Aguinaldo
Encyclopedia
Aguinaldo is a folk
genre
of Christmas
music in Puerto Rico
, and is based on an archaic form of Spanish Christmas carols. Aguinaldo music is often performed by what is called parrandas—a casual group of people, often family or friends, who go from house to house.
, the aguinaldo is a musical gift offered during the Christmas
season and is a tradition inherited from the island's Spanish colonizers. As a musical gift, aguinaldos are mostly played by "parranderos" or "trullas" during the Christmas holidays. This is a practice that is slowly being lost.
Originally, aguinaldos were "villancicos" with strong religious connotations but soon evolved to "coplas
" (quartets) and "decimas" (ten-verses compositions) about all kinds of everyday topics. Aguinaldos were played with typical instruments such as the bordonúa
, a tiple
, a cuatro
, a carracho or güiro
, and maracas
. With bordonua players becoming more difficult to find, the guitar
became a staple accompanying the cuatro. Today, panderos (also known as "plenera
s"), brass instruments and whatever makes noise, are used.
As a genre, the aguinaldo is played mostly on the radio on key Christmas holidays in Puerto Rico; the day before Christmas and in Christmas, on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, and the day before Three Kings Day and on Three King's Day (January 6th). Aguinaldos are also played at Christmas church celebrations.
, the word aguinaldo means a gift and also refers to a genre of Christmas
music. Aguinaldo music is performed throughout the country, not only to commemorate Jesus
but for the joy of Christmas. In different regions, it is accompanied by different musical instruments.
Aguinaldo is the most widespread Christmas musical genre. In many Venezuelan towns, musicians sing in front of the cross
and the pesebre (nativity scene). Aguinaldo music figures into the celebration of the Pastores de San Joaquín, and is common in the Paradura del niño celebrated in the states of Táchira
and Trujillo
.
Aguinaldos often have recognizable melodies of old carols, but set them to different rhythms and use novel instruments. It is for that reason that people talk about the evolution of aguinaldo through síncopas (syncopation
). Aguinaldos use the typical Christmas ensemble (parranda
navideña): the violin
, clarinet
, bandolín, and even accordion
-like instruments. These instruments dominate the prelude and interlude and may duplicate the melody of the song. But the richest aguinaldo music also includes charrasca, chineco, the triangle, drums of one and two patches, panderos, furruco, the cuatro
, the cinco, sometimes the guitar
, and tiple.
Aguinaldos generally have six verses. Some verses are composed beforehand, while others are improvised according to the circumstances.
, the word "aguinaldo" also means gift usually in the form of cash or coins collected by children in small groups that go from house to house singing Christmas carols. Makeshift instruments include tambourines made with tansans (aluminum bottle caps) strung on a piece of wire. With the traditional chant of "Namamasko po!", these carolers wait expectantly for the homeowners to reward them with aguinaldo.
(Parranda) a type of Christmas music that came to Trinidad and Tobago
from Venezuela
. Parranderos announce their arrival in song and seek to gain entry to the houses of family and friends to relate the story of the birth of Christ, and to share in the joy of the message of Peace on Earth and Goodwill to all men.
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
genre
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
of Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
music in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, and is based on an archaic form of Spanish Christmas carols. Aguinaldo music is often performed by what is called parrandas—a casual group of people, often family or friends, who go from house to house.
Puerto Rican aguinaldo
In Puerto RicoPuerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, the aguinaldo is a musical gift offered during the Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
season and is a tradition inherited from the island's Spanish colonizers. As a musical gift, aguinaldos are mostly played by "parranderos" or "trullas" during the Christmas holidays. This is a practice that is slowly being lost.
Originally, aguinaldos were "villancicos" with strong religious connotations but soon evolved to "coplas
Copla (music)
The copla or copla andaluza is a form of Spanish popular song, deriving from the poetic form of the same name. The genre arose in the 1940s, and is epitomized by songwriters Antonio Quintero, Rafael de León and Manuel Quiroga.One of the first singers of coplas was Raquel Meller...
" (quartets) and "decimas" (ten-verses compositions) about all kinds of everyday topics. Aguinaldos were played with typical instruments such as the bordonúa
Bordonua
The Bordonua is a large, deep body bass guitar which is native to Puerto Rico. They are made using several different shapes and sizes....
, a tiple
Tiple
Tiple is the Spanish word for treble or soprano, is often applied to specific instruments, generally to refer to a small chordophone of the guitar family. A tiple player is called a tiplista.-Colombian tiple:...
, a cuatro
Cuatro (instrument)
The cuatro is any of several Latin American instruments of the guitar or lute family. The cuatro is smaller than a guitar. Cuatro means four in Spanish, although current instruments may have more than four strings....
, a carracho or güiro
Güiro
The güiro is a Latin-American percussion instrument consisting of an open-ended, hollow gourd with parallel notches cut in one side. It is played by rubbing a stick or tines along the notches to produce a ratchet-like sound. The güiro is commonly used in Latin-American music, and plays a key role...
, and maracas
Maracás
Maracás is a town and municipality in the state of Bahia in the North-East region of Brazil.-References:...
. With bordonua players becoming more difficult to find, the guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
became a staple accompanying the cuatro. Today, panderos (also known as "plenera
Plenera
The pleneras o panderetas de plena, are a percussion instrument included in the group of Frame drums. These hand drums from Puerto Rico, are usually performed in plena music. There are three sizes, requinto , segundo or punteador of and seguidor ....
s"), brass instruments and whatever makes noise, are used.
As a genre, the aguinaldo is played mostly on the radio on key Christmas holidays in Puerto Rico; the day before Christmas and in Christmas, on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, and the day before Three Kings Day and on Three King's Day (January 6th). Aguinaldos are also played at Christmas church celebrations.
Venezuelan aguinaldo
In VenezuelaVenezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, the word aguinaldo means a gift and also refers to a genre of Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
music. Aguinaldo music is performed throughout the country, not only to commemorate Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
but for the joy of Christmas. In different regions, it is accompanied by different musical instruments.
Aguinaldo is the most widespread Christmas musical genre. In many Venezuelan towns, musicians sing in front of the cross
Cross
A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two lines or bars perpendicular to each other, dividing one or two of the lines in half. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally; if they run obliquely, the design is technically termed a saltire, although the arms of a saltire need not meet...
and the pesebre (nativity scene). Aguinaldo music figures into the celebration of the Pastores de San Joaquín, and is common in the Paradura del niño celebrated in the states of Táchira
Táchira (state)
Táchira State is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. The state capital is San Cristóbal.Táchira State covers a total surface area of 11,100 km² and, in 2007, had an estimated population of 1,177,300....
and Trujillo
Trujillo (state)
Trujillo State is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. Its capital is Trujillo. The state is divided into 20 municipalities and 93 parishes. Trujillo State covers a total surface area of 7,400 km² and, in 2007, had an estimated population of 711,400....
.
Aguinaldos often have recognizable melodies of old carols, but set them to different rhythms and use novel instruments. It is for that reason that people talk about the evolution of aguinaldo through síncopas (syncopation
Syncopation
In music, syncopation includes a variety of rhythms which are in some way unexpected in that they deviate from the strict succession of regularly spaced strong and weak but also powerful beats in a meter . These include a stress on a normally unstressed beat or a rest where one would normally be...
). Aguinaldos use the typical Christmas ensemble (parranda
Parranda
Parranda or Parranda de aguinaldo is a musical form from the coastal area of the states Aragua and Carabobo in Venezuela where the tambora becomes present as the main accompanying instrument in an Afro-Venezuelan influence...
navideña): the violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
, bandolín, and even accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
-like instruments. These instruments dominate the prelude and interlude and may duplicate the melody of the song. But the richest aguinaldo music also includes charrasca, chineco, the triangle, drums of one and two patches, panderos, furruco, the cuatro
Cuatro (instrument)
The cuatro is any of several Latin American instruments of the guitar or lute family. The cuatro is smaller than a guitar. Cuatro means four in Spanish, although current instruments may have more than four strings....
, the cinco, sometimes the guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, and tiple.
Aguinaldos generally have six verses. Some verses are composed beforehand, while others are improvised according to the circumstances.
Philippine aguinaldo
In the PhilippinesPhilippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, the word "aguinaldo" also means gift usually in the form of cash or coins collected by children in small groups that go from house to house singing Christmas carols. Makeshift instruments include tambourines made with tansans (aluminum bottle caps) strung on a piece of wire. With the traditional chant of "Namamasko po!", these carolers wait expectantly for the homeowners to reward them with aguinaldo.
Trinidadian aguinaldo
Aguinaldo or Serenal is a music genre used in ParangParang
Parang is a popular folk music originating out of Trinidad and Tobago, it was brought to Trinidad by Venezuelan migrants who were primarily of Amerindian and African heritage, something which is strongly reflected in the music itself. The word is derived from two Spanish words:'Parranda', meaning...
(Parranda) a type of Christmas music that came to Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
from Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. Parranderos announce their arrival in song and seek to gain entry to the houses of family and friends to relate the story of the birth of Christ, and to share in the joy of the message of Peace on Earth and Goodwill to all men.