How it began
Candombe drumming was created by people of African descent in Montevideo, whose ancestors were brought to the city in slavery during the colonial period. The practice has been handed down within Afro-Uruguayan families in the Sur, Palermo and Cordón districts in the south of the city, and UNESCO describes it as an expression of resistance as well as a musical celebration. No single maker or date is recorded for the drums. Accounts of the tradition say master drummers have kept it going without interruption for about two hundred years.
How it works
The drums, called tamboriles, are barrel-shaped wooden drums with a single skin head and a narrow base. There are three sizes. The chico is the smallest and highest and marks the tempo. The repique is the middle drum and carries syncopation and improvisation. The piano is the largest and lowest. Each is hung from a shoulder strap and played with one stick and one bare hand while walking.
A group of drummers is called a cuerda. It needs at least one of each drum, and a full one has 50 to 100 players in rows that mix the three sizes. The skins are tuned with ropes or by warming them at a fire shortly before playing. Players also strike the wooden shell with the stick to sound the clave pattern.
How it spread
The drum calls, or llamadas, take place every Sunday and on many holidays. People gather around communal fires to tune the drums, then set off through the streets, led by members of families known for drumming over generations. The beat of the piano differs between the three neighborhoods, so the playing signals each district's identity. From these neighborhoods candombe became a recognized Uruguayan music.
Where it stands today
UNESCO inscribed candombe and its socio-cultural space on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009. The Sunday llamadas continue in the same districts and draw former residents back on special days. A fourth, larger drum called the bajo or bombo was once common and is now in decline.
