THE SOUNDS OF PRE-COLUMBIAN PERU

THE SOUNDS OF PRE-COLUMBIAN PERU

Continuing with the theme of cultural expressions of ancient Peru, this time we will talk a little about the instruments that give life to Peruvian music, as well as having their origins in pre-Inca cultures and during the Inca period.

In the world there are 5 types of instruments: The stringed or chordophones, the percussion or membranophones, the wind or aerophones, the idiophones and finally the electrophones. In our Peruvian music we have autochthonous instruments that come mainly from the type of string, wind and idiophones.

🔆Zampoña

The musical instrument of the Wari culture appeared in the 5th century and has remained in use until today in the Andean regions of southern Peru: Ayacucho, Cusco, Apurimac and Puno. The zampoña is composed of 13 tubes joined in parallel, each one has different diameters and lengths, this allows the variation in its sound when it is played.

 

🔆Quena

When the Inca empire reigned, the melodies of the quena spread throughout the Tahuantinsuyo. Today it is a musical symbol in the central highlands, places like Junin, Huancavelica, Huanuco and Pasco; nourish their different folkloric styles with the sweet sound that comes out of the seven holes of this ancient wind instrument, which is usually made of cane, wood or bone.

🔆Arpa Andina

The harp was brought by the conquistadors and adapted by the Peruvian natives of the Andes. At present it is played mostly from Ancash to the south of Cusco, and is the basic instrument in the sung huaynos. There are several models of this traditional musical instrument, among the best known are the rounded Ayacucho harp and the wider Huancayo harp.

🔆Pututu

The chasquis used to announce their arrival at each checkpoint along the Inca Trail by playing this wind instrument, made of a large seashell that emits a powerful sound. Today it is still used in Andean regions such as Cusco, where it is a must during the Inti Raymi and Easter Week ceremonies.

🔆Clarín cajamarquino

This wind instrument can measure up to four meters long and is mostly used in the countryside of Cajamarca, although in the city some musical groups play it during their concerts and even the rocker Miki Gonzalez included it in several of his productions. In 2008 the Cajamarca clarinet was declared by the National Institute of Culture (INC) as Cultural Heritage of the Nation.

🔆Bandurria cusqueña

It is a very popular musical instrument in the Imperial City, it usually has four double, triple or quadruple strings; and it is used to interpret huaynos, qashwas and other traditional genres of this region. According to Andean belief, musicians should tune their bandurria cusqueña while listening to the song of a mermaid, as this will allow them to make young girls fall in love with their songs.

🔆Antara

The oldest pre-Columbian musical instruments found in Peru were wind instruments, namely the Andean Pan flute or "Antara" (more than 7000 years old).  Developed mainly by the Nazca and Paracas cultures, located on the southern coast of Peru, it is worth mentioning that they orchestrated their music on the basis of the "antaras" finely crafted in ceramic and accompanied by membranophones (drums) and other aerophones (such as trumpets and whistles). These cultures were well acquainted with sounds and their structures (music) and possibly invented very complex musical systems, built and made use of "families or sizes of antaras" based on the knowledge of acoustics and sound qualities (pitch, intensity, timbre and duration).

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Resources:

Planes, Y. T. Q. (2022, 1 enero). El sonido del Perú en ocho instrumentos musicales | Y tú qué planes? Y tú que planes? https://www.ytuqueplanes.com/blog-viajero/nacional/el-sonido-del-peru-en-ocho-instrumentos-musicales

Vista de INSTRUMENTOS MUSICALES PRECOLOMBINOS: LA “ANTARA” O LA FLAUTA DE PAN ANDINA EN EL FORMATIVO FINAL (300 A.C.) E INTERMEDIO TEMPRANO (100.C.). (s. f.). https://revistasinvestigacion.unmsm.edu.pe/index.php/Arqueo/article/view/13293/11779