Pasillo (English:little step, hallway or aisle) is an Ecuadorean andColombiangenre of music popular in the territories that composed the 19th centuryViceroyalty of New Granada: Born in the Andes during the independence wars, it spread to other areas; especiallyEcuador (where it is considered the national musical style) and, to a lesser extent, the mountainous regions ofVenezuela andPanama. Venezuelans refer to this style of music as "vals" (Spanish for "Waltz"). Today, it has incorporated moreEuropean features ofclassical dance, such as Viennesewaltz in Colombia and features ofsanjuanito andyaraví inEcuador. As it spread during theGran Colombia period, pasillo also absorbed the individual characteristics of isolatedvillages. This gives it an eclectic feel; however, thestyle,tone, andtempo of the music differ in each village and indeed between each country.
In its waltz, pasillo alters the classically European dance form to accompanyguitar,mandolin, and otherstring instruments.
UNESCO's representative list of theIntangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity includes Pasillo from 2021.[1]
Invented in the 19th century, pasillo became closely associated with theColombian War of Independence, theEcuadorian War of Independence, andEcuadorian nationalism. Pasillo gained popularity from the recordings of the duet "Ecuador", once performed by Enrique Ibañez Mora andNicasio Safadi. It reached its international apex during the career ofJulio Jaramillo.[2]
Younger generations of Ecuadorians still enjoy pasillos, including new styles sung byJuan Fernando Velasco andMargarita Lazo. Some Ecuadorian pasillos include "Pasional", "Invernal", "Ángel de Luz", "El aguacate", and many others. Pasillo has been a very popular style of music inColombia since the 19th century. Famous Colombian pasillos include "Espumas", "Pueblito viejo", "Pescador lucero y río", and "Oropel". Colombian artists, such as Silva y Villalba and Garzon y Collazos, have helped popularize pasillo around the world.
Ecuadorian pasillo adds the influence ofsanjuanito, so Ecuadorian pasillo is slow and melancholic. Differing from other countries, Ecuadorian pasillo became a national music symbol. According to author Ketty Wong, since the beginning of the 20th century the Ecuadorian pasillo stopped being a festive genre played in saloons and bands became more popular. It had many singles with melancholic texts referring to nostalgic and brokenhearted feelings. However, there are also songs expressing the beauty of Ecuadorian landscapes, the beauty of Ecuadorian women, and the bravery of the Ecuadorian people. In addition, there are songs which reflect admiration for a region or a city, and in some places these have become even more representative than their own city anthems. This is the case of "Guayaquil de mis amores" byNicasio Safadi. Wong asserts that in Ecuador, due to its capacity of integrating and producing different topics between different social, ethnic, and generational groups, the Ecuadorian pasillo has become the representation of national music by excellence.[3]
During the 1950s the Ecuadorian pasillo went through a transition. Although it was still the national music of Ecuador, with the arrival of the radio it was forced to compete with foreign boleros, tangos, waltzes, guarachas, and other styles of tropical music, such as guaracha, merecumbe, and the Ecuadorian-Colombian cumbia. The continued strength of the Ecuadorian pasillo is in thanks to the performances of great singers such as the duet Luis Alberto Valencia and Gonzalo Benítez, the Montecel brothers, the Mendoza Sangurima sisters, the Mendoza Suasti sisters, Los Coraza and Marco Tulio Hidrobo.[4]
Nowadays, Ecuadorian pasillo is a national icon, and younger generations are adding new styles, thus supporting wide-scale distribution.
AdoracionText: Genaro CastroMusic:Enrique Ibáñez Mora
| Adoracion |
|---|
| Soñé ser tuyo y en mi afán tenerte |
| presa en mis brazos para siempre mía; |
| pero nunca soñé que he de perderte |
| que a otro mortal la dicha sonreía. |
| Soñé a mi lado para siempre verte, |
| siendo tu único dueño, vida mía; |
| soñé que eras mi diosa, más la suerte, |
| nuevos tormentos para mí tenía. |
| Soñé que de tus labios dulcemente, |
| me diste tu palabra candorosa, |
| hablándome de amor eternamente. |
| Pero todo es en vano, sólo ha sido |
| un sueño la pasión que me devora, |
| al ver que para siempre te he perdido. |
