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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 zampoņa, 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

2009
Testimonials
Ajay
Parikh
Date:
Thu,16 Jul 2009
Hello all the folks at Peru Gateway Travel,
We had a fantastic time in Peru. We thank you all for making
our trip a success.
The only concern is that the accommodation in Cusco was below
average and we would not recommend the Emparada Plaza (?) to
anyone. Even though the staff was good, the room/bathroom,
breakfast was very bad.
Once again, thanks a lot for making our trip to your country a
memorable one. All the guides, especially Guillarmo in Lima
and Erica in Cusco, were excellent.
Kazuaki Kubo
Date:
Thu,16 Jul 2009
I want to thank
you and all of the staff of Peru Gateway Travel for the perfect
arrangement of my trip in June.
Everything was so fantastic and I was made to think about another
trip to Peru.
Sincerely, Denise Pratico
Date:
Mon, 6 Jul 2009
I am writing to let you know that we
enjoyed Peru very much. The city tour led by Marco was fantastic. We
will be happy to recommend your agency to other Americans
Jane
Date:
Mon, 6 Jul 2009
We have
completed our trip to Peru and are now back in New York City.
I want to thank you for all the arrangements you made. The
trip was wonderful and all our accommodations excellent. Thank
you for making our trip a success.
Best regards, Marcy
Date:
Mon, 6 Jul 2009
We arrived home at 4 o'clock in the
morning, very tired (we had a long lay-over in Amsterdam) but very
very happy. I am so pleased to tell you that our Peru vacation that
you planned for us was excellent! Everything was just as the
itinerary said it would be. We were very pleased with the hotels,
and the transfer people and guides were always there and everybody
was so nice and knowledgeable. We learned a lot about your very
exciting country and its history, particularly about the Quechua
culture. We will always remember the Inti Raymi festival in Cusco. I
am so glad we were able to see that. Of course Machu Picchu was also
a great highlight. And, Michael and I also very much liked Arequipa.
We didn't know much about that city, but we had a very great time
there on our free day and visited the cathedral, spent a lot of time
going through the Santa Catalina monastario and, of course, went to
the museum to see "Juanita". Beautiful architecture there too.
Really, every day was wonderful, and we would like to thank you so
much for all your efforts. Also please extend our thanks to Maria
Carmen who was so helpful on the phone and to Julia, who came to the
hotel our first night to explain many things to us and give us all
our tickets and vouchers. And perhaps you also had something to do
with our last night in Lima at the Libertador. We got a suite -- a
very big beautiful room! Thank you so much.
We wish you and your family all the best, and for sure we will be
recommending Peru Gateway Travel to our friends.
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