Tumaco

Tumaco is a small place situated at the Colombian coast. Its population consists of Indians, Negroes descending from slaves and also White people. Columbia is a neighbouring country of Brazil, so there is a certain influence of Brazilian music to be heard. However, the composition is rather influenced by the character of the original population, the Indians, and so the music is more similar to that of Peru and Mexico. The main theme is melancholic. When the fishermen come back home in the evening in their small boats, they sing a song about their heroes from Balompie "Las Estrellitas del Balompie". The three parts of the composition are played without interruption. The second part "Chajal" brings us inland into some large woods. On a desolate spot there is a missionary church surrounded by some miserable little houses. This melancholic chant could be played on a panpipe. The third part "El Pueblo" represents an old Indian building used as a trading place but also as a dancing area. Once again we distinctly recognise the favourite Indian song "Las Estrellitas del Balompie". This festive market scene is the final sequence of the composition.