Candombe

Candombe is a drum-based musical style of Uruguay. Candombe originated among the African population in Montevideo and is based on Bantu African drumming with some European influence and touches of Tango.

Origins

Candombe's origins lie in the Kings of Congo ceremonial processions from the period of African slavery in South America. Candombe is related to other musical forms of African origin found in the Americas such as Cuban son and tumba and Brazilian maracatu and congadas. The form had evolved by the beginning of the 19th century and was immediately seen as a threat to the elites, who sought to ban the music and its dance in 1808.

Instruments and musical features

The music of candombe is performed by a group of drummers called a "cuerda". The barrel-shaped drums, or "tamboriles", have specific names according to their size and function: "chico" (small, high timbre, marks the tempo), "repique" (medium, syncopation and improvisation) and "piano" (large, low timbre, melody). An even larger drum, called "bajo" or "bombo" (very large, very low timbre, accent on the fourth beat), was once common but is now declining in use. A "cuerda" at minimum needs three drummers, one on each part. A full cuerda will have 50-100 drummers, commonly with rows of 7 or 5 drummers, mixing the three types of drums. A typical row of 5 can be piano-chico-repique-chico-piano, with the row behind having repique-chico-piano-chico-repique and so on to the last row.

Tamboriles are made of wood with animal skins that are rope-tuned or fire-tuned minutes before the performance. They are worn at the waist with the aid of a shoulder strap called "talig or talí" and played with one stick and one hand.

A key rhythmic figure in candombe is the clave (in 3-2 form). It is played on the side of the drum, a procedure known as "hacer madera" (literally, "making wood").

Performance

A full candombe group, collectively known as a "comparsa" or "candomblera", comprises the "cuerda", a group of female dancers known as mulatas, and several stock characters, each with their own specific dances. The stock characters include:
* "La Mama Vieja" ("Old Mother"), the matriarch
* "El Gramillero" ("Medicine Man"), Mama Vieja's husband, responsible for health and well-being
* "El Escobero or Escobillero" ("Stick Holder"), who carried a long magical wooden stick that he uses to create new ways and possibilities for the future

Candombe is performed regularly in the streets of the old Montevideo's south neighbourhood on January and February, during Uruguay's Carnival period, and also in the rest of the country. All the "comparsas", of which there are 80 or 90 in existence, participate in a massive Carnival parade called "Las Llamadas" ("calls") and vie against each other in official competitions in the "Teatro de Verano" theatre. During Las Llamadas, members of the comparsa often wear costumes that reflect the music's historical roots in the slave trade, such as sun hats and black face-paint. The monetary prizes are modest; more important aspects include enjoyment, the fostering of a sense of pride and the winning of respect from peers.

ee also

* Afro-Uruguayan
* Music of Uruguay
* Culture of Uruguay
* Murga
* Rubén Rada
* Hugo Fattoruso & Rey Tambor

References

External links

*http://www.candombe-rhythms-uruguay.com/
*http://www.candombe.com
*http://toquecandombe.tripod.com/intro_en.htm
*http://www.reytambor.com
*http://www.eltoquedecandombe.com.ar