Traditional Music of Peru Series
One of the objectives of Smithsonian Folkways is to bring to the U.S. and international public the recordings and research of scholars in other countries. In addition to working closely with musicians and scholars in many places ourselves, we have established institutional collaborations with the Indonesian Society for the performing Arts (Music of Indonesia Series), the Aga Khan Music Initiative (Music of Central Asia series), and The Institute of Ethnomusicology of the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, (formerly the Archivo de Musica Tradicional Andina). Although this series was previously published in Peru, international distribution was virtually non-existent.
The Institute of Ethnomusicology is a marvelous repository of field recordings from many parts of the country, carefully catalogued and preserved. Smithsonian Folkways, like many other cultural institutions around the world, has benefitted from the support of the Ford Foundation. We are grateful to that foundation, also, for helping to underwrite the presentation of this series outside of Peru.
It is in the interest of international cooperation and understanding that we bring to you this series, recorded and annotated by outstanding Peruvian ethnomusicologists and anthropologists. We hope you enjoy the music, learn from the bilingual liner notes, and explore the other series mentioned above.
Anthony Seeger, Ph. D.
Curator and Director, Emeritus – Smithsonian Folkways
