La Nueva Canción Chilena
random trip report

La Nueva Canción Chilena (New Chilean Song) is the musical voice of a social/political movement that lived in Chile in the 1960s and early 70s. The movement championed labor organization, land reform, anti-racism, and anti-imperialism. It supported the North Vietnamese in their struggle against the U.S.

Pinochet and the Fascist military junta seized power in Chile on Sept. 11, 1973. The New Chilean Song movement (along with most leftist political and social organizations) was destroyed, and its leaders murdered. The CIA and other U.S. agencies were heavily involved in installing Pinochet and keeping him in power. His thugs learned torture techniques at the U.S.-sponsored School of Americas. Makes you proud to be an American, doesn't it?

Rolando Alarcón

My favorite artist in this genre is Rolando Alarcón. His music speaks to me like nothing else. Here are a couple of my favorites:

Parabien de la Paloma [lyrics (Spanish/English)]
02 - El trigo [lyrics (Spanish/English)]
04 - Cueca larga del norte [lyrics (Spanish/English)]

See also:

Violeta, Isabel and Angel Parra

Violeta Parra was the mother of La Nueva Canción Chilena.

Victor Jara

Jara is perhaps the best-known of the Nueva Cancion singer/songwriters. He was killed shortly after the Pinochet coup. From http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0808-30.htm:
On the morning of September 12 1973, Jara was detained, along with thousands of Chileans, and then held prisoner at the Estadio Chile (renamed 'Estadio Víctor Jara' in September 2003) where he was repeatedly beaten and tortured, resulting in the breaking of bones in his hands and upper torso. Fellow political prisoners have testified that his captors, as he lay on the ground after the beating, mockingly suggested that he play guitar for them. Defiantly, he sang part of a hymn supporting the Unidad Popular.
I don't have much of his music - but I probably should.


El Aparecido (About Che, though not explicitly)

Los Cuatro Cuartos

Kristina: "Los Cuatro Cuartos are a vocal group. They perform Chilean folk and pieces by some Chilean nueva canción artists. I recently remembered that they had a lot to do with why I became interested in Rolando Alarcón. Rolando gave them Doña Javiera Carrera and El negro cachimbo to perform. I think their versions of his songs are lovely and energetic. "


Bandido (written by Patricio Manns)
El negro cachimbo
Javiera Carrera

Jaime Atria


 La Violeta y la Parra

Other musicians

  • Patricio Manns
  • The groups Inti-Illimani and Quilapayun
  • Armando Tejada Gomez (Argentine; I don't know anything about him but looks interesting)

web resources

Informational sites

Lyrics

Recordings

  • www.delcanton.com
  • www.feriadeldisco.cl. This was where I found No Juegues. They have the most complete selection.
  • Pueblo Music (Davis)
  • www.timba.com. They have three Alarcon CDs: "Todo", "Rolando Alarcon y Sus Canciones", and "Canciones do la Guerra Civil de Espana". I bought all three. The first two are almost identical - same songs. None of the songs from the Ecuador tapes are on these CDs.
  • Alerce. A Chilean record company (with an online store) that sells the above 2 CDs, and various other La Nueva Canción Chilena music.
  • Faro A site in Argentina that has some Violeta/Isabel Parra CDs.
  • http://www.folkways.si.edu/genre2.htm. They have a 1960 recording of traditional Chilean folksongs.
  • www.nuevacancion.net: Mostly "under construction", but lots of info about recent CD releases of Victor Jara.
  • Some songs by Victor Jara that are not commercially available.
  • Gourmet Musical little Chilean, buts lots of south american music.

The following store may have something: 

MUSICALES ZENTENO
Dirección : AVENIDA JOSE MIGUEL CARRERA # 6563 LOCAL B-3
Comuna : PEDRO AGUIRRE CERDA
Ciudad : SANTIAGO
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Copyright 2009 © David P. Anderson