Fulía is a typical musical style of the Venezuelan coast, it is sung or recited, and is interpreted with: cuatro, guitar, mandolin, maracas and a square drum in the east of Venezuela, and the tambora of velorio or tamborita in the central region. Is a very rich genre, usually is not danced, by respect to the cross, it usually accompanies the celebration of the velorios de cruz de mayo, on May 3, traditional celebration that renders tribute to the wood in which Christ died. This Christian celebration agrees some indigenous celebrations in honor to the Nature.
The eastern Fulía is the musical sort characteristic of the celebration of the velorios de cruz in the states: Anzoátegui, Sucre and Monagas, where it is alternated along with the galerón.
According to Luis Felipe Ramón y Rivera, this musical sort comes from Europe and in Venezuela it maintained, in addition to the name, the melody and the elements of the songs and dances of Portugal and canary origin that arrived at America during the colonization. Ramón y Rivera explains that the eastern Fulía “runs freely in the voice of who sings, on a support of guitar, cuatro and mandolin. This instrument initiates the prelude and is making a counterpoint with the voice, not specifically, but as resulting from the superposition of the song on the subjects that mandolin executes”.
The central Fulía is the musical sort characteristic of the celebration of the velorios de cruz in the Miranda state and the coast of the Vargas State. In this zone of the country, the celebration of the velorio is placed in front of the Cross, to say orations and to say or to sing the rosary. Later they are recited tenth, alternating with songs of fulía of religious or profane content. Fulías are interpreted in front of the cross by solo singers, that follow one another and receive answer of the choir of assistants.
Luis Felipe Ramón y Rivera explains that the fulía mirandina, is different from the Eastern fulía, characterizes for being an irregular melody, in which a solo singer interprets a subject from 8 to 10 compasses, to which a choir responds with phrases of 5, 6 or 7 compasses. The accompanying instruments vary according to the region, the most usual are: cuatro, the plato de peltre, drums of fulía and the pats of the assistants.