Pasillo

Pasillo (English: little step) is a South American genre of music extremely popular in the territories that composed the 19th century Viceroyalty of New Granada and Gran Colombia: Borns in Gran Colombia, spread in the territory, especially Ecuador (where it is considered the national musical style), and to a lesser extent in the mountainous regions of Venezuela and Panama. Venezuelans refer to this style of music as "vals" (Spanish for "Waltz").

Today, it has incorporated more European features of classical dance, such as Viennese waltz in Colombia and features of sanjuanito and yaraví in Ecuador. As it spread during the Gran Colombia period, pasillo also absorbed the individual characteristics of isolated villages. This gives it an eclectic feel; however, the style, tone, and tempo of the music differ in each village and indeed between each country.

In its waltz, pasillo alters the classically European dance form to accompany guitar, mandolin, and other string instruments.

Invented in the 19th century, pasillo became closely associated with the Colombian War of Independence, the Ecuadorian War of Independence, and Ecuadorian nationalism. Pasillo gained popularity from the recordings of the duet "Ecuador", once performed by Enrique Ibañez Mora and Nicasio Safadi. It reached its international apex during the career of Julio Jaramillo.

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