero is played with the nylon stringed harp, the cuatro, and the maracas.
The joropo central is played with a metal stringed harp, maracas, voice, and cuatro.
The joropo oriental has additional instruments such as guitar, mandolin, and accordion.