Chilean Music

Chilean music is the focus of my current research so it has not been easy deciding what to present in this course and what must, of necessity, be left out, but I am somewhat satisfied that we will be studying some of the most important musical artists of several different periods of Chile's history during the last half century.


Violeta Parra played an integral part in the formation of the 'Chilean New Song' which was a recovery and renewal of Chilean folk music that was strongly associated with social justice causes. Violeta Parra's life was fascinated and is the subject of a 2011 biopic called Violeta Went to Heaven. You can find the link to it on Moodle. We will be visiting the Violeta Parra Museum in Santiago.
Here is a link to her song Al centro de la injusticia (At the center of injustice)

Don't worry about understanding the lyrics of the songs that I'm posting here right now. We will be talking about and listening to more music in Chile, and I will provide English translations of all of the songs that we cover. For now I just want you to hear the music.

Víctor Jara was also a part of the Chilean New Song movement and, along with other artists and groups of the movement, played an important role in Salvador Allende's 1970 presidential election and in promoting Allende's presidency. As a result of his activism, Jara was detained, tortured, and assassinated during the 1973 coup. Below are links to a documentary about Jara filmed in England in 1974 and featuring segments of an interview with his British born wife, Joan Jara.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4


Here is a link to one of my favorite songs by Víctor Jara: Móvil Oil Special
And here is a song that Jara dedicated to Ernesto 'Che' Guevara: El aparecido


Los Prisioneros was a rock/punk band that in the 1980s had an important impact both in the socio-political sphere in Chile and in the international Rock in Spanish movement throughout Latin America and Spain. Their controversial songs challenged the repressive policies of the Pinochet regime and were frequently used by protesters of the military dictatorship.


Here is a links to a song that comments on the problematic relationship between Latin America and the United States. Latinoamérica es un pueblo al sur de los Estados Unidos

And here is a link to a song criticizing Pinochet's hosting of U.S. televangelist Jimmy Swaggart in 1987: Invitado de honor

Ana Tijoux is an internationally known hip-hop artist who was born in 1977 in France to parents living there in political exile from the Pinochet dictatorship. Her music reflects her passionate feminist and anti-capitalist ideals.

Here is a link to an interview with Ana Tijoux in English, and another interview with Democracy Now!

And here are two of her songs: 1977 and Shock.

Assignment:

View the videos on Violeta Parra and Victor Jara, read the wikipedia page on Los Prisioneros and the Democracy Now article about Ana Tijoux.

Blog Post #9:
For this assignment write about each of the artists in your own words and describe how each of the artists responds to the political and social realities of their time. Write one paragraph per artist (for a total of 4.) Then explain about the reasons why you think each of these artists or groups is an essential part of Chilean culture. Ask questions about things you do not understand or are not sure of. Due date 12/24