‘¡Pascuéee la alegría… estas son noches de guacherna y de paseos!’. A comparative rhythm perception study in the Colombian Depresión Momposina

Abstract

The term guacherna has several meanings in the oral musical practice context of the Caribbean region in Colombia. In some of the municipalities of the Depresión Momposina, this term refers to a traditional celebration in the street during Christmas time, or to a celebration to honor and worship the Virgin Mary or each municipality’s saint. With the arrival of regional festivals in the Depresión Momposina, the guacherna celebration fell into disuse and became a rhythmic modality to be presented on stage. However, the culture-bearers of this tradition point out notable differences between the municipalities of Tamalameque and San Martín de Loba regarding the rhythmic modalities that this term describes. These differences have not been addressed by musicological or ethnomusicological studies despite the fact that they have generated constant arguing between the culture-bearers of tradition when it comes down to the definitions that grants them legitimacy in each territory. From the results obtained through fieldwork done in both municipalities, a comparative study has emerged in which elements of rhythm perception and rhythmic-architectonic levels have been retaken to compare the musical rhythmic specificities from both guachernas and establish how these affect the musical perception of their culturebearers in oral and external circuits.