Music of Ecuador
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| Andean music |
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Folk music
Coastal music
The Pacific coast of Ecuador is known for the amor fino, a kind of popular song, as well as a variety of dance music.
Pasillo, pasacalle and yarabi are popular folk dances. El pasillo is played with guitar and rondin, the latter being similar to a flute, and is usually downtempo; it is descended from the waltz. El pasacalle is a form of dance music, while the sentimental el yarabi is probably the most popular form in Ecuador.
Esmeraldas, Charchi and Imbabura
The folk music of the northwest part of Ecuador is most famous for the marimba, a distinctive instrument most common in the provinces of Esmeraldas, Pichincha, Imbabura, Carchi and Guayas; it is a direct and virtually unchanged import from West Africa. The genres bunde and torbellino are part of the Afro-Ecuadorian tradition [1] (http://www.galapagos-islands-tourguide.com/ecuador-music.html).
The bambuco is a dance known from Esmeraldas [2] (http://www.goecuador.com/mp3/azucar.html). Esmeraldas is also known for folk instruments like the bombos, conunos, and guasá.
The people of the Chota River valley and the province of Carchi have invented a form of music called bomba, which has achieved some fame outside the region; bomba is accompanied by guitars, maracas and güiros. The Chota are also known for the bandas mochas.
Central Ecuador
The indigenous communities of the Ecuadorian highlands is largely ritual or ceremonial, with many wind instruments like the guaramo horn, and the pifano and pinkullo flutes. Guitars and brass bands are also found throughout the area. Popular performers include Peguche, Benitez-Valencia and Ñanda-Mañachi [3] (http://www.galapagos-islands-tourguide.com/ecuador-music.html).
Andean music (La Sierra)
The mountainous, Andean region of Ecuador, the Sierra, is home to a style of music called albazo. The music of the Otavalo people are well-known worldwide. A small panpipe called the rondador is the most distinctive instrument, but ensembles are typically groups of wind instruments, guitar trios or brass bands. Folk rhythms include cachullapi, yumbo, danzante and sanjuanito [4] (http://www.galapagos-islands-tourguide.com/ecuador-music.html).
Musicians like Huayanay, Jatari and Pueblo Nuevo have helped to popularize Andean-Ecuadoran music.
Folk instruments
- cunuca: a percussion instrument similar to a conga drum
- bombos
- conuno
- guasá
Music institutions
The Fundación de Desarrollo Social Afroecuatoriano (AZUCAR) has existed since 1993, and offers a variety of workshops for all ages in music and dance, as well as handicrafts and other topics [5] (http://www.goecuador.com/mp3/azucar.html).
Music festivals
Ecuador has many annual festivals, with nearly every village celebrating a Roman Catholic Saint. The annual festival in August held in San Antonio de Pichincha is particularly well-known [6] (http://www.galapagos-islands-tourguide.com/ecuador-music.html).