Salta's Folklore: The Soul of Northwest Argentina
Salta is the capital of Argentine folklore music — the zamba, the chacarera, and the baguala are the three great musical forms of the northwest; the Salta peñas where these forms are performed live, the Cosquín Folk Festival connection, and the great folklore composers associated with the city make Salta the heart of Argentina's folk musical soul
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Zamba
Zamban — Argentina's most beloved folk dance and song form — is a flowing, romantic dance for couples using handkerchiefs (pañuelos); the woman's white skirt circles as the couple approach, retreat and circle each other in the three phases of the dance; zamban's lyrics are poetic, often evoking the landscape of the northwest and the melancholy of separation
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Mercedes Sosa Legacy
Mercedes Sosa — 'La Negra' — was born in Tucumán (next to Salta) and became the greatest folk singer in Argentine history; her interpretations of zambas, bagualas and chacareras from the northwestern Argentine repertoire are canonical; Sosa's voice and her commitment to social justice through music make her the defining figure in the Argentine folk tradition
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Atahualpa Yupanqui
Atahualpa Yupanqui – the greatest folk composer in Argentine history – spent his formative years in Tucumán and the Northwest; his songs about the country, the gauchon and the indigenous people of the northwest are the philosophical foundation of Argentine folk music; the UNESCO-recognized Yupanqui catalog is one of the most important archives of 20th-century popular songs
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Bombo Legüero
The bombo legüero—a double-sided drum made from the hollow trunk of a locust tree, with goatskin heads—is the quintessential percussion instrument of northwest Argentine folk music; the deep boom of the bomb supports the chacarera and the chaya; The instrument's construction from indigenous materials and its role in outdoor festivals give it a distinct Andean character
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Baguala and Canto Ceremony
Baguala—a pre-Columbian solo song form from the Salta and Jujuy highlands—is the oldest surviving musical tradition in Argentina; the singer (accompanied only by a small drum, caja) improvises on the mountain scenery, personal feeling and daily life; The baguala's modal scale and its stark simplicity connect it directly to Andean indigenous vocal traditions
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Peña La Casona del Molino
La Casona del Molino — Salta's most celebrated peña — has hosted live folk music since the 1960s; the venue (in a converted colonial mill) serves food and wine while Salta's finest folk musicians perform zamba, chacarera and vidala; the audience participates — sings along, dances between tables and shares friends; Casona is the soul of Salta's folk music culture