| Description |
Colombian cultural diversity is marked by its triethnic influence from European, indigenous, and African traditions, added to a strong regional division due to the geographical differences throughout its territory. One of those regions is found on the eastern side, called Llanos Orientales(eastern plains), whose traditions are also shared with Venezuela, with four main departments: Arauca, Casanare, Meta, and Vichada. The llano folklore is undoubtedly the main element that culturally identifies the Casanare department, and from this phenomenon is where the idiosyncrasy and feelings of the llanero people come.
However, as is the case with all cultural phenomenon, it is not static and immutable. It is on the other hand, variable and mutable. Thus through time and from different economic, political, geographical, and religious circumstances, among others, the musical traditions have been presenting a series of changes and transformations that have been visible in each period of the region's history. In this historical process, specific stages can be identified where some musical instruments are presented as the soul of the llanos musical tradition, reaching what we commercially know today as the Llanero ensemble, namely: harp, cuatro, maracas, and bass. However, these instruments have not been the same throughout history. |
