Paraguayan music
Naomi Martín
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Characteristics & main genders
Instruments
Composers
Paraguayan dances
Characteristics
Paraguayan music is very unique, different from
the rest of the latin american folk music. Its
origin is related to Central European folk music
of the 18th century.
Its more typical instrument is the paraguayan
harp.
Main musical genders
There are two main genders:The Polka and the
Guarania.
-The Polka: It came from Europe during the colonial
period. The paraguayan polka has a ternary rhythm
six-eight. Example: ‘Pájaro Campana’
-The Guarania: Developed by José Asunción Flores
around the 20s of last century. Its a composition of a
slower pace than the polka and is not danceable.
Example: ‘Recuerdos de Ypacarai’.
Instruments
The main instruments are the harp, the guitar and
requinto. But the most characteristic instrument
is the paraguayan harp, which is very different
from the classical concert harp.
The Harp
The typical paraguayan harp has 36 to 38 strings,
and is made of hard wooden of the country.
The parts that require more toughness are made of
cedarwood,tuning pegs are made with Jacarandá
and the box is made with pine wood.
The most famous composition for the harp is the
musical piece called ‘Pájaro campana’.
Composers
There are plenty of them, but the most well
known are:
Teodoro S. Mongelós: “Minero Sapukai”
Maneco Galeano:“Despertar”
Agustin Pio Barrios: “Danza paraguaya”
Felix Perez Cardozo: “Tren lechero”
José Asunción Flores: “Arribeño resay”