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The most distinctivemusic ofUruguay is to be found in thetango andcandombe; both genres have been recognized byUNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Uruguayan music includes a number of local musical forms such asmurga, a form of musical theatre, andmilonga, a folk guitar and song form deriving from Spanish and italian traditions and related to similar forms found in many American countries.
Charrúa people used wooden drums,hornpipes, flutes, seashells to play music. Other folk musical instruments aremarimba andmusical bow.[1]
Since colonial times, Uruguay has had its own folk music. Among the most notable countryside musicians areBartolomé Hidalgo,Santiago Chalar,Osiris Rodríguez Castillos,Tabaré Etcheverry,Juan José de Mello,Cacho Labandera,Anselmo Grau,Amalia de la Vega,Marcos Velásquez,Los Cantaclaro,Abel Soria,Julio Gallego,Teresita Minetti, Oscar Ramírez,Luis Arrúa,Carlos Malo, among others.
Tango has been recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The modern field oftango music anddance arose inBuenos Aires,Argentina as well asMontevideo.Carlos Gardel, the great tango singer, was born in France and raised in Buenos Aires, but in 1920 after becoming famous he registered his birthplace as being inTacuarembó, Uruguay, probably to avoid problems with French authorities during an upcoming tour of France.[2] Other Uruguayan tango musicians, among the most important names, were directorFrancisco Canaro and his violinistModesto Ocampo. Also the singerJulio Sosa. One of the best-known tangos in the world, "La Cumparsita", was written by Uruguayan composerGerardo Matos Rodríguez. Modern tango includes the late poetHoracio Ferrer, who contributed lyrics to several of the most important tango works by Argentinian composerAstor Piazzolla; celebrated singer-songwriterMalena Muyala andValeria Lima. As did Piazzolla, Uruguayan composerMiguel del Aguila has also elevated tango to the classical music level in chamber and orchestral works like Concierto en Tango (Grammy nominated 2015), Tango Trio, Salon Buenos Aires (Grammy nominated 2010), Disagree! and many other works. The Uruguayan-Argentinian bandBajofondo is a multi-award winning project which aims to create a more contemporary version of tango and other musical styles of the Río de la Plata region.Juan Campodónico'sCampo consists of a mix of musical styles, including tango, which released album was nominated for aMTV Europe Music Awards, theGrammys, andLatin Grammys.
Candombe has recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Candombe originates from theRío de la Plata, where Africanslaves brought their dances and percussion music. The wordtango then referred to the traditional drums and dances, as well as the places where dancing occurred. Candombe rhythms are produced by drum ensembles, known ascuerdas, which include dozens of drummers and feature three drum sizes: tambor repique, tambor chico and tambor piano, known astambores de candombe.
Popular candombe musicians includeHugo Fattoruso andRubén Rada. Fattoruso has been a longtime part of both the Uruguayan andLatin American music scene, including as a member of rock bandLos Shakers, andswing band The Hot Blowers, as well as BrazilianMilton Nascimento and theLatin jazz andAcid Jazz groupOpa. It was in the 1970s the most important Latin band in the United States according to the magazineDown Beat.
The Afro-Uruguayan rhythm Candombe has played a significant role in Uruguayan culture for over 200 years. The rhythm is created by the use of three drums (tambores); tambor piano, tambor chico and tambor repique. The piano is the largest in size and the lowest in pitch of the three tambores. The rhythmic base of Candombe, its function similar to that of the upright or electric bass. The chico (literally "small") is the smallest in size and highest in pitch of the three tambores, serving as the rhythmic pendulum. The tambor repique (ricochet) embellishes Candombe's rhythm with improvised phrases. Each of the three tambores is played with an open hand (mano) and a stick (palo) in the other. At a minimum, one of each of the three tambores must be present.
The purest form of Candombe takes place each Sunday night on the streets of Montevideo, where many drummers assemble, playing their drums under the moonlit sky.Isla de Flores is the main street that joins Cuareim and Ansina, Candombe's two main social groups. For over a century spontaneous cuerdas have paraded on this street, and continue to do so today (Isla de Flores is also known by its other name, Carlos Gardel). As the cuerda slowly makes its way through the narrow streets of Montevideo, this contagious rhythm takes with it all in its path, surrounded on all sides by the neighborhood people moving their bodies to the rhythm of Candombe. At intervals the cuerda will pause, and by setting a fire, will heat their drums' skins for tuning purposes.
The milonga was an Argentine/Uruguayan style of song that was popular in the 1870s. The milonga was derived from an earlier style of singing known as the 'payada de contrapunto'.
The song was set to a lively2
4 tempo, and often included musical improvisation. Over time, dance steps and other musical influences were added, eventually giving rise to thetango. Milonga music is still used for dancing, but the milonga dancing of today is derivative of tango.
Murga is a kind of Montevidean musical theatre forCarnival celebrations. A traditional murga group comprises a chorus and three percussionists and this is the type of murga performed on stages at Carnival. The singers perform in harmony using up to five vocal parts. Vocal production tends to be nasal and loud with little variation in volume. The percussion instruments, derived from the European military band, are thebombo (a shallow bass drum worn at the waist and played horizontally),redoblante (snare drum) andplatillos (cymbals). The two most important pieces of the performance are the opening song (saludo) and the exit song (retirada ordespedida).
Canto popular (popular song), which arose around 1975, eschewed contemporary instrumentation, including electric instruments, allowing only native styles and rhythms. This can be compared to Spanish-language singer-songwriter developments likenueva canción,nueva trova andtropicalismo.Daniel Viglietti was by far the most important Uruguayan exponent of canto popular; his song "A Desalambrar" became an international popular classic. Canto popular peaked in about 1977.
Uruguayan artists involved in canto popular includeAlfredo Zitarrosa,El Sabalero andLos Olimareños.
Candombe beat began in the late 1960s withEl Kinto, a band featuringRuben Rada andEduardo Mateo. Emerging at the same time asLos Shakers they forged their own identity with very little Western influence. The beat ofcandombe formed the rhythm,bossa nova played a large role in its chords and structure, as did traditional Uruguayan folk music.[3] Mateo and Rada would both go on to have successful solo careers, and the music's influence would play a large role inPopular Music andUruguayan rock.Totem was the most important group of Candombe Beat in the early 1970s. One of the later exponents of candombe beat wasJaime Roos whose popularity in Uruguay began in the 1970s and has continued through to the 21st century.
By mid-2015, the Uruguayan bandsRombai andMárama of the emerging subgenrecumbia pop enjoyed great success all over Latin America even before publishing their first albums; particularly in their home country and in Argentina, where in a given moment they had together nine songs at theSpotify Top Ten ranking.[4] Other Uruguayan bands of success are:Toco Para Vos,VI-EM, Toco Para Bailar and Golden Rocket.
Rock and roll first broke into Uruguayan audiences with the arrival of British bandThe Beatles in the early 1960s. A wave of bands appeared in Montevideo, includingLos Shakers,Los Mockers,Los Iracundos andLos Malditos, who became major figures in the so-calledUruguayan Invasion of Argentina.[5] With the coming of the military dictatorship in 1973, the Uruguayan rock scene effectively died; since the mid-1980s it has resurged. Since the beginning of the 2000s Uruguayan rock has achieved a great popularity. Popular bands likeLa Vela Puerca,No Te Va Gustar,El Cuarteto de Nos,La Trampa orBuitres have a massive following in theSouthern Cone. Annual festivals throughout the country likePilsen Rock inDurazno,Semana de Lavalleja and Minas & Abril inMinas, or Semana de la Cerveza inPaysandú, peaked more than 100,000 people several years with some of those groups as closing guests.Other important bands areTrotsky Vengaran,Hereford,Once Tiros,Bufón,La Triple Nelson andLa Tabaré. Indie and alternative artists includeJuan Wauters andThe Islingtons.
The modern conductorsGisele Ben-Dor andCarlos Kalmar are renowned in their field.Abel Carlevaro, a classical guitar virtuoso performer is worldwide known for having established a new school of instrumental technique. Among the best-known composers of Uruguay we findEduardo Fabini,Miguel del Aguila,Luis Cluzeau Mortet andHector Tosar.
There are several classical orchestras performing countrywide. The SODRE (acronym for "Official Service for broadcasting Radio, TV, and Performing Arts") is the main institution generating cultural activities for the whole country. Created in 1929, it manages a symphonic orchestra, a chamber music and ballet ensembles, a choir, among others. Among its past artistic directors, was the Uruguayan classical composer,Pedro Ipuche Riva.[6]Montevideo's City Hall has several orchestras performing classical as well as popular music, like the Orquesta Filarmónica de Montevideo.
The Oscar-winning singer-songwriterJorge Drexler has a prolific career, mostly on the Latin rock genre.Luciano Supervielle has collaborated with him, as well as withJuan Campodónico and is a member ofBajofondo.
Since 1997La Teja Pride (stylized aslatejapride* orltp*) is an alternative hip hop band/collective from Montevideo. In the 1990sEl Peyote Asesino was also a prominent hip-hop band, andPlátano Macho also ventured into rap.
Goodfellas also known as 'Buenos Muchachos' is an alternative rock band from Montevideo.
Latin rock bandAbuela Coca alongsideChala Madre are the most representative reggae bands; both also mix ska and rock.
Santé Les Amis is a six-member project, born in 2007 in Montevideo, leading the electronic, disco punk and rock pop music in the country.
Fede Graña & Los Prolijos developed polka, folk rock and funk.
Reytoro is a thrash and heavy metal band. Meanwhile, the metal bandCuchilla Grande defines its style as "metalcriollo".
The singer-songwriterPablo Sciuto has a long history and prolific career, working together with important artists in the world.
