OUR SPANISH
HERITAGE
Trinidad Guardian
January 1, 2000
Page 4
|
Serenal |
The
serenal introduces the parang band and gives greetings to the members of the
household. |
|
Despuedir |
Despuedir
is a farewell song. |
|
Aguinaldo |
A
song on the life of Christ is referred to as an Aguinald. The Aguinaldo may be divided into
Annunciacion and Nacimiento. |
|
Annunciacion |
Songs
which deal mainly with the announcement to Mary that she was chosen to be the
mother of Christ. |
|
Nacimiento |
Tells
about the birth of Christ. |
Between
the years 1687 to 1837 Capuchin Monks from Spain set up missions in different
parts of the island to teach the native Amerindians Christianity.
The
priests found that the natives loved music and were quick at learning it so
they composed songs on different parts of the Bible, such as songs dealing with
the life of Christ and taught them to the natives.
Today
paranderos sing at Christmas time about the birth of Christ in their parang
songs.
Some
scholars claim that parang is derived from the Venezuelan-Spanish word
"paranda" which means to go from house to house to fete. Gordon Rohlehr in Development in
Caribbean Music - A Caricom UNDP UWI Project: "Parang is a combination
of Spanish lyrics, Venezuelan music and Trinidad rhythms."
Daphne
Pawan-Taylor, author of Parang of Trinidad, a publication of the
National Cultural Council of 1979, in her attempt to explain how it all
started, writes, "Parang is a term which identifies a custom belonging to
Trinidad's Hispanic Heritage. The word
itself is neither Spanish nor English.
It is the colloquial term for "parran", the abbreviation of
"parranda", the Spanish word which means a spree, or carousel, or a
group of more than four people who go out at night singing to the accompaniment
of musical instruments."
Folklorists,
cultural anthropologists and ethnomusicologists who have studied the history of
Spain, its language, and its music, from 1498-1797 (the period of Spanish rule
of Trinidad), have come to the conclusion that while parang, in the early
period of our history, was influenced by religion, the music is a product of
the 19th century.
The
rhythm (3/4 : 6/8 beat) is influenced by the early economic and social
environment of Spain during the Spanish rule of Trinidad and Venezuela (1498 to
1797), the Spanish spoken in Venezuela, the Roman Catholic Church, the frequent
interchange of visits by inhabitants of both countries throughout the years,
and the poetry and song of the people of the remote coastal villages to the
east of Venezuela in proximity to Trinidad.
One
can find in the parang music of Trinidad the folk-culture of Venezuela. Paranderos of Trinidad sing the Manzanare,
the Galeron and the Aguinaldo.
The
remote village of Cumana, through which the river Manzanare flows, has inspired
the singing of the parang songs called the Manzanare by paranderos of Trinidad.
Noteworthy
is the fact that the ancestral Spanish village of Lopinot in Trinidad has its
own version of the Manzanare, which tells of the flow of the Lopinot River
through the centre of the Lopinot Village.
Margarita,
another remote town of Venezuela is the home of the Galeron - referred to as
the "Cross-way" by paranderos of both countries.
The
Galeron at Margarita is sung in the month of May known also as the Month of the
Mother and the Month of the Flower.
Through
the singing of the Galeron the people of Margarita relive the sufferings
experienced by the Christ of the Christian Church, and they re-enact the
stations leading to his death on the cross.
The
Galeron, though a dying musical art-form of the parrandero population of
Trinidad, can still be heard at the remote traditional Roman Catholic villages
of Mamoral, Rancho Quemado, and Lopinot among singers of the authentic parang. The Aguinaldo of Trinidad parang is made up
of the Annunciacion and the Nacimiento.
The
Annunciacion tells of the visit of the angel Gabriel to Mary and the
announcement of the birth of Jesus Christ while the Nacimiento tells the story
of the 12 days of Christmas - the birth of Christ.
Other
parang songs of the Venezuelan east coast influencing the parang of Trinidad
and sung by the parrandero of Trinidad are the Estribrillo, Sabana Blanca,
Joropo and Guarapo.
A
farewell song called a Despuedir is rendered by departing paranderos as they
head for another home to serenade.