Eileen Karmy Bolton Visits IU to Speak on Music and Labor Movements

The discourse on protest music has tended to romanticize specific genres and periods of protest music, particularly that of the 1960s (Tausig 2018). Similarly, research on Latin American political songs has tended to focus on the nueva canción movement of the late 1960s, understanding it to be the pinnacle of political activity in music.  In contrast, the study of previous periods and genres of political songs is relatively neglected. In this talk, I discuss the political meaning of workers’ songs of the early twentieth century in Chile. I focus on the musical ensembles formed in union guilds, their repertoire, and especially, workers’ musical practices in both public demonstrations and everyday collective leisure activities. Drawing from songbooks, press accounts, and union minutes, I analyze musical examples from the frameworks of intertextuality and social relevance. In what ways did workers’ songs function as political, militant, or protest songs? How did the use and reappropriation of national anthems, Verdi’s arias, and songs change their potential as political objects? How were their performers perceived? Turino’s (2008) distinction between participatory and presentational musical practices is vital for considering the political aspects of this repertoire, allowing scholars to reflect on a more nuanced consideration of political song.

Written by Chilean composer Luis Advis (1935-2004) in 1969, Santa María de Iquique commemorates the tragic events of a miner’s strike that took place in 1907. Much like the Tulsa massacre in the United States, the events of 1907 remained hidden in plain sight for decades, only gaining public attention at a time when Chile was beginning a process of social and political reform, one that promised better worker protections, health care, the equal treatment of women, and the more equitable treatment of indigenous communities. Advis, as part of a vibrant community of artists, musicians, poets and intellectuals who supported these goals, wanted this work to be a call to solidarity, a way to learn from the sins from the past and to better strive for social justice and human rights. Tragically, only three years later many of those artists and musicians ended up persecuted, jailed and in some cases killed by a military coup that disagreed with these ideals. Nevertheless, Santa María de Iquique continued to be performed, first by Chilean musicians living in exile, and later by many others who have found this work’s powerful message of perseverance in the face of adversity relevant to their daily lives. It is in this spirit that we bring this performance to you, in these times of global pandemics, political uncertainty, and enduring social inequality.

The LAMC Chamber Ensemble is a collective of volunteer performers affiliated with the Latin American Music Center at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Founded in 1961 by noted Chilean composer Juan Orrego-Salas, the LAMC is one of the largest archives in the world devoted to the study, research, and performance of Latin American Music. The LAMC Chamber Ensemble’s members include undergraduate and graduate students at the Jacobs School of Music as well as members from the Bloomington, Indiana community and invited guests. The concert will begin with an introduction by Dr. Eileen Karmy Bolton (Universidad de Playa Ancha, Chile). This event is free and open to the public.

LAMC Chamber Ensemble: Eric Meincke (conductor), Gabriela Martinez (solo soprano), Black Beckemeyer (solo tenor), Kate Westhoven (soprano), Rachel Dunbar (alto), Ryan Rogers (tenor), Jackson Faulkner (bass), Daniel Cueto (quena), Noam Niv (quena), Nelson Rodriguez Garza (charango), Ivan Maceda (guitar), Juan Mendez Fonseca (guitar), Elijah Casillas (percussion), Philip Williamson (cello), Grant Evan Thomas (double bass).

Composed in 1973 in Chile, “El pueblo unido jamás será vencido” has become an anthem in protests around the world. This documentary tells the story of the song, from its composition in Chile to its international distribution, with vignettes from Germany, France, and Japan.