Pre-Inca music

The quena is perhaps (along with the zampoña) the most representative instrument of pre-Incan music.

Pre-Inca music is the music cultivated by the Incas, mostly during the Tahuantinsuyo. Alongside
with dance, played an important role in Incan Andean society. There was romantic music,
warrior, funereal, and agricultural. Inca music was composed of five musical notes.

The inhabitants of the Inca societies had various wind musical instruments and
percussion among those found: the quena, the tinya, the calabash, the zampoña, the wankar, and the stick.
Inca music was one of the most developed of the pre-Hispanic music.

Characteristics and evolution

Pre-Inca music was pentatonic (do, re, fa, sol, la), as initially noted by the spouses R.
y M. D'Harcourt.

Inca pentatonism is not necessarily found in other civilizations or other peoples from
South America: André Sas demonstrated that the Nazcas possessed chromatic antaras as can be observed.
and verify in the museums of Nasca, Peru and the world in addition to research from distinguished
musicologists. The musicologists Salas and Pauletto observed that 'Most Native Americans
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seems to use this defective scale, although some from the Amazon and southern Chile escape this
Inca influence.

Referring to pre-Incan music and its evolution, Salas and Pauletto believe that:

In the indigenous monodies of the pre-Columbian period, (...) the melodic line, generally extensive, has
a great freedom. It is not difficult to find in it large intervals; of the seventh, of the tenth, and even larger.
Regarding harmony, pure Inca monody completely abstains from it. The Indian airs are
carried out in unison, even in cases where many instruments or singing individuals are involved.

The music was of ritual and multiple expressions, manifesting especially in dance. The
the mentioned musicologists specify that:

Judging by the numerous quotes made by the chroniclers, the parties and dances were very common.
among the ancient Quechuas. The great periodic festivals celebrated by the
town of the whole nation, in the presence of the highest imperial dignitaries. (...) They were also very
rooted in the indigenous environment are the agricultural or rural work festivals related to the cultivation of the land
sacred of the Sun; etc. (...) Elsewhere we have mentioned the warrior dances of the Tahuantinsuyos,
also putting an example of them. This type of dance was reserved for the men who participated.
showing combat weapons to the rhythm of music appropriate to the circumstances.

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This art was extremely sentimental, melancholic, and monotonous.

As a result of the conquest, due to the presence of miscegenation, the melancholic character of the airs
Natives were further accentuated. (...) Music, a reflection of the soul, reveals the pain of a defeated race.
conquest implies for the Indian a situation of inferiority in relation to the white man, which cannot be
stop experimenting, given its characteristic sensitivity. The arrogant will of the Spanish does not allow him
another resource than complaining to the wind in its melodies, which become even more sentimental for it
before. The mestizo also feels like an inferior being, that the whites despise; for this reason, it vibrates on his lips.
the complaint of deep sadness.

Musical instruments
As early as the beginning of the 20th century, Salas and Pauletto pointed out that:

"The instruments used in the ancient Tahuantinsuyo are currently one of the most studied sources.
important for scientific research conducted in order to know with precision the
musical advance of the Inca Empire. Many instruments of undeniable antiquity have been
found in the ruins of the Andean highlands, and today they are studied in detail. They constitute a
a highly varied set, where similarities with instruments from other are often observed
civilizations of America. (...) The Indian crafted it to meet his musical needs,

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using materials he deemed appropriate; bones, stones, plants, clay, etc. The sounds
that those obtained by the Indians lent themselves more than those of any other perfected instrument to
the expression of native music. There were many among them during the pre-Columbian period,
varieties of wind and percussion. It was only after the Spanish conquest that the Indians created
string instruments.

The Incas had wind and percussion instruments, not knowing string instruments, these
musical instruments have been the subject of very in-depth studies by Arturo Jiménez Borja,
Policarpio Caballero and by French scholars. The Peruvian archaeologist Federico Kauffmann Doig
clasifica los instrumentos musicales incas en tres tipos:

Aerophones

They were those instruments that required air by human action to be played,
which we found:

Flutes: Which were made with materials typical of the areas of those who played them,
like reeds, bones, and ceramics.

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Quena: An instrument widely used, made in various shapes and materials.
the most typical being the longitudinal one-piece with several holes and open at both ends.

Pincullo: It was a type of large flute, which was made of ceramic.

Antara: It is a musical instrument whose use remains very widespread among musicians in the Andes.
This instrument is also known as "pan flute" or "zampoña." It was made from reeds.
cane and bones.

Pututo: Musical instrument made from a marine snail, which was perforated at the base by
where it is blown. It emitted deep sounds, being an instrument widely used by the chasquis, to
send messages and as a sign of war.

Quepa: This musical instrument was made from a hollowed gourd in the shape of a mate.

Manchaypuito: A type of clay jug, which consisted of two flutes made from
human femurs, with which a sad melody could be sung.

Membranophones

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Within this class of instruments, we have the drums, which were made with leather.
from animals and others made with the skin of the belly of the defeated enemy; they were also used
long bones of the arms or legs with which they beat the drum. We can distinguish two types
of drums:

Tinya: This type of drum was small, which was mainly used in field work.

Huáncar: They were larger drums that were used in wars or at grand dances.

Idiophone instruments

Instruments that were of utmost importance in the dances, as they were used to keep the beat of
these dances. Among this type of instruments we can distinguish:

Sackhats: They were metal or seed bells. These sackhats were placed on the knees.

Jingles: These instruments were placed on the wrists.

Rattles: These instruments were used to keep the rhythm of both the music and the
dance.

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The performance of musical numbers went hand in hand with the dances and was common in daily life.
Inca music was related to various aspects and activities such as agriculture, religion, war, and
diverse festivals. The music varied according to the region or province and we can say that it constitutes the basis of
Andean folklore.

Musical forms of Inca origin

Harawi: Subsequently to the conquest it transformed into yaravíes: 7 'love song, it is the most expression'
beautiful and purer of Indian art. Soft and melancholic music, with the impression of perfuming the atmosphere with
his sorrow. His text narrated the ingratitude of the beloved, the absence of the pains of love.

Huayno: "It includes Indian airs composed for dances in a 2|4 time signature."10 "They are known
also the wayno-pasacalle and the sad wayno, slower and more serious.
denominations according to the region (wayno, chuscada, qachwa, etc.), although these refer more to the
dance to the melody.

Trilla-takiy: They were songs performed during the threshing.

MUSIC IN THE COLONIAL ERA

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After the conquest by the Spanish, along with their language, religion, and customs, the first instruments arrived.
musicals, trumpets, shawms (flutes), and drums (drums), much later the vihuela and other instruments of
string and keyboard, through the religious cores that were dedicated to imparting the teaching of cultured music
religious, starting with the pedagogical and cultural work of the Catholic Church. Through the orders of Franciscans,
Dominicans, Jesuits, etc.; Who in their zeal to evangelize reached even the tribes of Moxos Chiquitanos, and all the
towns and regions of the entire Charcas audience, training them in the handling of musical instruments and a
an infinity of crafts, which was the basis for later creating schools and convents.

MUSIC IN REPUBLICAN LIFE

The arrival and subsequent construction of the first organs in Sucre and Potosí facilitated the practice and teaching of the
inhabitants, who were creating works with vernacular themes and languages, customary crystallizing very soon
Forms and genres of Creole folk music, rescuing and classifying it, the work of the Potosino was of great value.
Julián Vargas and the Chuquisacan Alejo Franco. In the literary aspect, the resurgence of poets begins.
literary figures of the stature of Juan Wallparrimachi, Vicente Pasos Kanqui, José Manuel Loza, Manuel Urcullo. After
the opening of the first performance theater in the city of La Paz in 1847, the creation of the Philharmonic Society of
Sucre 1834, the Estudiantina Paceña 1892, the Military School of Music founded in 1904, followed by
importance and the National Conservatory of Music in 1907 directed by these institutions by foreign musicians and
later by Bolivian directors, these become important centers of teaching and training of
the most prominent musicians and composers who later concerned themselves with structuring and forming the branch
musical of our homeland.

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 FOLKLORE AS SCIENCE

Bolivia, being a multiethnic and multicultural nation, expresses its feelings in an infinity of
characters, but always typically popular ones that are transmitted orally, or through their parties, rituals,
Dances and customs, it is well known that one of the main trends is the history that approaches the
manifestations of the soul of the peoples, of the people in the past but lived today in their own way, since it preserves what
essential with changes in form; moreover it is generative transformational, in other words, that preserving the
essential generates diversity of forms, according to the moment in which one lives. There are several concepts about
Folklore, and it is our duty to understand them so as not to misinterpret their principles, Our Country is considered as a
of the richest nations in manifestations and cultural facts, runs the risk of spoiling the essence of their
manifestations for not being understood in its full dimension, causing distortion and loss of its
elemental function, these backgrounds are being observed in many festivities and social events
that sometimes take place without basis in each town or city. The trajectory and evolution that has followed the
music as science, part of the term 'Folklore' first introduced in the London magazine 'The
"Ateneo" by Williams John Thoms on August 22, 1846, to allow the collection and classification of all the
literary, musical, and popular work, the word Folklore is composed of two nouns "Folk" which means
people-community; and "Lore" knowledge-know. In our country, it was only recently possible to categorize through the creation of the
Tiahanacu Institute of Anthropology, Ethnography, and Prehistory of Bolivia, founded by Mr. Manuel Vicente
Ballivián in 1918, in the city of La Paz. Since folklore has become an independent science, it has
I tried to explain its scope in various congresses, symposiums, and seminars where the six have been established.
basic functions of the Folkloric phenomenon which are the following: Traditionality, Anonymity, The

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popularity, functionality, plasticity, and locatability. Traditionality determines the fact
folkloric, of cultural transmission through oral means and/or imitation throughout the succession of several
generations for a survival of the past. The Anonymity helps to clarify the conditions of
ignorance of the author(s) due to the passage of time. Popularity is the quality that we
it shows that folkloric phenomena are collective and concern society itself in a partial or total way. The
Plasticity, Due to sectoral, regional, and even local circumstances, many folklore events change from
according to the customs and traditions that occur in each community. On the other hand, the same phenomenon can
remain static, while it is dynamic in another region. The Functionality, From the moment a manifestation
It satisfies basic biological or spiritual needs and becomes functional. In terms of folklore, the
manifestations are functional because they make evident all the feelings of it, in the realm of the
popularity. Location is finally the characteristic that should be defined with study objectives and
generalizing knowledge, the localization of any folkloric occurrence. All these rules and concepts about
Folklore should be a cause for concern for authorities, institutions, and the citizenry as a whole.
arranging its teaching from schools, colleges, and even universities, to hold periodic talks, to educate and
to raise awareness about this science on which all manifestations of cultural expression depend
our country, since as we mentioned later we are owners of a wide variety of musical genres and
diversity of dances that we are obligated to preserve and transmit to other generations in their purest form
essence. The social classes of the Bolivian population determined the practice of musical aspirations in
so much that select and elitist groups were immersed in ballroom dances; the popular classes whose music with
racial accent, creole and multicolored was maintained, thanks to the presence of middle-class musicians who were part of
of small student groups, orchestras and/or bands of musicians. Those who were promoters of the creation of almost all
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the popular genres, and it was through music and literature that allowed the transmission of experiences and customs,
from the various regions of our country.

PROMOTERS OF BOLIVIAN POPULAR MUSIC

The diversity of works created by recognized artisans was unfortunately never acknowledged by the Government and
Bolivian society, for which a great literary and musical production is being lost, due to the lack of
interest in creating a record that allows for a more precise knowledge of the biography and works of all those who have
contributed to the creation of a variety of works, the result of a dedicated effort of inspiration and research.

PLURINATIONAL STATE OF BOLIVIA

The plurinational state of Bolivia is located in the central zone of South America, between the parallels: 9
39 degrees 22 minutes, and 22 degrees 53 minutes of South latitude; and between the meridians: 57 degrees 25 minutes, and 69
38 degrees 38 minutes of western longitude of the Greenwich meridian. It borders to the North and the East with the Republic
Federative Republic of Brazil, to the Southeast with the Republic of Paraguay, to the South with the Republic of Argentina, to the Southwest with
the Republic of Chile and to the west with the Republic of Peru. Bolivia was established on August 6, 1825 as
Unitary, free, independent, and sovereign republic. The name of the Republic is a tribute to
Liberator Simón Bolívar, proposed by the Presbyter Manuel Martín Cruz, in the following terms: 'If from
Rómulo, Rome; from Bolívar, Bolivia." The capital of the Republic was named Sucre, in recognition of the
Marshal Antonio José de Sucre. The history of the territory that today constitutes the Republic of Bolivia dates back to
the cultures that developed in the highland area, such as the Viscachanense, the Ayampitinense, the Chiripa,
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Wancarani, the Urus and particularly the Tiwanacota, characterized as the first Andean Empire, in which
domains saw the construction of the first planned city of the region: Tiwanacu. During the development of the Inca Empire,
The area corresponding to Bolivia came to be called Collasuyo. The ethnic groups in Bolivia are divided into two.
main branches, the Andean group settled mainly in the highland regions and valleys of Bolivia; and the
group of warm regions: Other ethnicities with their own characteristics also form part of the background.
historical-cultural aspects of the country. The arrival of the Spaniards in 1532 disrupted the organization that had existed for centuries.
functioned in that region, establishing a new institutional political structure, supported by the exploitation of the
non-renewable natural resources. To meet the outlined objectives, the conquerors organized the
territory and founded cities with defined functions in strategic areas for their interests. Thus, from the
In 1538, they successively founded the cities of: La Plata, now Sucre (1538), as a political and administrative center of
the Royal Audiencia of Charcas; Potosí (1545), based on the exploitation of silver from Cerro Rico; La Paz (1548),
as I activate shopping and exchange center; Santa Cruz (1561) and Trinidad (1686), as barriers to
Portuguese expansionism and for control of the eastern zone; Cochabamba (1574), as a collecting center and
provider of agricultural products; Tarija (1574), as an area of connection with the Río de la Plata; and Oruro (1600), for
the mining potential of the area. Some of these cities were the scene of significant historical events.
transcendence, both local and continental. One of them is the founding in Chuquisaca of the University of San
Francisco Xavier, in whose cloisters the ideas of rebellion matured, which gave rise to the first cry for freedom, on the 25th
of May 1809. On July 16 of the same year, La Paz joined the movement, initiating a process that
then traveled through the South American continent and concluded with the recognition of the countries in the region as free,
sovereign and independent.

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