A brief history of the Nueva canción movement

When my abuela was a little girl, her mother allowed her to play with the neighborhood kids in the street under one condition: she must be home by tea time, which was three o’clock on the dot. She told me they would dance to the radio or kick a soccer ball around, anything to fill the freeing moments of play. This vision of my grandmother as a young girl, dancing in the streets of Santiago, Chile with her neighbors (with whom she still keeps in touch) is an image embedded in my mind. I crave that freedom and the return home for something as comforting as a mother’s presence and a cup of tea. This story inspired me to listen to and research Chilean songs from my grandmother’s youth, which guided me to the Nueva canción movement that began in the late 1950s. 

Nueva canción is a left-wing protest music movement that focused on highlighting social issues, especially in Latin America. It is a movement that has deliberately focused on creating social change and amplifying the voices of marginalized Latin people. The genre is distinguished by Latin folk sounds, traditional Indigenous instruments, and lyrics that highlight the social injustices at the time, specifically the exploitation of workers, dictatorship, and authoritarianism. Nueva canción was responsible for a shift in social ideologies and spurred pro-democracy upheavals in many Latin American countries, as well as Spain and Portugal. Due to political lyrics and the desire to provoke social change, the government censored many artists who were part of the movement; some musicians would face exile, torture, or death by right-wing dictatorships. This movement was crucial in protesting dictatorship, fascism, and social injustice and cultivating a culture wherein Indigenous voices and music were uplifted. A crucial aspect of the Nueva canción genre is that many songs were influenced by the Mexican corrido, a genre of music characterized by singers recounting a narrative. Corridos are usually about history, oppression, and the lifestyle of a vaquero, as well as other aspects of Mexican culture that artists choose to highlight. Many songs of Nueva canción took on this form, using this genre as a way to lament the right-wing occupation of Latin American countries. 

A central figure in the Nueva canción movement was Chilean musician Violeta Parra, known for her song “Gracias a la Vida” (1957). The song has been covered by artists such as Joan Baez, who first popularized the song in the United States, as well as Mercedes Sosa, Kacey Musgraves, and several others. During the rise of this movement, Parra traveled throughout Chile to collect traditional sounds and stories from citizens to gain inspiration for songs that contained honest, social messages. Parra’s efforts ensured that a variety of Chilean voices were heard, especially the working class of Chilean society and those who lived in rural areas. Around this time in Chile, two Nueva canción groups were formed: Quilapayún in 1965 and Inti-Illimani in 1967. Both of these groups showcased a proud, Indigenous Andean image and were crucial musicians in furthering the movement forward. 

Violeta Parra’s song “La Carta” (1957) was one of the first songs of the Chilean Nueva canción movement that I listened to intently. The lyrics spoke to me and had a narrative quality that transported me to the age of the movement. The song is about Parra receiving a letter in the post that her brother is in jail for supporting a strike. She sings that her country has no justice: the hungry ask for food, but they are shot with bullets instead, all while her brother is in jail. Parra laments the barbarity and tragedy plaguing Chile’s working class, devastating the beauty of Chile’s people and culture. At the end of the song, she finds gratitude in her guitar so she can express her pain thoroughly. While listening, I understood that there was an immense love for Chile, not just in Parra’s music, but within the songs of other Chilean artists such as Victor Jara, Patricio Manns, Rolando Alarcón, and countless others. But, the intense love for Chile, its culture, people, and traditions, could not be expressed while the country was in a state of dictatorship under Augusto Pinochet’s rule. Pinochet, who seized power over Chile with Salvador Allende and was in office by a coup d’etat, censored the populist sentiments of Nueva canción by prohibiting performances and broadcasts of the music genre. He also banned Indigenous instruments such as the charango from being used as they were closely associated with the movement. 

Atahualpa Yupanqui, an Argentine musician, was a central figure of Nueva canción, specifically in Argentina. He spent time traveling throughout Argentina and Latin America to collect stories, sounds, and ideas for his music. Atahualpa was heavily involved in politics; he was a member of the Argentine Communist Party, however, this led to exile, punishment, and imprisonment. His music focalized the lives of rural workers, highlighting their exploitation by the government. In 1949, Atahualpa decided to leave Argentina because of the worsening political climate. He left for France, where he made a name for himself in the European world, sharing his messages about the political and social unrest all throughout Latin America.

In Cuba, Nueva canción took a different name: Nueva trova. During the Cuban revolution, this music genre was defined by focusing on socialism, injustice, colonialism, and racism. Haydée Santamaría was a Cuban politician who strengthened and mobilized this movement forward. In Brazil, popular music was influenced by the Nueva canción movement. Many musicians were affected by the state of authoritarianism their country was in at the time. Artists used their shared experiences of resistance to violence and repression of the military governments to create songs influenced by their Latin American neighbors. Some important musicians in this movement were Elis Regina, Chico Buarque, Caetano Veloso, and Gilberto Gil. 

Nueva canción reached a plethora of different Latin American cultures; the genre shaped and liberated generations of musicians and people. Although I doubt my Abuela was dancing to songs lamenting the exploitation of the working class, I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the stories she has shared with me. The thought of my grandmother dancing in the streets of Chile has guided my research into the intricacies of the endlessly important movement, Nueva canción. The source of connection I have found within this movement can be explicated through Rolando Alarcón’s song “Si Somos Americanos” (1964). Centering  on unity, a crucial verse of the song goes, “Si somos americanos / no miraremos fronteras, / cuidaremos las semillas, / miraremos las banderas,” which translates to “If we are Americans / we will not see borders, / we will take care of the seeds, / we will see the flags.” This open-hearted concept that Alarcón highlighted in the 60s still resonates today: it is essential that Americans, and everyone around the world, acknowledge and celebrate our differences, take care of each other, and look beyond the borders that separate us. 

Article by Natalia Girolami