Audio: Todos Vuelven

Newsletter - Colombia, Your Other Music

Hello camara!
René Devia’s contribution to the llanera harp
My instrumental theme "Cuando La Llanura Despierta (When The Plains Awaken)" was a sensation. Since the llanera harp always had limitations, everyone who heard that song thought it was a dubbing. It sounded so complicated. I used the classical guitar techniques and applied them to the harp in the llanera music and that when It occurs to me to use vibratos. Remember this was in 1976- over 30 years ago when the harp in Colombia was just in its early stages! Some harpists thought that it was a recording made with two harps playing at one time. This is why there was so much expectation and interest to request that I play the songs LIVE and I would play them, and they could not believe it! They were enchanted. The idea to transport the harp is heard in the song "Luna Roja (Red Moon)". I was the first harpist that tuned the harp in both scales of Re Mayor and Re minor at the same time. In those days the harp was just incipient in Colombia. I returned to Colombia from Spain and presented "La Voz Del Viento (The Voice Of The Wind)" a rare instrumental with an introduction in the tune or chord of tenths, with descending  arpeggios; piano techniques. This was non-existent in the llanera music. Then I show the novelty of using the tuning key and get a key made with some changes measured especially for me that grabs two strings at a time whereby I can produce two sharps at a time. In the 80's I was the first harpist who brought to Colombia and mounted the themes "Andalucia Espiritual" and "Balada Para Adelina" on the harp among others and shared them with various music colleagues. These songs were harnessed by other harpists  who later recorded and popularized them. Now in Colombia the harp is no longer seen exclusively for llanera folclor. Now new generations are not limited to llanera music because of the legacy left by René Devia.

Vocabulary
Españolerias- old music from the motherland Spain. Mix of songs like jotas,
Zarzuelas (operas),baladas andaluces (gypsy-like ballads from Andalusia) sevillanas ( Seville music), tunas (chamber-like operetta- orchestras) Bambuco- Colombian folk music from colonial Santa Fe descending from European waltz.
Típle- 12 string guitar grouped in 3 and 4 blocks
Requinto Chiquinquireño-a small guitar with 10 strings descends from Spanish guitar with some transformations characteristic of Colombia. It is the instrument most representative of Chiquinquirá. It produces a  higher pitch than the típle
Guitarra marcante -6 string lead guitar
Guitarra acompañante -6 string back-up guitar that communicates with lead guitar through measure.

Corner Note
As a six year old kid I was already singing "españolerías" like Joselito, bambucos, danzas, and joropos. At 13, I took guitar lessons in in the "Academia Del Meta" and I was already playing the requinto chiquinquireño when I take my first musical steps on the radio "La Voz Del Llano (The Voice Of The Plains)" on the children's program "El Tio Pepe (Uncle Pepe)"in 1963. As I played the "típle" and the "guitarrra marcante" that was the popular guitar I formed my first trio "Brisas Del Llano (Breezes of the Plains)" when I was fourteen years of age. I was the "guitarra puntera", my brother Hugo was at the maracas and the guiro, and Alirio (el cubiro) Paez- the "guitarra acompañante". We were contracted for house parties and neighborhood bazaars. We were just kids and in some nightclubs we had to be chaperoned by my mom. I already played the harp at sixteen when I found my group "René Devia Y Los Llaneros (Réne Devia And The Cowboys)".

Monthly Question

Who saw the production “Un Llanero De Cuidad
(A City Ranger/Plainsman)” based on my poem?

This And That
I was very fidgety and I was not devoted to just one instrument. I wanted to play all the instruments. It was like a fever for learning and I learned to play the bass guitar (I am my own bass player in my early LP recordings), I learned to play the piano for a short while, and I learned to play the classical guitar. I wanted to experiment and to become a complete musician. When I was 23 years old I take classical guitar lessons from the "Maestro Gentil Montaña" for almost two years. I begin to search for techniques  from the classical guitar and applied them to the llanera harp and that’s when it occurred to me to include "vibratos" in my instrumental theme "Cuando La Llanura Despierta (When The Plains Awaken)" and piano  techniques also in the same song. Later I travel to Spain and there I also practice classical guitar on my own, but of course always seeking help from somebody to correct me.

 

Here And There
Why Spain?
It is the first country where a Hispanic wants to be understood when he arrives, and besides I had some contacts. I come to Spain to find adventure and to open doors, and to try my luck. Spain was going through a series of changes of democracy and the laws were mixed up. It was the post Franco era. There were anti-immigrant demonstrations and there was a convulsion of political ideas. I arrived at a very difficult time when there was a national strike of musicians. I set off to find work and I formed a quartet that included a classical guitarist. In Spain I met the great "Maestro Nicolas Caballero" from whom I learned techniques of the Paraguayan harp and I apply them to my llanera harp. One of these novelties was to use the harp tuning key to produce sharps, double-sharps, and ligatures (glides). From then on my new instrumental themes bring much richness as to the development of the international harp; like my universal theme "Penas Y Alegria"(Sorrow and Joy)". I meet the "Maestro Paco De Lucia" and interview with him a couple of times. I also share the stage with the piano master "Richard Clayderman" and become more enthused and motivated to study more and this allows my mounting current actual international hits onto my llanera harp.

Classifieds

Ingrid Devia
Graphic Design for all business needs
Personalize your  logos, business cards, CD’s
Ingriddevia@hotmail.com
(954)638-6771

Yarolt Devia
Video, Light and Sound Technician
Call for quality live events
Yaroltdevia@gmail.com
(786)514-5781

Cuerdas Sonora
tel. Plutarco Toloza
(718)353-0616
Strings for all instruments

Donations

Please send your donations, honorariums or gifts that are very appreciated and needed to promote culture and folklore to

Rene Devia
PO BOX 761492
San Antonio TX. 78245

 

 

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