Music of Peru

The music of Peru is an amalgamation of sounds and styles drawing on Peru's Andean musical roots and Spanish musical influences.

Native Peruvian music is dominated by the national instrument, the charango. The charango is a type of mandolin, and was invented in the Viceroyalty of Peru by musicians imitating Spanish lutes and guitars. In the Canas and Titicaca regions, the charango is used in courtship rituals, symbolically invoking mermaids with the instrument to lure the woman to the male performers. Until the 1960s, the charango was denigrated as an instrument of the rural poor. After the revolution in 1959, which built upon the Indigenismo movement (1910–1940), the charango was popularized among other performers. Music of Chinese and Japanese settlers greatly influenced Peruvian music.

Raul Romero's recordings of saxophone and clarinet ensembles from the Mantaro Valley have proved extremely influential.

One important space for Peruvian comtemporary classical music is Circomper, the Peruvian Composition Circle.

See also

• Musica criolla
• Peruvian rock
• Peruvian cumbia
• Circomper

External links

• Música Criolla del Perú
• (French) Audio clips: Traditional music of Peru. Musée d'Ethnographie de Genève. Accessed November 25, 2010.
• BBC Radio 3 Audio (60 minutes): Huaynos of the Andes and Afro-Peruvian music. Accessed November 25, 2010.
• BBC Radio 3 Audio (60 minutes): The music of Ayacucho. Accessed November 25, 2010.
• BBC Radio 3 Audio (60 minutes): Iquitos, Huancayo and Lake Titicaca. Accessed November 25, 2010.
• Music from the Andes and Nearby Regions
• Going Underground: Peru An exploration into the underground music scene in Peru