parang

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Parang is a type of music with Caribbean and Latin American cultural influences. The word is derived from two Spanish words:'Parranda', meaning 'a spree or fête' and 'Parar' meaning 'to stop'. Parang is a popular folk music originating out of Trinidad and Tobago, it is part of the Island's Hispanic heritage that originated from over 400 years ago during Spanish rule via Venezuela.

In the past, it was traditional for parang serenaders to pay nocturnal visits to the homes of family and friends, where part of the fun was waking the inhabitants of the household from their beds. Today, a new form of parang, soca parang, has emerged. Soca parang is a combination of soca and parang.

Performance

In Trinidad, traditional parang music is largely performed around Christmas time, when singers and instrumentalists (collectively known as the parranderos) travel from house to house in the community, often joined by friends and neighbours family etc. using whatever instruments are to hand. Popular parang instruments include the cuatro (a four-string small guitar) and maracas (locally known as chac-chac. Other instruments often used are violin, guitar, claves (locally known as toc-toc), box bass (an indigenous instrument),tamborine,mandolin, bandolin, caja (a percussive box instrument), and marimbola (an Afro-Venezuelan instrument). In exchange for the entertainment, parranderos are traditionally given food and drink: pastelle, sorrel, rum and ponche crema (a form of alcoholic eggnog).

While traditional house-to-house caroling tradition is still practised by some small groups and larger organized groups, modern parang music has also developed a season of staged performances called parang fiestas, held from October through to January each year, culminating in a national parang competition.

Varieties

Traditional parang music includes a variety of song types:

• aguinaldo or serenal: relating to the stories of the nativity of Christ, equivalent to the Western concept of a 'carol';
• guarapo: a secular song, often with passages of improvised lyrics where content and length vary according to the skill of the lead singer;
• estribillo: a lively call-and-response style song;
• manzanares: a Venezuelan waltz which celebrates the different aspects of the Manzanare River of Cumana, Venezuela;
• joropo: similar in style to the Spanish waltz;
• galerón;
• picón;
• despedida: a song of farewell and gratitude.

Since the 1950s, parang has become more popularised, giving birth to "soca parang", a fusion of calypso and soca with lyrics in English. While still festive in nature, the lyrics often refer to North American cultural elements such as Santa Claus.

Parang has also been fused with chutney, a form of vocal music indigenous to Trinidad, influenced by Indian rhythms and sometimes sung in Hindi.

Parang artists

Notable parang bands and artists include Daisy Voisin, Henry Perreira, Sharlene Flores, Leon Caldero, Jacqueline Charles ,Lara Brothers, Francisca Allard & Philip Allard (Dinamicos), Los Tocadores, Los Parranderos de UWI, Los Alumnos de San Juan and Del Caribe, Las Estrellas De Paramin, Los Paramininos, Los Alacranes. Other popular bands include:

1. A La Rio Suave
2. Amantes de Parranda (Barataria)
3. Amores de Musica
4. Ay Caramba
5. Brasso Seco Parranderos
6. Canciones Melodicas of Santa Cruz
7. Carib Santa Rosa
8. Carib Shaman
9. Con Amor
10. Courts Rio Senores
11. Courts Ruisenores (Pointe-a-Pierre)
12. D New Image Serenaders
13. Del Caribe
14. Dulzura Caliente
15. El Sabor (St. Joseph, Maracas)
16. Flores de San Jose
17. Fuego Caribeño
18. G. Sharp and Friends
19. levantamientos Petrtrin
20. La Casa Parranda (Princes Town)
21. La Libertad
22. La Divina Pastora
23. La Estrella de Oriente
24. La Familla Alegria
25. La Familia de Camona y Amigos (Edinburgh Gardens Phase 3, Chaguanas)
26. La Familia De Rio Claro
27. La Familia De San Raphael (Gallon)
28. La Finca Paranda
29. La Ruseda de Agua (Diego Martin)
30. La Sagrada Familia
31. La Santa Familia
32. La Santa Maria
33. La Tropical
34. Lara Brothers (Cantaro Village, Santa Cruz)
35. Las Buenos Nuevas
36. Las Estrellita de Oriente
37. Lopinot Paranderos
38. Los Alacranes from Paramin
39. Los Alumnos de San Juan
40. Los Amantes de Parranda
41. Los Amigos Cantadores (Trincity)
42. Los Amigos De Jesus (La Canoa, Santa Cruz)
43. Los Buenos Paranderos (El Dorado)
44. Los Caballeros
45. Los Caneros
46. Los Cantadores de Brazil
47. Los Campaneros
48. Los Cantos de Amor
49. Los Hermanos Lara
50. Los Muchachos del Agua
51. Los Ninos de Santa Rosa
52. Los Ninos del Mundo
53. Los Originales (Diego Martin)
54. Los Pajaros (Brampton, Ontario, Canada)
55. Los Paramininos
56. Los Paranderos Amigos
57. Los Paranderos de UWI (UWI - St. Augustin)
58. Los Pastores (Palo Seco)
59. Los Pavitos
60. Los Reyes1
61. Los Tocadores and Peter Estrada (Trinidad and Tobago)
62. Michael Carabai (Stafford, Virginia, USA)
63. Moments Parang Group
64. Morella Montano and the Maraval Folk Choir
65. Mucho Tempo
66. Paramininos (Paramin Maraval)
67. Petrotrin Levanta Miento
68. Rancho Quernado
69. Rebuscar
70. Rio Suave Los Buenos Parranderos
71. Sabor del Caribe (Enterprise, Chaguanas)
72. San Jose Serenaders
73. Sancouche (Point Fortin)
74. Santa Rosa Serenaders
75. St Augustine's Son del Sueno
76. Sun Valley Parang Group
77. Un Amor
78. Unidad Serenaders (Mt Pleasant, Arima)
79. Viva Nueva
80. Voces de Promesa (Trincity)
81. Voces Jovenes

Noted parang-soca artists include Scrunter, Crazy and Big B.

Origins and history

The details of the birth of parang are disputed. One theory is that parang has its origins in the music of Spanish or French Catholic monks, present in Trinidad during the Spanish colonial period. Another theory is that Venezuelans brought the first elements of parang with them when they migrated to Trinidad to work on cocoa farms in the early part of the nineteenth century. Also see Parranda

Parang flourished under the British rule from 1814. It absorbed elements of African and French creole and was influenced by the constant interaction between the people of Trinidad and those of Venezuela, where similar musical forms developed in parallel.

Parang remains an important element both of Trinidadian Christmas rituals and of the rituals of other islands and countries, including Grenada, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela. Today, parang is especially vibrant in Trinidad & Tobago communities such as Paramin, Lopinot and Arima.

External links

• Parang Lime
• Los Tocadores Parang Band
• [1]