Traditional / folk music of Uruguay

Uruguay, the same as many other countries in South America was under the rule of Spain. The main Indian tribe of Uruguay is Charrúa people. They are semi-gypsy people who lives with fishing and hunting. Another important tribe is Minuane in Uruguay. Spain started the colonization from 1624 until the dependent of Uruguay on 1825. After that the country passed through many years of military dictatorship until 1985 and then democratic government established. Since then Uruguay has been experienced a stable political and economic situation. José Mujica maybe one of the popular presidents in the world. He was president from 2010 until 2015.

The folk music in Uruguay based on its history, comes from Spanish music, Afro music from African slaves and music of Charrúa people. This gives the folk music an amazing combination. The folk music of Uruguay is tighten to its bigger brother Argentina. Most of the population are residents inside and around Montevideo (the capital), sister of Buenos Aires, just across the River Plate. The tango is one of the most well-known folk music of Uruguay which is slightly different from tango in Argentina. Some of the notable type of folk music in Uruguay are here:

Uruguayan tango

This type of folk music maybe the most well-known type of folk music from Uruguay. It is said that the word "Tango", originally was used to describe native drumming and the places where dancing was being performed. It is also said that tango has black roots. It is type of folk music and also folk dance. The dance is also performed by other type of folk music in Uruguay like Milonga, Vals and Candombe. Tango originated in poor areas of Montevideo around 1880 and went to other parts of the country and also Buenos Aires in Argentina. This type of folk music has been recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Milonga

This type of folk music has centuries of history. This music derived from another genre named Payada de contrapunto, near the area named Río de la Plata. It was popular in 1870. It has a lively tempo which accompanied by dancing which later mixed with other types of dance. The music usually also has improvisation too.

Candombe

This type of folk music has a strong beat so the body cannot avoid moving and swaying. The groups who play this music has many drummers in different sizes. The music and the dance comes from the Afro slaves of Uruguay and it has complicated choreography accompanied with a wild rhythms, freely improvised steps, and energetic, athletic movements. The same as tango, it has been recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. It is also originated from the Río de la Plata.

Payada

This type of folk music is also from both Uruguay and Argentina. It is also used in Chile and South Brazil. In Uruguay on 24th August is the "Day of Payador". Payador is the name of the person who perform this type of folk music. It is a performance of improvised verse usually accompanied by guitar. In the performances two or more payadores will compete to produce the most eloquent verse. It is like a duel in singing and making poems with questions and answers style.

Nueva canción

This type of music is a music movement started from Chile on 60s but then moved to many other South American countries. Uruguay has strong tradition of Nueva canción which means "New song". The music is about the social, political and human rights topics and it is common between the left parties. Some of the most significant musicians of Nueva canción in Uruguay are Daniel Viglietti and Alfredo Zitarrosa.

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