The music we are taught at school, the music we listen to on the radio or dance to at parties responds to a strictly Western, particularly European, matrix that denies or omits other ways of understanding and practicing sound. That tradition and the industry that houses it imposes formats and structures and determines what we should consider as beautiful, harmonious and desirable. But there is more, very close to us.
Sonido Amerindio is a series of radio documentaries that offers an overview of the sound manifestations of the indigenous peoples of Chile and their crossbreeding.
In 12 thematic episodes, which can be listened to as a sequence or separately, recordings of high historical and patrimonial value are displayed, put in context and analyzed by the outstanding researcher of vernacular music José Pérez de Arce.
Each chapter of Sonido Amerindio analyzes the musical instruments, the moments and rites in which their sounds are deployed, the motivations and uses of the music and the themes they deal with. The objective is that, by listening to how they sound, we can better understand the peoples that preceded us, learn from them and contribute to a respectful and informed integration.
The recordings used in Sonido Amerindio come from the Music and Sound Archive of the Chilean Museum of Pre-Columbian Art, along with unpublished recordings compiled by the program's team over four decades.
Sonido Amerindio is conducted by José Pérez de Arce, researcher of South American music and instruments with more than 40 years of work, as well as visual artist and musician. The research team includes the anthropologist, documentary filmmaker and musician Claudio Mercado and the Aymara singer, teacher and poet Rosa Quispe. The sound design of the series was in charge of the musician and producer Carlos Reinoso and the production, editing and direction is by the journalist and musician Luis Felipe Saavedra.
Sonido Amerindio is sponsored by the Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino and financed by the Fondo de la Música Nacional 2024.
Sonido Amerindio is available on the main streaming platforms:
