Lent and Holy Week is a time full of traditions in Guatemala. The voice of admiration of children is heard while waiting with emotion with Jesus and Mary; The solemnity of the passage of the images leads to the silence of the devotees, while the drum’s redouble is heard or a march; The songs of believers dedicated to the images and the bustle of the vendors that accompany the courtships are also perceived.
Definitely, Holy Week in Guatemala It is a sensory experience. Just as sounds are peculiar, so they are The colors of the season, the carpets, the aromas of the incense and the flavors of the Traditional meals.
Part of the mysticism of this era is listening to the funeral marches And it is even more shocking to recognize the work of artists who give life with their instruments to the processions of the processions in the country.
The document Easter weekcreated by the Ministry of Culture and Sports, explains that the organization and administration of the bands that interpret the funeral marches fill a number that ranges from 15 to more than 40 musicians in the courtships. I could get to more.
What instruments are in a Holy Week music band?
Most of the time, musicians appear in formal suit, tie or corbatin. In addition, some companies or brotherhoods provide caps to protect themselves from the sun during the long daily walks.
The structure of the processional bands has its origin in the liberal martial bands, which follow the European model and that are basically composed of wooden instruments – flute and clarinet -, metal wind – trumpeta, trombone, as much and tuba, among others – and percussion – redundant.
The bands, in general, also have performers from Pícolo, Lira and Gong.
Long tours during Holy Week of Guatemala
The routes represent a work that goes from a couple of hours to more than 12 under the sun, rain and other climatic circumstances. For example, Jesús Nazareno de Candelaria, Cristo Rey and the consecrated image of the Virgen de Dolores travel for more than 21 hours the streets and avenues of the Historic Center of Guatemala, during which around 300 funeral marches are interpreted, says the musician, explains the historian Walter Izeppi.
Each teacher determines the number of musicians that are required for a procession, although it also depends on the budget of the brotherhood he hires.
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“In my personal criteria, a band should not come out of 15 musicians, to bring the different records, although some could even have seven,” says Nery Racancoj, Guatemalan musician.
How much do you charge the musicians in Lent and Holy Week?
In 1950, an eight -hour procession was a payment of Q4 per musician, at the rate of Q0.50 per hour, according to an investigation by the musician Paulo Alvarado published in 2008 by Free press.
It is important to recognize that some bands carry musicians for devotion, whether they do not charge or do so for a symbolic sum for food and per diem.
At present, in matters of payment, according to the number of routes it could represent between Q150 per hour, this generally depends on the type of instrument that is executed.
Currently it is also common to see concerts that the different bands present. In 2022 the National Symphony Orchestra made a concert with the most representative marches at the Miguel Ángel Asturias Cultural Center.