Similarity between Celtic and Andean music
Iskandar Taib
the radio - a Bolivian group called Rumillajta.
What is it about Andean music that makes it sound so "Irish" or
"Celtic"? The instruments, while not identical, sound similar - one of
the pieces on that tape had what sounded like Kim Roberson's harp,
although it was likely a guitar or charango. The Quenya sounds
(sonically and in description) like a pennywhistle. The rythms and
melodic sensibilities are pretty close. All I can say is that if you
happen to like Relativity, Capercaille, Clannad or Ceolbeg you'll very
likely find the likes of Rumillajta and Ukamae Amerindia to your
liking (though they don't sound like, say, Altan). Its not just me
either - A friend of mine from Argentina made a comment about my
Celtic music CDs when he heard them for the first time - he thought
they sounded very Peruvian! It'd be interesting to see what would come
of it if some of these musicians got together and collaborated....
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Iskandar Taib | The only thing worse than Peach ala
Internet: NT...@SILVER.UCS.INDIANA.EDU | Frog is Frog ala Peach
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Rosa Michaelson
is that it sometimes sounds plaintive to me. The scales are not the
same - and the instruments are totally different, the contexts are also
very different. Andean music is often performed for sacred reasons - I don't
remember many work songs or formal set dances.
There are good flute tunes for tending sheep which ought to be found in 'Celtic'
music. These are not found in Scotland but the Galician or Breton pipe & whistle
repetoire - perhaps due to differing types of industrialisation and
the loss of earlier forms. They do have spanish
influences for some waltz types and polkas - not what Rumillajta tend to play.
On the other hand Rumillajta has toured Scotland about 7 times and stayed
with a friend in Edinburgh most times - Fiona runs Heartbeat which brings
'world music' to Scotland.
Maybe they picked up some Scotish influences...I doubt it.
The Chiftans seemed to think that Chinese folk music was pentatonic &
very like Irish music. This was a very broad-based interpretation.
It seems to me that the more 'emotive' one is about music and one's response -
- or the less culturallly or socially centered about the performance of
that music-
the more one tends towards the 'music as universal language' utterence...
Aguilar Aguilar
No written language
animist beliefs
Belief in Sacred mountains
Shamanistic-Priestly caste
Chased from their homelands. The Celts by Romans and the Andeans by the Spanish