Nueva Canción
Nueva Cancion was and is the music of revolution in Latin America. While the continent was experiencing U.S.-backed dictatorships in the 1950s and '60s, a new generation of songwriters came of age. They felt their guitars should serve as their weapons, bringing politics as well as love songs to listeners, and they paid great attention to the art of songwriting. At the same time, there was a movement towards resurrecting indigenous music styles and instilling pride in national culture. Some politicians took inspiration from this movement: Chilean socialist reformer Salvador Allende was a fan until he was assassinated. The backlash that met political reformers was also meted out to musicians, including Nueva Cancion originator Victor Jara, who was brutally murdered after Allende's fall. Nonetheless, these artists' courageous songs touched off musical revolutions throughout the region. Songwriters everywhere have been influenced by their marriage of poetry, song-craft and politics -- a potent mix that has inspired such parallel movements as the nueva trova in Cuba.