The Singing Demons of San Ignacio: Musical Interfaces Between Jesuits And Indians

LEONARDO J. WAISMAN

Nueva York

Seminario; Seminario de Etnomusicología; 2013

Columbia University

The Jesuits have left numerous texts extolling the role of music in the process of ?spiritual conquest? of the natives of rhe Paraguay province, begun in 1588 and abruptly ended in 1767. Little is said in them about the how and why this transplanted European practice took such healthy roots in cultures whose musical production was so signally different from the veritable vocal and instrumental concerts of polyphonic repertoire introduced by the ?spiritual conquerors?. At most, some makeshift psychological generalization is made about the childlike nature of the natives, which makes them fond of trinkets, insatiable eaters and avid musicians. And the European astonishment at the musical capabilities of Guaranis and Chiquitos is surely an expression of a benevolent racism. From our vantage point, rather than attribute to the diverse Indian groups a generic, and genetic, special predisposition for music, we should look for elements of their culture and for circumstances of their encounter with the European Other that influenced and channeled their reception and later appropriation of the colonizer?s music. Based on close reading of Jesuit sources, this talk attempts to provide suggestions, partial hypotheses, and observations meant to illuminate this process. It will also explore the later fortune (until the 21st Century) of the repertoire in Indian hands and voices, in search of indications about the meanings that the Jesuit legacy took on for the descendants of the Jesuit?s wards. The discussion will be preceded by a brief descriptive introduction to the missions and their musical practices.