Politics of Nueva Cancion in South America - Essay Example

Nueva Cancion Name Date Affiliation Nueva Cancion Introduction Nueva Cancion is a genre associated with the Latin America and in English it means a new song. Nueva Cancion is a movement and genre that is associated with the Latin Americans and the Liberian folk songs. They are inspired by the folk music and also the socially committed music hence becoming a very important part of the social music (Brill 2011,p. 45).Nueva Cancion is widely recognized and it has played a very powerful role in the social upheavals, in many countries such as Latin America, Portugal and Spain more specially during the era of 1970s and the 1980s.Nuevacancion was first surfaced in the 1960s during the Chilean New Song whereby the musical style emerged shortly afterwards in Spain and other areas of the Latin America where it was described using the same names(Brill 2011p.67,). History of the genre The origin and development of Nueva Cancion can be dated back in 1950s during the folklore boom which occurred in Latin America. The Chilean national by the name Violeta Parra and the argentine Atahualpa Yupanqui were the bi-transitional figures that depicted vast mastery of the folk music and their personal involvement in the political organizations promoted the union of the Nueva Cancion. The movements were promoted by the legislation of Juan Peron’s Decreto 3371/1949 for the protection of national music (Fairley & Frith, 2014p.48). It required that approximately half of the music that is played in the national radio to be of national origin in pursuit of promoting nationalism. The national manifestation of the Nueva Cancion commenced in the late 1950s more especially in Chile and Spain. In these countries, the movement contributed and promoted the Catalan culture and language. Additionally, the music went ahead and spread to Argentina and throughout the Latin America during the 1960s and 1970s.Many national movements used their own terminology and the term Nueva Cancion was adopted during the 1967 Encuentro de la Cantion protest and from that time, the name was adopted as the real name of the song (Clarke 2011, p.78). Nueva Cancion has different political lyrics and this makes it suitable for rebel groups and other groups which usually advocate for changes in the governance system. The message of the songs gave it an upper hand in terms of distribution and it managed to reach different areas within a given period. Upon reaching Latin America, it had significant changes in the social and political life where many movements and demonstrations were orchestrated. The Nueva Cancion was chosen since it had some political lyrics which were instrumental in the context. The music managed to gain great popularity in Latin America and remarkably left an imprint on many genres such as the Ibero-American rock, Andean Music and Cumbia. The artists and composers of the Nueva Cancion often faced censorship, forceful disappearances, and exile and even at times, they were tortured by the military dictatorships such as the Franco in Spain, Vindela of Argentina and the Pinochet of china. The persecution was behind the political messages which were contained in the songs (Fairley & Frith 2014, p.89). Parra and Yupanqui were highly involved in collecting the old songs from the country side and later reworking them and rejuvenating them to become new songs that were a bit contemporary and also which were in broadly accessible format. Parra used to cast her songs in well established local poetics forms that were the most significant and she also introduced the Andean instruments which accompanied the ensemble. On the other hand, Yupanqui sang lyrics intoned top expressive guitar playing hence evoking the hardship of the life in areas of Andes. Through developing and promoting a body of popular music that were affiliated to their traditions, they managed to address the experiences and the concerns of ordinary people especially for Yupanqui and Parra. Through the endeavor, they managed to democratize their music in their respective countries since the songs spoke for the populace. In early 1960s, Yupanqui and Parra music were known as Nueva Cancion and the name was formulated owing the large following in Chile. In the period between, 1965-1967 Parra managed to operate a “Pena” or the Folkloric tavern in Santiago (Fairley & Frith 2014, p.78). Accompanied by other musicians, she managed to cultivate a new music which grew viral in the entire Chile and parts of Argentina. The most notable songs amongst the “Pena” musicians was victor Jara who had the sense of charismatic in his music and he managed to pull people together therefore emerging as the fundamental force behind the birth of Nueva Cancion in Latin America(Madrid 2013.p56). Through the leadership of Parra,Jara further enriched the sound and message through appeal from Nueva Cancion through using the broader array of the regional instruments from across the south American lands. While Para continued to run her Pena the two influential Neva Cancion groups arose on the college circuit in Chile. The Quilapayun that was formed approximately in 1965 and it associated with Ijara for many years though it was anti Illimani that was a mountain in the Andes. The Nueva Cancion developed parallel traditions in Chile and also emerged in other countries of the Latin America. In a country like Uruguay, the Neva Cancion musician by the name Daniel Vigiletti managed to create songs that captured in many areas such as France, Spain and the entire Latin America. In Cuba Pablo Milanes, Silvio Rodriguez and other colleagues who were in the national film institute staged a demonstration –“protest music” that was later renamed the nueva trova meaning the new song. Just like their continental counterparts the nueva trova artists used the traditional poetic structures, local instruments and the distinctively the Latin America musical idioms which symbolized their resistance. In Cuba, the resistance was not against the state but it was against the international social which was influenced by North America and the Europeans. The songs were sung by these individuals as a way of deviating from international cultural infiltration. The Nueva Trova was disseminated through the live performances since the musicians avoided significant involvement of what they referred to as the highly manipulative music industry which was under the domination of North America(Moore, 2001p.34). Nueva Cancion has continued to solidify not only in the musical genre but also in the political movements of the late 1960s.The two monumental festivals attested the popularity and the power of music. First, the international protest song meeting which was held in Havana around 1967 managed to draw participants from more than 15 countries that led to the development of the Cuban government protest song centre at the house of the Americans in Havana. In year 1969, similar events took place in Santiago and that did draw many Chilean musicians to their music and supporting the cause of the leftist popular unity party and the candidate for the president who was known by the name Salvador Allende(Moore, 2001p.34). Politics Nueva Cancion: South America In the year 1970, the victory of the general unity government that was led Salvador Allende in the land of Chile was marked rising of the first democratical president under the socialist regime in Latin America. Chile had gone through social and political turmoil and the election of Allende was perceived as a beacon of hope in Chile and rest of the region.the newly elected president took the stage greeting the people and affirming that the revolution could not happen without songs and that made it clear that the songs were crucial for political jubilation and more especially the Nuea Cancion. That was a powerful statement about the role of music in the social and political set up of the South American society. This movement marked by songs that advocated for social change and Nuea Caancion is a perfect exemplification. The new song took shape in the southern cone of South America in the late 1950s and in the early 1960s, Nueva Cancion was rebranded the Trova and canto and it began as a proactive movement which contested for the political dictatorships which existed during that time (Napolitano, 2005 p.14). The declining social conditions in the rural areas have led to the migration of the rural communities to the cities. Upon migration, they managed to bring with them different musical traditions such that the students and the middle people managed to blend well with the other European culture hence forming new artistic hybrids that transcend into class distinctions. The emerging musical styles became the outlets of denouncing political oppression that were experienced. The evocative and poetic lyrics were called to protest and called for active participation for the social changes that were to take place. The elements of the traditional culture and the regional folk songs which were reinterpreted by the Literati managed to validate the marginalized native cultures. The initial Nueva Canacioneros used to make of the folk songs instruments such as the quena(Andean flute),Zamponas(pan-pipes).These instruments were used in the songs to emphasize the pride which the native culture. The pioneering ensembles inti-illimani and the Quilapayun are some of the examples of the blending of the tradition and the popular styles of the times (Vigil 2014,p.23). Nueva Cancion did not only enhance political development but also it promoted changes in the social set up. For example, Nueva Cancion, spread increasingly throughout the region. The early “new songs” were depicted as the reaffirmation of the traditional culture through music and the genre spread and became increasingly politicized and played an integral role in building the social movements. The rise of the totalitarian movements and governments in South America during the early 1960s and 1970s led to escalated political oppression and the deteriorating of the social conditions. The new singers and songwriters took up the Nueva Cancion as a way of expressing the collective struggle in a time when there was violent repression. The increasingly Nueva Cancion lyrics went ahead and spoke explicitly to major issues such as poverty, democracy, imperialism, human rights and the religious freedom. In Chile Parra was the driving force in the era of the new song whereby singing the Chilean folk songs marked the worsening situation in Chile and also the worsening situation and the desire for freedom of expression. The parra kinds by the name Isabel and Angel and the Argetine-American by the name Suni Paz were instrumental in the picking up where the early Nueva Cancioneros had left and continued to shape the political information (Clarke,2011.p78). The popularity of Nueva Cancion grew throughout the Latin America and the lyrics of the songs continued to be explicit in depicting the political content of the ruling dictatorships and how they continued to take actions against the musicians. In Chile immediately after bloody coup that ensured deposition of Salvador Allende’s government. The dictator by the name Augusto Pinochet managed to outlaw the playing of many Andean instruments in pursuit of suppressing the new song movement. Victor Jara was one of the most influential and popular artist in the new song movement who was a great martyr and was tortured and ultimately killed at the Natinal Stadium in Santiago immediately after the coup. Popular ensembles Quilapayun and the Inti-illimani were forced to leave Chile and they remained in exile for approximately 15 years. Though many of the Nueva Cancioners faced political censorship and oppression, the movement continued to grow and developed new artists using the Nuea Cancion as the main means of resistance(Clarke 2011p.45). Migration and Nueva Cancion The Nnueva Cancion managed to gain popularity in different countries and this can be attributed to migration of individuals who carry along that information for the purpose of diversifying their culture and ideological views. The song gained popularity mostly in areas such as Argentina, Chile and Uruguay and it was appealing for music that was popular means of protest and it spurred positive change in other regions of Latin as well. The poetic artistry of such lyrics and the foundation of the music in the rural cultures have prompted many people to view the new song as new song movement which is a genuine form and that which is giving voice to the community. The style that was adopted reflected the diverse political and the social climates of the many Latin regions. The poetic artistry of such lyrics and the foundation of music in the rural cultures prompted many people to view the song as a way of airing out their grievances. The style adapted reflected the diversity of social and political climates of the many Latin American more especially the Caribbean. In each and every variation, of the song the traditional aspect and emphasising remains and that makes it clear for the individuals that it belongs to that particular ethnic group. The growth of the songs in Cuba and Argentina was marked with radical changes in politics and that meant ultimate change of that given culture(Madrid 2013.p23). The political repression and dictatorship that was experienced in the regions of Chile forced artists and professionals to flee and seek asylum in other countries such as Europe, Canada and even united states. The activist musicians such as Rafael Manriquez and Quique Cruz also formed the group in an attempt to introduce the Chilean Nueva Cancion to the Bay areas. Musicians who honed the poetic and musical talents at the café concerts or the Penas of the native Chile and they established a La Pena, a community arts centre located in Berkeley California(Madrid 2013,p24). Commoditization and Nueva Cancion Commoditization refers to the transformation of the goods and services as well as the ideas and other entities that are considered as goods. Marxist understanding of the commodity is usually distinct from the meaning of the commodity in the mainstream of the business theory. Nueva Cancion has been commoditized and many artists have benefitted from the songs through singing and selling the albums. The artists who sing such songs usually earn their living through singing. They may be called during the political rallies and perform and through that they song have reached, such artists have become millionaires hence proving the art of singing as a career itself. Moreover, the songs have been commercially accepted and content have also changed even including the contemporary issues. Through that, the songs have been accepted as the formal way through which people address the burning issues in the society and also entertain themselves(Madrid 2013,p 56). Globalisation and Nuea Cancion Globalization is the process whereby the international integration is enhanced through interchange of the world views, ideas, and the products among other aspects of culture. Nueva Cancion has influenced globalization in different ways and more especially through information. The global call on democracy and good governance has been highly influenced by the songs more especially in Chile and Cuba. Through such initiatives, the people have managed to air out the grievances through the songs and that has proved to be a good way of enhancing good governance and democracy. These songs have not only been sung in Chile alone but also in other countries that fight for the same thing. Though not similar music, but the same ideas have been spreads into different countries switch have common goals just as the composers(Napolitano 2005,p 89 ). Conclusion In conclusion, it’s evident that Nueva Cancion is a major genre of song that have played a major role in enhancing quality life through speaking out the minds of people and shunning political oppression. It is origin can be traced to Latin America but it has managed to spread to entire globe helping the people to fight for their own rights. Through the song the people have managed to speak out their rights and in the long run condemning the monster of dictatorship. Some of the good cases discussed above are Chile and Cuba where they have played significant role in uniting the people. Nueva Cancion is widely recognized and it has played a very powerful role in the social upheavals, in many countries such as Latin America, Portugal and Spain more specially during the era of 1970s and the 1980s. Moreover, the songs have been commoditized making it easy for the people or artists to earn their daily bread on singing and selling the albums. References Brill, M. (2011). Music of Latin America and the Caribbean. Boston, MA: Prentice Hall. Clarke, D. (2011). Music and consciousness:. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Clarke, D. (2011). Music and consciousness: philosophical, psychological, and cultural perspectives. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Fairley, J., & Frith, S. (2014). Living Politics, Making Music The Writings of Jan Fairley. Farnham: Ashgate Publishing Ltd. Madrid, A. L. (2013). Music in Mexico: experiencing music, expressing culture. New York: Oxford University Press. Moore, R. (2001). From the canciOn de protesta to the nueva trova, 1965-85. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 14(2), 177-200. Napolitano, M. (2005, March 22). Ernesto Donas Y Denise Milstein. Lenguajes, imaginarios y mediaciones en la cancion popular montevideana (1962-99).(Book Review). Latin American Music Review, 2, 14. Vigil, C. (2014). New Mexican folk music: treasures of a people = Cancionero del folklor Nuevomexicano : el tesoro del pueblo. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. Vigil, C. (2014). New Mexican folk music: treasures of a people = Cancionero del folklor Nuevomexicano : el tesoro del pueblo. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. Read More