Torbellino

Torbellino is as a prominent Colombian musical genre in the Andean region. It is considered traditional Colombian music and is commonly played in the departments of Santander, Boyacá and Cundinamarca by campesinos (farmers, labourers). This section focuses on the instrumental format of the Torbellino in Vélez however it is important to mention that the rhythm of the Torbellino is used in other musical expressions of the region, including the Guabina and different dances.

The word Torbellino in Spanish has different meanings. For example, the dictionary Real Academia Española (RAE) defines it as: 1) a wind swirl; 2) an abundance of things that happen at the same time; 3) a person who is too lively and restless and who acts or speaks hastily and disorderly. None of these definitions correspond to the musical genre specifically, however one could establish some similarities in relation with the dances, the harmony and the character of this genre. The dances for which the Torbellino is used, usually follow circular movements and have a cyclic and repetitive harmonic/rhythmic structure. Additionally, Torbellino commonly have an energetic and fast character.

The Torbellino is a genre that has not been deeply studied, perhaps due to the lack of commercialization of Vélez music and also perhaps due to its historical associations with peasants, As with other Colombian genres, the Torbellino can be considered a genre encompassing mixed (Indigenous and European) musical influences. However, unlike the pasillo, bambuco and valses from the period of the conquest and colonial period, the Torbellino was not accepted by the higher-class people. This genre was attributed to the “peasant class in the rural areas of Boyaca and Santander” (Koorn 1977, 230). The association of the Torbellino with peasants is reflected in the Jose Ignacio Perdomo’s book Historia de la Musica en Colombia, in which he provides information about the people who performed the Torbellino and its occasion; in writing specifically about the last Torbellino that people danced on Christmas night before going to the midnight mass referenced as Torbellino a misa (Torbellino to “go to the mass”), Perdomos defines the Torbellino a misa as: “el ultimo Torbellino que bailaban los campesinos la noche de navidad antes de ir a la misa del gallo (misa de medianoche). Lo bailaban en la calle, desde el hospedaje hasta la iglesia, acompañados de tiples y requintos” (Perdomo 1963, 112). [“…the last [AH1] Torbellino that peasants danced on Christmas night before going to the midnight mass. They danced it in the street, from their houses to the church, accompanied by tiples and requintos.”] These two statements affirms the association of this genre with lower classes and its adoption by locals despite its strong European influence.

Available information on the Torbellino might seem contradictory as some authors will refer to it as a slow and melancholic genre (Abadia 1970, 90-91) while others might define it as agitated and fast (Perdomo 1963, 393). Based on my experience in the music ensemble Corazón Santandereano, I have observed that this genre does not follow a specific speed consistently, but instead the tempo is mandated by the social context and the purpose of the music. For example, if the Torbellino is to accompany dance, the requinto player will adjust the speed based on the dancers, or, if there is a Guabina, the speed will depend on the character of the tonada (tune) and the couplet. Nestor Caceres, musician, and member of the musical ensemble Corazon Santandereano discusses the Torbellino, saying:

El Torbellino como obra musical instrumental está escrito en un compás de ¾ con un ciclo armónico repetitivo de dos compases, donde se combinan los acordes, tónica, subdominante y dominante respectivamente. En el primer compás la tónica ocupa los dos primeros tiempos, la subdominante el tercer tiempo y el segundo compás lo cubre toda la dominante con séptima. La gran mayoría de estas obras se interpretan en tonalidad mayor y muy pocas en tonalidad menor con modulación a su tonalidad mayor. El Torbellino usado como base musical para la modalidad coreográfica de las danzas representativas de Vélez y los cantos de guabina de esta area. La mayoría de los Torbellinos interpretados en los festivales de música tienen un alto porcentaje de improvisación”.

[The Torbellino as an instrumental musical work written in a meter of ¾ with a repetitive harmonic cycle of two measures, where the chords, tonic, subdominant and dominant are combined respectively. In the first measure the tonic occupies the first two beats, the subdominant the third beat and the second measure sound the dominant with the added seventh. Most of these works are performed in a major key and very few in a minor key with modulation to its major key. The Torbellino is used as the musical base for the choreographic modality of the representative dances of Vélez and Guabina of this area. Most of the Torbellino performed at music festivals have a high percentage of improvisation”. (Caceres, July 18, 2020)

Although different ensembles might propose and follow other structures and tempi in their performances of the Torbellino, for the purposes of this project I will illustrate with a video that was recorded for this project by the musical ensemble Corazón Santandereano in January 2021. This instrumental Torbellino can be described as a joyful and fast. Here, the carraca (jawbone instrument) marks the tempo at the beginning of the piece. The requinto and the tiple enter together with a few measures that follow the harmonic progression I-IV-V. Next, the requinto player will play the melody of the Torbellino, which is usually a series of different motives that have an improvisatory character; experienced requinto players will memorize the melodies and play around with them as they please. Various percussion instruments will accompany the Torbellino; in this example, the following instruments were used: requinto, tiple, guacharaca, alfandoque, cucharas, carraca, chucho, zambumbia and Quiribillos. The Torbellino concludes with a repetition of a small section and musicians will cue the end of the piece with physical movements.