Exploring Peruvian Music (Multimedia)
Music in Ancient Andes
Music was a means for expression, a channel for emotions and feelings. While ancient instruments have been found at archaeological sites, the exact nature of the music in the Andes remains unknown. The musical arrangement of ancient music is lost and can only be reconstructed from descriptions, depictions, and surviving instruments.
In ancient times music was a bridge for communicating with supernatural beings. Music also was a primary component of the ancient Andean world, conceived as the voice of powerful deities that conveyed their will. Singing and dancing accompanied the playing of instruments in many aspects of human life. Today music connects people, cultures, and societies all over the world.
Kena, a flute-like instrument.
Zampoña, a panpipe ranging in various sizes.
Pututu, a conch shell that is blown into like a trumpet.
Bombo, a type of drum.
Charango, a tiny guitar with ten strings.
Use the audio players below to listen to each of the instruments being played. You will hear them played by John Zorrilla Matos, of the band Apu Inka. He describes the instruments in English, Spanish, and Quechua. Quechua is the language of the Incas, who were in power from the early 1400s to the early 1500s. This language is stilled used today by Indigenous people of the Andes.
The Bombo (drum).
The Kena (flute).
The Pututu Shell.
The Charango (strings).
The Zampoña (pan flute).