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Parang
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Parang is a type of music with Caribbean and Latin American cultural influences. The word is derived from the Spanish word parranda, meaning 'merry-making' or 'a group of serenaders'. Parang is a popular folk music 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.
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Parang is a type of music with Caribbean and Latin American cultural influences. The word is derived from the Spanish word parranda, meaning 'merry-making' or 'a group of serenaders'. Parang is a popular folk music 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
Traditional parang music is largely performed around Christmas time, when singers and instrumentalists (collectively known as the parrandero) 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 shak-shaks. Other instruments often used are violin, guitar, trumpet claves (locally known as toc-toc), box bass (an indigenous instrument), flute, 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:
- A La Rio Suave
- Amantes de Parranda (Barataria)
- Amores de Musica
- Ay Caramba
- Brasso Seco Parranderos
- Canciones Melodicas of Santa Cruz
- Carib Santa Rosa
- Carib Shaman
- Con Amor
- Courts Rio Senores
- Courts Ruisenores (Pointe-a-Pierre)
- D New Image Serenaders
- Del Caribe
- Dulzura Caliente
- El Sabor (St. Joseph, Maracas)
- Flores de San Jose
- Fuego Caribeño
- G. Sharp and Friends
- levantamientos Petrtrin
- La Casa Parranda (Princes Town)
- La Libertad
- La Divina Pastora
- La Estrella de Oriente
- La Familla Alegria
- La Familia de Camona y Amigos (Edinburgh Gardens Phase 3, Chaguanas)
- La Familia De Rio Claro
- La Familia De San Raphael (Gallon)
- La Finca Paranda
- La Ruseda de Agua (Diego Martin)
- La Sagrada Familia
- La Santa Familia
- La Santa Maria
- La Tropical
- Lara Brothers (Cantaro Village, Santa Cruz)
- Las Buenos Nuevas
- Las Estrellita de Oriente
- Lopinot Paranderos
- Los Alacranes from Paramin
- Los Alumnos de San Juan
- Los Amantes de Parranda
- Los Amigos Cantadores (Trincity)
- Los Amigos De Jesus (La Canoa, Santa Cruz)
- Los Buenos Paranderos (El Dorado)
- Los Caballeros
- Los Caneros
- Los Cantadores de Brazil
- Los Campaneros
- Los Cantos de Amor
- Los Hermanos Lara
- Los Muchachos del Agua
- Los Ninos de Santa Rosa
- Los Ninos del Mundo
- Los Originales (Diego Martin)
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- Los Paramininos
- Los Paranderos Amigos
- Los Paranderos de UWI (UWI - St. Augustin)
- Los Pastores (Palo Seco)
- Los Pavitos
- Los Reyes1
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- Moments Parang Group
- Morella Montano and the Maraval Folk Choir
- Mucho Tempo
- Paramininos (Paramin Maraval)
- Petrotrin Levanta Miento
- Rancho Quernado
- Rebuscar
- Rio Suave Los Buenos Parranderos
- Sabor del Caribe (Enterprise, Chaguanas)
- San Jose Serenaders
- Sancouche (Point Fortin)
- Santa Rosa Serenaders
- St Augustine's Son del Sueno
- Sun Valley Parang Group
- Un Amor
- Unidad Serenaders (Mt Pleasant, Arima)
- Viva Nueva
- 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.
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