Pirekua

Pirekua
Cultural origins	Purépecha
Derivative forms	Sones abajeños

Pirekua, traditional song of the P’urhépecha
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage
Country	Mexico
Reference	00398
Region	Latin America and the Caribbean
Inscription history
Inscription	2010 (5th session)
List	Representative

Pirekua(Purépecha) is asong formof thePurépecha(Michoacán, Mexico). The singer of apirekua,apirériecha,may be male or female, solo or accompanied, andpirekuamay be performed instrumentally.Pirériechasact as social mediators and "express sentiments and communicate events of importance to the Purépecha communities."

Pirekuaensembles usually include "two or threeguitars,strings and winds, [and] a smallbrass band,or [pirériechaare] unaccompanied. "Performed with "a gentle rhythm", generally insones(³
₈time) orabajeños(⁶
₈time), the genre combines African, European, and indigenous American influences.Pirekuais related to thesonand thewaltz,andHenrietta Yurchencopoints out that both thesonandpirekuaare in a slowtriple meter,performed asduets,featurerhythmic sequenceagainst fixed patterns in theaccompaniment,and use two to three chords (I-IV-V) inmajororminorwith littlemodulation.

The subjects ofpirekualyricsrange "from historical events to religion, social and political thought and love and courtship, making extensive use of symbolism."Lyrics make frequent use of flowers as symbols of femininity, passion, and local identity.Whilesonesare usually sung in Spanish,pirekuaare usually sung in Purépecha, and whilesonestends toward everyday life,pirekuatend more towards poetic expressions of the Purépecha world view.

See also

• UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists

External links

• Media services: "Pirekua, traditional song of the P’urhépecha",UNESCO.org.