Vallenato music

Traditional Vallenato music of the Greater Magdalena region
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage
Caja, guacharaca, and accordion, the basic instruments in vallenato
Country	Colombia
Reference	01095
Region	Latin America and the Caribbean
Inscription history
Inscription	2015 (10 session)
List	Urgent safeguarding
Vallenato Stylistic origins Spanish music, African music, Amerindian cultural traditions Cultural origins Early 1900s Colombia's Caribbean region Typical instruments Accordion, caja, guacharaca, bass, guitar Subgenres Traditional vallenato - Romantic vallenato - Commercial vallenato – The New Wave of Vallenato Fusion genres Charanga-vallenata – Vallerengue – Vallenato-pop – Vallenato-rock – Vallenatón Other topics Vallenato Legend Festival Cradle of Accordions Festival

Vallenato, along with cumbia, is a popular folk music of Colombia. It primarily comes from the Colombia's Caribbean region. Vallenato literally means "born in the valley". The valley influencing this name is located between the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the Serranía de Perijá in north-east Colombia. The name also applies to the people from the city where this genre originated: Valledupar (from the place named Valle de Upar – "Valley of Upar"). In 2006, Vallenato and cumbia were added as a category in the Latin Grammy Awards. Colombia’s traditional Vallenato music is Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, according to UNESCO.

This form of music originated from farmers who, keeping a tradition of Spanish minstrels (juglares in Spanish), mixed with the West African-inherited tradition of griots, who used to travel through the region with their cattle in search of pastures or to sell them in cattle fairs. Because they traveled from town to town and the region lacked rapid communications, these farmers served as bearers of news for families living in other towns or villages. Their only form of entertainment during these trips was singing and playing guitars or indigenous flutes, known as kuisis in the Kogi language, and their form of transmitting their news was by singing their messages.

The first form of Vallenato was played with gaita flutes, guacharaca, and caja, and later adopted other instruments like guitars. These troubadors were later influenced by Europe's instruments: piano and accordion. Impressed by the sound of the accordion, troubadors probably later obtained accordions from Aruba and Curaçao. Vallenato was considered music of the lower class and farmers, but gradually started penetrating through every social group during the mid-20th century.