The Guaraní Language as a Melodic Source in Paraguayan Song
Music, Meaning and Value in Paraguayan Song - Alfredo C Colman
Alfredo C Colman [+]
Baylor University
Description
Considering that which is socially imagined and transmitted as Paraguayan, and in connection to the activities of numerous composers and performers searching for a specific Paraguayan sound, the act of speaking the Guaraní language has been seen by specialists as a source informing the characteristics of melodic composition in Paraguayan folkloric and popular music. A majority of representative Paraguayan folk-style compositions from the twentieth century illustrate specific cultural themes associated with the sentiment of paraguayidad (Paraguayan-ness or Paraguayan cultural identity). Among such cultural themes, romance, nostalgia, appreciation for the land and its natural resources, Paraguayan history, and Guarani culture–including the language–rank at the highest. In light of my research on composer Florentín Giménez (1925-2021) and the publications of twentieth century Paraguayan anthrolopogists, sociologists, composers and performers, Colman explore questions such as: To some or a large extent, has the Guaraní language influenced the typical melodies found in Paraguayan musical genres such as the guarania and the polca paraguaya? If so, has the Guaraní language been a planned or innate element in the mind of the composer? Has this practice been the consistent approach among some of the most representative Paraguayan composers of the 20th and 21st centuries? The goal of this article is to propose answers to these questions by introducing the proper social and cultural context in which the Guaraní language–among other Paraguayan cultural themes–has been considered by composers, arrangers, and performers as an idealized source to develop the construction of melodies in Paraguayan music.