The music of Latin America refers to music originating from Latin America, namely the Romance-speaking regions of the Americas south of the United States. Latin American music also incorporates African music from enslaved African people who were transported from West and Central Africa to the Americas by European settlers, as well as music from the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. Due to its highly syncretic nature, Latin American music encompasses a wide variety of styles, including influential genres such as cumbia, bachata, bossa nova, merengue, rumba, salsa, samba, son, and tango. During the 20th century, many styles were influenced by the music of the United States giving rise to genres such as Latin pop, rock, jazz, hip hop, and reggaeton.
The Music of Peru is an amalgamation of sounds and styles drawing on Peru's Andean, Spanish, and African roots. Andean influences can perhaps be best heard in wind instruments and the shape of the melodies, while the African influences can be heard in the rhythm and percussion instruments, and European influences can be heard in the harmonies and stringed instruments. Pre-Columbian Andean music was played on drums and string instruments, like the European pipe and tabor tradition. Andean tritonic and pentatonic scales were elaborated during the colonial period into hexatonic, and in some cases, diatonic scales.
A cajón is a box-shaped percussion instrument originally from Peru, played by slapping the front or rear faces with the hands, fingers, or sometimes implements such as brushes, mallets, or sticks. Cajones are primarily played in Afro-Peruvian music, but have made their way into flamenco as well. The term cajón is also applied to other box drums used in Latin American music, such as the Cuban cajón de rumba and the Mexican cajón de tapeo.
Afro-Peruvian music, or Música negra, is a type of Latin American music first developed in Peru by enslaved black people from West Africa, where it is known as música criolla. The genre is a mix of West African and Spanish music.
Lucila J. Sarsines Reyes, was a Peruvian performer and one of the most respected singers of her country, one of Peru's most famous Afro-Peruvian personalities as well as a symbol of Peruvian nationalism both in Peru and to expatriates. She was also known by the pseudonyms "La Morena de Oro del Perú", given to her by Augusto Ferrando, and "La Reina de la Popularidad". She is well known for her voice and her music has gone through history as some of the best in the history of Peruvian music.
Cueca is a family of musical styles and associated dances from Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia. In Chile, the cueca holds the status of national dance, where it was officially declared as such by the Pinochet dictatorship on September 18, 1979.
Música criolla or canción criolla is a varied genre of Peruvian music that exhibits influences from European, African and Andean music. The genre's name reflects the coastal culture of Peru, and the local evolution of the term criollo, a word originally denoting high-status people of full Spanish ancestry, into a more socially inclusive element of the nation.
Eva María Angélica Ayllón Urbina better known by her stage name Eva Ayllón, is a female composer and singer, one of Peru's foremost Afro-Peruvian musicians, and one of the country's most enduring living legends. She held the record for most nominations without a winning the Latin Grammy Award for Best Folk Album. In 2019, she received the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Felipe Pinglo Alva, known as the father of Peruvian Musica criolla and nicknamed the "Immortal Bard" or, was an influential and prolific poet and songwriter best known for his often covered "El Plebeyo". In Peru and Latin America, Pinglo's name is most often associated with the Peruvian vals criollo, which is a uniquely Peruvian music, characterized by the 3/4 time, elaborate guitar work and lyrics about lost love or the Lima of yesteryear.
María Isabel Granda Larco, better known as Chabuca Granda, was a Peruvian singer and composer. She created and interpreted a vast number of Criollo waltzes with Afro-Peruvian rhythms.
Cecilia Bracamonte Chocano is a Peruvian singer. Her music genre is mainly Peruvian waltz which is the music heard in the main coastal cities. Her singing career spans more than four decades.
Los Troveros Criollos is a Peruvian musical group that is recognized for its contribution to música criolla. Between 1952 and 1961, they recorded a wide range of songs, which became standards within the genre.
"La flor de la canela", commonly translated to the English language as "The Cinnamon Flower", is a Creole waltz composed by the Peruvian singer-songwriter Chabuca Granda.
Óscar Guillermo Avilés Arcos was a Peruvian guitarist, singer, and composer.
Enrique Iturriaga Romero was a Peruvian composer and educator.
"Fina estampa" is a song written in 1956 by the Peruvian singer-songwriter, Chabuca Granda. The song is a Peruvian waltz in the "música criolla" style.
"El puente de los suspiros" is a song written and performed by Chabuca Granda. The song is a Peruvian waltz in the "música criolla" style.
"Cardo o ceniza" is a song written and performed by Chabuca Granda. It was written in 1973 and tells of the passionate desire and shame felt by Chilean singer-songwriter Violeta Parra after being rejected by her lover, Gilbert Favre.
"Lima de veras" is a song written in 1948 by Chabuca Granda. The song is a Peruvian waltz in the "música criolla" style. It was Granda's first published song and is regarded as one of her most important works.
"José Antonio", sometimes also known as "Caballo de paso", is a song written and performed by Chabuca Granda. The song is in the tondero style. It was a tribute to friend of Granda's father and horse breeder who helped save the Peruvian Paso horse.
