Vélez (Colombia) traditional music preservation: exploring histories and practices
This ethnographic master’s research project contains four components: 1) the development of a website that contains information about Vélez music and culture with the goal of contributing to the transmission, accessibility, and preservation of Vélez music; 2) YouTube channel with all audiovisual contents used for the project; 3) a complementary document for each of the sections of the website; and 4) a document that provides an overview of the general creation process of the project. In this last document, I comment about the process involved in the development of the website, research on related Colombian music traditions as well as the relationship that Vélez music has with current musicology/ethnomusicology theories in music preservation. This multi-part master’s research project is in lieu of a conventional master research paper for the faculty of music at Carleton University.
Vélez, Santander (Colombia) is known for its musical traditions and its rich culture, the survival of which relies on oral transmission and local tradition-bearers. This town is the home of the folkloric group Corazón Santandereano(Santander Heart), an ensemble founded around 1970 that comprises four generations of family members who perform and are carriers of the musical and cultural traditions of Vélez. As an active member of this intergenerational family-based musical group, I have closely observed the external and internal dynamics of this music, including its transmission and preservation. This has allowed me to observe its fragility and the need for its preservation. Vélez music transmission and preservation depends on music bearers. Through the effort of locals and some national and international authors (Abadia 1970, Caceres 2012, Uribe 2012, Koorn 1977), Vélez music has received some academic attention, yet there is urgency around its preservation as the founding generation – the keepers of the knowledge of this tradition – is growing older. This master’s research project involved working with members of Corazón Santandereanoin my creation of a website that will serve as a repository for information about Vélez music and the music ensemble Corazón Santandereano.
This project is geographically located in Vélez, a town located in the department of Santander, Colombia, where its music and culture has become representative of Santander. Vélez was founded by the Spanish conquistador Martin Galeano in 1539, however evidence shows that Indigenous nations such as Chipataes, Agataes y Opones, inhabited the area prior to colonization. The population of Vélez, which was 19,376 in 2018 (Vélez Municipal Development Plan 2020, 32), is a mixture of Indigenous and Spanish ancestry that can be also observed and heard through musical genres and cultural events in this region.
Since 1962, the Festival Nacional de la Guabina y el Tiple has taken place annually in Vélez during the first week of August. Due to COVID-19, this festival took place online in August 2020 and no information has been circulated in relation with the current year (2021). This festival welcomes artists from the region to participate in different events that promote and preserve the local culture.
The musical ensemble Corazón Santandereano is an intergenerational family-based group, members of which have participated in the Festival de la Guabina y el Tiple since it started. This ensemble was funded by the Rivera Hernandez family and with time the ensemble welcomed new generations. The number of members of the ensemble varies from 8 to 28, depending on individual availability of people; some reside in distant cities in Colombia and have to travel to perform together.
To navigate on this website please consider the following advice:
The menu is located on the left top corner of the screen. It has three horizontal lines.
Some sections comprise subsections. This will look like a facing down arrow. be sure to explore all of them.
On the principal page of each section you can find a pdf file that contains the entire information of that section and a brief summary of what you will find the section.
All the videos presented for this website can be accessed in the following link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJbYHo0dFLzAnAhhdx6gUO9pWPxbuyl74
Note: Specific Bibliography is included in each pdf file and a complete bibliography is presented as the last item on the menu.