Huayno Music: 4 Notable Huayno Musicians

Huanyo is a traditional form of music and dance from the Andean region of South America that combines rural folklorico and popular Western dances. Rural folklorico is the folk music of the Quechua and Aymara peoples, two groups indigenous to South America. Several groups in South American countries along the Andes mountain range—including Argentina and Bolivia— have performed Huayno music and dance for centuries. Each country has its own variation on the spelling of “huayno,” including “wayno,” “wainu,” and “huaiño.”

The music has a distinctive rhythm, in which two short beats follow a single stressed beat. Though familiar to world music listeners, the sound of huayno music is perhaps best known to some Western audiences from Simon & Garfunkel’s 1970s single “El Cóndor Pasa (If I Could),” adapted from Daniel Alomía Robles’s 1913 song.

Huayno music and dance may have originated in colonial-era Peru during the sixteenth century. It’s believed that the origins of the sound fuse popular dance music forms of the day and Indigenous folk music that may date back to the pre-Columbian period during the height of the Inca Empire in the fourteenth century.

• Beginnings of the sound. Over time, the huayno music of Peru developed several regional and seasonal variations: Huayno music in northern Peru was more upbeat than the central Peru variant, which featured more melancholy lyrics, while the southwestern region of Ayacucho produced Carnaval Ayacuchano, primarily played during its festival in February. This version resembled huayno Cusco, which hailed from the neighboring Cusco region but featured less guitar.
• The genre expands into new sounds. Huayno further diversified as it spread to other countries and became an Andean music form, resulting in variants like the fast-paced Carnavalito from Argentina, a more relaxed version from Bolivia, and interpretations from Ecuador and Chile. The huayno sound expanded even further in the 1960s under the influence of “chicha,” a form of Peruvian cumbia mixed with Andean music and Western psychedelic and surf rock. The sound became popular among Indigenous immigrants who came to Peru’s capital city of Lima and other coastal areas searching for work.
• Huayno continues to absorb new influences. Popular music from the United States and other Spanish-speaking countries has continued to influence huayno music. Still, the traditional form remains extremely popular among Peruvians and citizens in other parts of South America.

Several characteristics define the huayno music of Peru, including:

1. 1. Dance: Dancers typically perform traditional huayno dance at fiestas or festivals. While it’s a couple’s dance, many other couples may join in and form a ring around the primary dancers. A man will invite a woman to join him and will then follow her while executing intricate and vigorous stamping movements. Traditional performers will invariably wear Indigenous garb—ponchos and trousers for the men and skirts and blouses for the women—while modern dancers don’t observe a dress code.
2. 2. Instruments: Various traditional instruments accompany huayno songs, including the guitar, violin, harp, mandolin, lute, trumpet, and saxophone. The songs also feature Spanish and Andean instruments such as the charango, bandurria, quena (the traditional flute of the Andes), and siku (Andean panpipe).
3. 3. Vocals: Singers sing traditional huayno songs in either Spanish or Quechua, and in the past, they delivered the vocals in a high-pitched voice. However, many modern huayno groups have replaced this particular element with the sound of the saxophone. Lyrics are emotional and often highly sentimental, addressing romantic issues and aspects of the daily lives of the Indigenous peoples of South America.

There are many notable huayno musicians, including:

1. 1. Julia Illanes: Born in central Peru, singer Julia Illanes is among the foremost interpreters of huaynos from the Ayacucho region. A solo artist for more than 30 years, Illanes has also performed with another well-regarded Andean artist, guitarist Ronald Contreras.
2. 2. Manuelcha Prado: One of the most beloved performers of traditional Andean music, singer, composer, and guitarist Manuelcha Prado has presented songs from the region’s culture and history to audiences worldwide. His recordings and performances have helped preserve many songs that might have been lost to history, including traditional dances, celebrations, and even Quechua agricultural rituals.
3. 3. Picaflor de los Andes: Victor Alberto Gil Mallma, who hailed from the Huancayo highlands of central Peru, became known as the “Picaflor de los Andes” (Hummingbird of the Andes) for his songs about rural life in the region. One of his most popular songs, “El Obrero” (The Laborer), detailed miners’ harsh conditions at the turn of the century. More than 100,000 people reportedly attended his funeral in 1975.
4. 4. Yma Sumac: Arguably one of the best known Andean musicians, vocalist Yma Sumac rose to fame in the US during the 1950s by virtue of her singing voice, which reportedly had a five-octave range. Her early recordings included huaynos, but she became a popular figure during the postwar years with pop and “exotica” recordings that geared versions of the music toward US audiences. Sumac even appeared in several Hollywood films before her career faded in the late ‘60s. The lounge music explosion of the ‘90s revived interest in Sumac’s music, and she returned to performing until her death in 2008.

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