The Musical Transformation of the Kachampa in Four Academic Works

Abstract

The present work shows the diverse possibilities used by four composers - three Peruvians, one Italian - from different eras to transform, develop and recreate the music of a well-known traditional dance from Cusco: the Kachampa. The first part addresses the historical-musical context in which the four works are located in order to establish their relationship with the styles of writing and the trends in vogue at the time. The second part describes the music of the traditional dance, subdividing it into phrases and establishing its elements of unity and variation. The paper subsequently undertakes the comparative analysis of each academic work in relation to the starting point of the traditional musical piece. Finally, the conclusions of the work are presented, briefly describing the ways in which each composer faces the problem implied in adapting a dance originally intended for a social or ceremonial rather than musical orientation, and how these composers have “recreated” the dance in order to give it musical and artistic value.