Notes on Ethnomusicology in Venezuela

Abstract

Venezuela has extensive areas populated by aborigines who either remain uncivilized or who are in the process of acculturation. There are tribes like the Yanoama of the Federal Territory of Amazonas who are hunters in the paleo-Indian tradition; the Warao of the Orinoco Delta who are both hunters and fishers in the meso-Indian tradition; and various tribes of the Carib families, the Arawacos, and even the Chibchas (for example, the Motilones), who are cultivators in the neolithic tradition. All of these Indians have music and nearly all possess musical instruments. The first scientific study of the music of the Indians in Venezuela was undertaken by Erich M. von Hornbostel, who transcribed and analyzed the valuable collection of indigenous music recorded by Theodor Koch-Grfinberg during his voyages in northern Brazil and Venezuela, in the years 1911 to 1913, sponsored by the Baessler-Institut of Berlin. Koch-Griinberg's first report was published in 2 vols., 1909-10, under the title Zwei jahr unter den Indianern (revised and reissued in one volume, Stuttgart, 1923, under the title Zwei jahre bei den Indianern nordwest-Brasiliens). But the more important work for Venezuelan ethnology is his Vom Roroima zum Orinoco, published in 3 vols. (Berlin, D. Reimer, 1917-28), which contains, Musik der Masuschi, Taulipang und Yekuana von Erich M. v. Hornbostel (aus dem phonogramm-archiv im psychologischen institut der Universitait Berlin, (vol. 3, pp. 307-440). Descriptions of Indians' songs and dances are given in vol. 3, pp. 154-166, together with translations into German of the song-texts, by Koch-Griinberg. A Spanish translation of Hornbostel's appendix was made by Dr. Federica de Ritter in Caracas and was published in the Archivos Venezolanos de Folklore (Affo IV-V, Tomo III, No. 1, 1955-56). In addition to analyzing 37 melodies, Hornbostel studies the corresponding musical instruments, which are illustrated with drawings. In 1934 the original cylinder recordings were transferred from the University of Berlin to the Museum fiir V6lkerkunde. In Venezuela, Dr. Lisandro Alvarado (1858-1929), a many-sided man of science whose interests ranged from medicine to linguistics, from history to ethnology, published a useful work titled Datos Etnogr~ificos de Venezuela (Biblioteca Venezolana de Cultura, 1945), which contains a chapter on the music of the Venezuelan Indians, dealing mainly with musical instruments. It also includes resumes of accounts of indigenous music from various travellers and observers of the last century. Alvarado also compiled three Glosarios, of which the most pertinent is the Glosario de voces indfgenas de Venezuela (Caracas, 1953), containing numerous descriptions of instruments and festivals.