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Colombian music terminology
Colombian music terminology includes words derived from Spanish and other languages.
aguelulo: A teenage gathering, originally held in private homes and then larger spaces; a teenager who frequented such a place was a aguelero or sometimes a cocacolos, after the main beverage drunk at aguelulos, Coca Cola
musica andina: An early national style of the 19th and early 20th centuries, developed from the Andean interior
musica antillana: A kind of popular dance music based on Cuban and Puerto Rican styles
audicion: literally listening, can refer to a "special musical tribute to the career of a particular artist or group", performed before the beginning of a concert
baile: Literally, dance, dances are alphabetized under their descriptor, e.g. baile de cuota is alphabetized under cuota
bambuco: An Andean style of dance music, perceived as a national music in the early 20th centuryBurton, Kim. "El Sonido Dorado". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 2: Latin & North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific, pp 372-385. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0, or an Andean lyric music performed along with pasillo as a common part of the musica andina repertoire
balada: In popular music, refers to a kind of "Spanish romantic popular music", found across Latin America
bandola: A stringed instrument similar to a mandolin, used in llanera and musica andina
bandolin: A larger relative of the bandola
bingo bailable: A dance that includes bingo games and salsa music
bolero: A loose term for love ballads
bombo: A drum used in folklore groups on the Atlantic coast, laid with sticks and used to start a performance by calling on the other drums to perform; a bass drum used in traditional cumbia ensembles
bugalu: An early form of New York salsa, popular in Colombia during the 1960s, a fusion of son with rhythm and blues
bullerengue: A Costeno form, performed by flute-and-drum ensemblescaja vallenata: A vallenato drum originally made from goatskin
calle de las salsotecas: Literally, salsoteca street, referring to Calle 44, a three mile long road in Cali, referring to the numerous salsotecas and tabernas along the street, known for featuring salsa dura and Cuban music during the 1980s and 90s
caballo: A rhythmic pattern played on the conga]]
camajan: An alternate term for the pachuco
campanero: A performer of the cowbell, notably played by audience members along with the on-stage performer
musica caribena: A rarely-used synonym for musica antillana
carrilera: A form of guitar-based music from the Antioquia province, associated "with the urbanizing peasant or working class"
carrito: Small, streetside vendors of recorded music
carrizo: A form of Colombian folk flute
champeta: A form of rootsy music from the Pacific coastal city of Cartagena, where an Afro-Colombian population developed the style; an Afro-Colombian style associated with Cartagena and Barranquilla, which combines elements of African pop, soca, zouk, mbaqanga and soukous
champus bailable: A Caleno tradition of house parties, which began in the 1930s and were usually held on Sundays; champu, a beverage made from pineapple, corn, bitter orange leaves and a fruit called lulo
chande: A Costenoform, performed by flute-and-drum ensembles
chirimia: A kind of ensemble found in the northwest corner of Choco province chucu-chucu: An alternate term for raspa cokacolo: A teenage dancer at a aguelulo contrapunteo: An improvised, verbal duel musica colombiana': Colombian music, formerly understood to refer to musica andina in the 19th and early 20th century, when that style was perceived as a national musicbaile de cuota: A type of dance party in Cali's working class neighborhoods during the mid-20th century
cuatro: A small guitar, used in llanera
currulao: A marimba-based music found along the southwest littoral Valle, Cauca and Narino provinces of Colombia, as well as Esmeraldas in Ecuador
cumbia: A form of nation music, originally from the Atlantic coast and characterized by a "solidly grounded and complex layered rhythm with an airily syncopated melody"
empanada bailable: An alternate term for champu bailable, referring to the empanadas often served
fandango: A Costenosong form, performed by flute-and-drum ensembles
festivales: Community dances in Cali, held in neighborhood dance halls or pavilions fiesta patronales: Saints days flauto de millo: See millo, flauto de gaita: A folk flute; a Costeno form, performed by flute-and-drum ensembles; conjunto de gaita is a traditional cumbia ensembleguabina: A kind of musica andina
guacharaca: A scraper, common in vallenato
guache: Rattles made from filling metal or gourd tubes with seeds
guateque: Originally a Cuban word referring to a rural campesino party, which came to refer to a form of salsa dura, characterized by "slow, grinding son montunos with heavy bass and percussion; associated also with El guateque de la salsa (The Salsa Party), a popular radio show from 1989 to 1993
musica de la interior: An Andean style, often used synonymously with bambuco, characterized by a gentle and melodic sound and a well-developed melody at the expense of rhythmic complexity
joropo: Originally a folk dance performed in honor of saints days and other special occasions, such as birthdays and baptism; now more often a generic word for llanera based dance music; a courtship dance associated with central Colombia and that region's cowboy culture, a "dynamic, polyrhythmic mestizo style that fuses Andalusian, African and indigenous elements"
kiosco: A community pavilion, used for musical performances
llamador: A drum, traditionally used in cumbia as well as modern musica tropical
llanera: A form of harp-led music
marimbula: A low-pitched thumb piano
flauto de millo: A folk clarinet of the Atlantic coast
melomano: A "music aficionado"
musica: Literally music, music forms are alphabetized by their descriptor, e.g. musica antillana is alphabetized under antillana
musica de negros: Literally ''black people's music, a pejorative term used by the elite to deride musics such as musica antillana
nueva ola: Literally new wave, a kind of pop-baladaperformed by romantic crooners, which peaked in the 1960s and 70s orquesta: A dance band orquesta femenina: An all-female dance ensemble orquesta infantile: An all-child dance ensemble orquesta juvenile: An all-youth dance ensemble pachanga: An early form of New York salsa, popular in Colombia during the 1960s, especially in the city of Cali pachuco: An iconic figure, a "ruffian and a hustler... an antihero", especially important in the culture surrounding the Zona de Tolerancia parrandero: A typical lyrical focus of the more macho side of popular cumbia, referring to a boasting, aggressive and sexual "party-going man"pasillo: A lyric song form from the Andean region
el paso Caleno: A traditional dance step from the city of Cali, characterized by a "rapid 'double-time' shuffle on the tips of the toes"
pasta americana: Carrito slang referring to the thicker and higher quality vinyl of American records
pico: Derived from the English pickup, a large sound system among DJs in Cartagena and Barranquilla during the 1980s
pop tropical: A form of mid-1990s pop-salsa
porro: A village brass band; a song form performed by the flute-and-drum ensembles of the Atlantic coast region, as well as mid-20th century urban dance orquestas
raspa: A simplied form of musica tropical which emerged in the late 1960s
refajo: A street slang from the Zona de Tolerancia in Cali
rock en espanol: Spanish language rock music, most closely associated with the cities of Bogota and Medellin in Colombia
rumba: Partying or merry-making, compare to rumbero, a party
salsa: A Spanish Caribbean dance music created in New York City using elements of Afro-Cuban and Puerto Rican music, a combination known in Colombia as musica antillana
salsibiri: A term coined by Fruko to describe his own style
salsoteca: A venue that plays salsa serenata: A pan-Latin tradition of street serenades performed by small groups of instrumentalists, especially guitarists tambor hembra: The lead frum of the Atlantic coast drum choirs tambor macho: A conga-like drum that leads the basic rhythm of the Atlantic coast drum choirs terapia: An alternate term for champeta musica tropical: A form of salsa-based music innovated by Joe Arroyo; a form of dance music based on various Atlantic coast genres tiple: A small stringed instrument, used in llanera and musica andina vallenato: A form of accordion-based music, related to musica tropicaland cumbia, and originally associated with the Atlantic Coast vallenato-protesta: A form of vallenato-based protest song verbena: Free street parties held during the December Feria and sponsored by the city of Cali viejoteca: Dance parties, originally appearing in 1993 for senior citizens but later appealing to middle-aged partygoers and finally abandoning any age restrictions; these viejotecasbecame associated with a revival of the aguelulosand nightclub scenes of the 1960s and 70s; originally from Cali, viejotecashave spread to Medellin and Cartagena zarzuela'': OperettasNeed more information for your travel research or homework?
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