Folk Chant: Alabaos
Alabao chants are sung to praise saints or during the funeral services of recently deceased adults. Alabaos are associated with catholic prayers. Their designation, on the other hand, takes into account which poetic structure includes 'alabaos' (praised ones) and 'alabanzas (praises).' The 'alabao' (sometimes also spelled 'alabado') appears in the last stanza, where it elaborates on the idea of why and how God is praised. The alabanzas are usually performed from the beginning to the second to last stanza; they describe the prayers themselves or the context surrounding those prayers. The text of the Argentine religious romance Ojo de agua (Spring) exemplifies these concepts:
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Ojo de agua
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Translation
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First stanza Cantemos las alabanzas que es muy buena devoción. Con tu santo escapulario échanos tu bendición, Second stanza Aquí acaba esta alabanza, se acaba la vida mía: Mañana la cantaremos si Dios nos presta la vida. Third and last stanza Alabado sea el Santísimo sacramento del Altar y la Virgen concebida sin pecado original. |
Let's sing praises It is a great devotion. With your saint scapular give us your blessing, Here this praise ends, As my life ends as well: Tomorrow we will sing to it. If God lends us life. Praised the most Saint altar Sacrament and the Virgin impregnated without original sin. |
The African-Colombian alabao is an expression of the romance-a poetic structure composed of octosyllabic verses, which was brought to America during the Spanish Colonization and used by Christian missionaries, monks, and priests-mostly Catholic-to convert indigenous and African Slaves. An alabao is comprised of an undefined succession of verses. The even verses are usually in assonant rhyme, while the odd verses are free. The fifth stanza's text of the religious romance "San José pidió posada" (Saint Joseph Asked for Shelter), from Chocó, illustrates this:
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San José pidió posada
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Translation
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| Y en silencio de la noche que todo el mundo dormía, se alevantó San José y halló a su esposa paría |
And in the silence of the night |
From a musical perspective, alabaos are unaccompanied responsorial songs, where a cantaora soloist (female cantor soloist) leads a small choir of cantaoras who reply to her praise. Also, it is usual to hear a second solo cantaora reply to the first solo or harmonize it before the choir comes in. The following text to "Qué linda voz canta el gallo" (What a Nice Voice the Rooster Has) exemplifies this.
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Verse:
Question |
Cantaora Soloist
Cantaora Soloist and Second Solo Cantaora |
Qué linda voz
What a pretty voice canta el gallo the rooster has |
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Verse:
Response |
Tutti | Qué linda voz canta el
gallo qué lindo qui |
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Refrain
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Tutti | Con pasión
With passion |
Depending on their text, alabaos are commonly classified as alabaos mayores (big alabaos) or alabaos menores (small alabaos). Alabaos mayores are devoted to Christ, while alabaos menores are devoted to the Virgin Mary, the holy trinity, the deceased and their possible travels in the 'afterlife,' among others. Alabaos profanos (profane alabaos), a particular kind of alabao menor, talk about the everyday life of the members of the community and how current political events affect them. Aside from these categories, alabaos are further classified depending on how a specific African-Colombian community performs them. In Tumaco (Department of Cauca), for instance, the alabanza is described as "…a sensitive alabao, sung to the mourners who are close to the deceased; and the loa is a faster prayer, sung for people that are not that close to the deceased."
'Anti' is the likely origin of the word 'Andes', Spanish conquerors generalized the term and named all the mountain chain as 'Andes', instead of only the eastern region, as it was the case in Inca era.
