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PERU TRAVEL PLANNER
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Peruvian traditional music
Panpipes , known by the Aymara as siku, by the Quechna as
antara and by the Spanish as zampoña, are ancient instruments and archeologists
have unearthed panpipes tuned to a variety of scales. While modern panpipes -
played in the city or in groups with other instruments - may offer a complete
scale allowing solo performance, traditional models are played in pairs, as
described by sixteenth-century chroniclers. The pipes share the melody, each
with alternate notes of a whole scale so that two or more players are needed to
pick out a single tune using a hocket technique. Usually one player leads and
the other follows. While symbolically this demonstrates reciprocity within the
community, practically it enables players to play for a long time without
getting too "high" from dizziness caused by over-breathing.
Played by blowing (or breathing out hard) across the top of a tube, panpipes
come in various sizes, those with a deep bass having very long tubes. Several
tubes made of bamboo reed of different length are bound together to produce a
sound that can be jaunty, but also has a melancholic edge depending on tune and
playing style. Many tunes have a minor, descending shape to them. Playing is
often described as "breathy" as overblowing is popular to produce harmonics. In
general those who play panpipes love dense overlapping textures and often
syncopated rhythms.
Simple notched-end flutes , or quenas , are another independent innovation of
the Andean highlands found in both rural and urban areas. The most important
pre-Hispanic instrument, they were traditionally made of fragile bamboo (though
often these days from plumbers' PVC water pipes) and played in the dry season,
with tarkas (vertical flutes -like a shrill recorder) taking over in the wet.
Quenas are played solo or in ritual groups and remain tremendously popular
today, with many virtuoso techniques.
Large marching bands of drums and panpipes , playing in the co-operative
"back-and-forth" leader/follower style captivated the Spanish in the 1500s can
still be seen and heard today. The drums are deep-sounding, double-headed
instruments known as bombos or wankaras. These bands exist for parades at
life-cycle fiestas, weddings and dances in the regions surrounding the
Peruvian-Bolivian frontier and around Lake Titicaca. Apart from their use at
fiestas, panpipes are played mainly in the dry season, from April to October.
There is something quite amazing about the sound of a fifty-man panpipe band
approaching, especially after they've been playing for a few hours and have had
a few well-earned drinks. It is perfectly normal for a whole village to come
together to play as an orchestra for important events and fiestas. Andean
villages are usually composed of ayllus (extended families) whose land is often
divided up so that everyone gets a share of various pastures, but with everyone
working together at key times such as harvest and when caring for communal
areas. Music is an integral part of all communal celebrations and symbolically
represents that sharing and inter-dependence: drinks are drunk from communal
glasses which everyone will empty in turn. The organisation and values of each
community are reflected in the very instrument an individual plays, down to the
position of players within circles and groups.
Folk music festivals to attract and entertain the tourist trade are a quite
different experience to music in the village context. While positively
disseminating the music, they have introduced the notion of judging and the
concept of "best" musicianship - ideas totally at odds with rural community
values of diversity in musical repertoire, style and dress.
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Published articles and reviews about us
2010
Testimonials
Norman Pedersen
Date:
Sun,18 Jul 2010
Machu Picchu and my entire visit to Peru were
wonderful. A dream come true.
I could not have been happier with everyone I met through your
arrangements.
The tours were very informative and showed me more than I knew
existed in this beautiful place.
All of the accommodations were very comfortable.
The luncheon buffet at the Alhambra was top rate. And the Ferré
Hotel in Lima was also a very good choice.Your personal assistance
throughout was exceptional!
Thank you for everything!
Melinda Hughes
Date:
Tues, 13 Jul 2010
I was one of
the “Joel Williams” party of four who was recently on a Peru Gateway
Travel tour of northern and southern Peru. I had to write so you
would know how satisfied we were with the hotel accommodations, the
tour guides, the restaurants they choose for our lunches and just
everything about the trip.
The hotels we stayed in were well located, clean and convenient in
every way. We have absolutely no complaints!
Our tour covered Peru from the north to the south. It had four
internal flights, so there were many connections, pick ups and
deliveries involved. Peru Gateway Travel made sure we were always
delivered on time to the airports and promptly met and picked up
when we landed. We never had a moments worry.
Since we had many different day tours, we had several different
guides. All were professional and spoke our language well. All were
very knowledgeable and eager to impart that knowledge to us. They
chose great places for our lunches and the cuisine was
unforgettable. We have traveled to many countries but found the food
in Peru to be absolutely wonderful.
I also wanted to mention the drivers who picked us up at all times
of the day and night, drove us to our next destination and the
delivered us safely to our hotels. We never had a driver who was
less than prompt, courteous and most importantly, a skilled and
careful driver.
The sites we saw were the places we chose to see. And they did not
disappoint us. From the desert to the Andes to the Jungle, we
enjoyed it all.
Please feel free to use this email on your website or as a
testimonial. All four of our group would recommend Peru Gateway
Travel to anyone planning a trip to Peru. We were well taken care
of, enjoyed delicious food, saw awesome sights and had a wonderful
time.
Sincerely.
Ajay Chopra
Date:
Fri, 02 Jul 2010
We are back in
Lima. Our trip to Machu Picchu was wonderful, thank you and your
team and the ground staff in Cuzco for all their help and care. A
special thanks to Angella for her help.
We hope to do business with you in the near future.
Best Regards
Saikat.
Date:
Fri, 02 Jul 2010
I just wanted to let you know that we had an amazing
and wonderful trip to your country.
I must state that the people of Peru impressed me very much - they
are so nice!
While I have already filled-up the feedback form, this is just a
personal note to say Thank you.
Do visit India sometime - we have a lot in common.
Regards,
Irina Pascu
Date:
Fri, 25 Jun 2010
I am now back
home but still not believed that the holiday is over. I just
write you to tell you that I had a wonderful time in Peru and to
thanks for
your support. The circuit was very well designed and I had the
opportunity
to visit all the important sites I envisaged and also the Sacred
Valley and
the Altiplano.
I was really impressed by the organization and your people, always
in time
for pick up and interested to offer the necessary information.
Finally I showed to my friends that Peru is not so far and a visit
there
could be a wonderful experience. For me was a dream come true.
Many thanks to you and to your team.
Melissa Polier
Date:
Tues, 22 Jun 2010
My 2 adult children and I recently returned from our
hike to Machu Picchu and I wanted to thank you for all your
assistance. Our trip was great. We very much enjoyed visiting your
beautiful country. I especially want to praise our guide, cook and
porters. They did a terrific job. The food was marvelous and after a
long hike it was definitely something to look forward to. The
porters were very kind and when I needed some assistance at the end
of the 3rd day one of the porters helped me a lot. Our guide was
great. He was very knowledgeable and fun to hike with and he seemed
to really love his job. Again, thanks so much for everything
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