Joropo, the National Song and Dance of Venezuela

Joropo is considered the national song and dance of Venezuela. Joropo is rooted in the Spanish music of the 17th and 18th centuries, such as various types of fandangos, folías, peteneras, jotas and malagueñas. Spanish sailors, settlers and minstrels arrived to current day Venezuela and their folk music incorporated indigenous and African elements. The word joropo was coined first in Venezuela, and the first joropo performers appeared in coastal Venezuela. Eventually, joropo extended throughout all of Venezuela and became a symbol of Venezuelan national identity. Joropo also expanded into a quarter of Colombia’s territory.

Joropo is performed with vocals or in instrumental form. There are three types of joropo classified by region. Each variant has different instrumentation and style. These include the joropo oriental (eastern joropo), joropo central and the joropo llanero (plains joropo).

Joropo music features both slower, more lyrical songs called pasajes and faster tunes called golpes. The hallmarks of the traditional joropo singer are a powerful voice that can handle the fast, hard-edged vocal style and the ability to improvise the lyrics.

Joropo Subgenres

Joropo oriental – Venezuelan version of the genre that is characterized by an improvisational style of singing, a variety of stringed instruments such as the bandola, mandolin, guitar, and cuatro plus a regionally distinct style of maracas that provides the only percussive element.

Joropo llanero – Los Llanos, the broad plains of western Venezuela and eastern Colombia, watered by the Orinoco River and its tributaries, are home to música llanera (literally, “plains music”). This genre is part of the engaging musical traditions created by ranching people with a love for cattle, horses, music, and dance. At the heart of this region’s music is joropo, a hard-driving music that brilliantly showcases the percussive capabilities of stringed instruments and the musician’s ability to improvise.

The main instrument of llanera music is perhaps an unexpected one – the harp. Introduced to South America in the 18th century by the Spaniards, in the hands of the llanero, or plains cowboy, the harp became a percussive engine that serves as the backbone of música llanera

Joropo llanero ensembles are generally comprised of the harp, the bandola llanera (a four-stringed pear-shaped guitar), the small four-stringed cuatro, contrabajo (acoustic bass), rounded out by maracas (gourd rattles) and vocals.

As rural llaneros and musicians have migrated to cities for economic opportunities, the music of the plains has gained prominence in Venezuela and Colombia and is now a part of the commercial music industry and festivals Música llanera has become an expression of regional pride.

Sources: Claudia Calderón Sáenz, Richmond Folk Festival, Old Town School of Folk Music

Author: Angel Romero

Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.