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This essay will be an analysis of the impact of a certain region s climate on the folk music of Chile. How the climate affects the sounds of the instruments and how this affect the style of the music. I will also look at the effect of climate on music in different zones where the same musical instruments are found, so that we can study the impact of climate directly into the music without the filtering of the sounds of a particular instrument s material.
To do this, I will use as an example the country of Chile because of its notable contrast of climates and for its isolation, since there is less outside cultural influences than other countries. The isolation comes because this country has a dessert in the north, tall mountains on the east, the Pacific Ocean on the west and the Antarctic on the south. Due to the Internet, the remoteness is not as true anymore but it is still a good place to illustrate my examples.

The North

According to the NASA and the National Geographic, the Atacama Desert, located in the northern part of Chile, is the driest desert in the world. There are sections where rainfall has been absent for more than 120,000 years according to a study by English scientists from London. The living conditions are extremely hard for animals to survive and only a few adapted to the circumstances of life. The Armadillo is one of them. The shell-like skin of this animal is used as the acoustics of a guitar-like musical instrument called Charango. Typically made of the back shell of the Armadillo, it is an exceptionally dry sounding instrument, almost as dry sounding as the look and sensation of the desert.
Other types of animals are found at sea; The Pacific Ocean brings abundance of seafood and makes it possible for human life to be sustained. All kinds of sea creatures leave different kinds of shells on the desert s coast that are used as musical instruments. The Pututo is a horn-sounding instrument made of the shell of a sea creature. A hole is made in two opposing sides for the musician to circulate the air. The sound of the wind hitting the waves, and the waves hitting the coast is heard when the air circulates the Pututo. This instrument can sense the feeling of being at sea.
The Andes Mountain is located some 200 kilometers to the west of the Chilean coast and it is extremely cold and dry. There are a few lakes and rivers (oasis) that support the existence of animal and plant life. The cane or mambo is found in the surrounding areas of water and it is used as the material for a flute-like instrument called Quena and another instrument that resembles the mechanism of a pipe organ, the Zampoña. The fresh-cold air is heard in the sounds of these Andean instruments, almost as if nature wants to manifests its glory in a simpler way, using the musical instruments as its language.

The Center

This is the most populated area in Chile with a population of 80% of the nation. Big Cities like Santiago, Viña del Mar and Valparaiso are found here and the reason is because it has the most confortable climate for living conditions in the country. This pattern is seen in most of the big cities around the world, cities that are found next to rivers, coasts or lakes. The climate attracts people from all over to migrate to take advantage of its confortable living conditions. When Spanish conquerors were looking for a place to settle, they found Santiago to be the perfect place to stay because of its climate. The route they took to Santiago was the dry desert, so it was a relief to find such good Mediterranean weather. By settling in this area, the Spanish people brought their musical instruments and their musical styles that to this day dominate the music scene. The influence of climate in music is not as direct as what we saw in the desert, but its effect is still very strong. The climate invites influences from different places to interchange ideas and instruments, which create a unique style of combined varieties. The center zone of Chile has influences mainly from the north, south and Spain. All of these influences are present because of a welcoming climate.
Some of the prominent musical instruments include the Spanish guitar, the harp and the accordion. Some of the styles include the "Cueca", consisting in improvised heterophony to the vocal line, which is supported by basic repeated harmonies involving tonic to dominant progressions and the "Tonada", a slower version of the Cueca, which is not danced and it is usually sang with a solo guitar accompaniment; the melodic line is also more important and the harmonic progressions more interesting.
The Cueca is danced during the months of spring and summer while the Tonada is heard during the months of fall and winter. This happens because during the cold winter people usually stay home where it is hard to have many people dancing. On the contrary, during the summer there is a social life outside the house where people have the chance to express themselves through dance.

The South

The climate in the south is cold and it is darker than the rest of the country. One of the reasons for its dimness is because it is in the extreme south of the globe, and another is because of the constant rainfall. The sun can hardly warm the air when the clouds decide to let the rays touch the ground. This kind of weather forces people to stay home next to a fire place as much as possible, which isolates them from constant interaction with other people. This affects the mood of people to a melancholic sensation, which is intensely felt in the music of this zone. Even though many of the dances and instruments found in the center zone are also found in the south, the use of them manifests in a melancholic song because of the isolation of people due to the cold weather and the territory that is made up of many islands.
The most prominent indigenous group in Chile is the Mapuche, with a population of almost one million people (the total population of Chile is seventeen million). The Mapuche people have a reputation of being great fighters in wars for successfully defending themselves against the Inca Empire (Aboriginal group from Peru) and later the Spanish conquers. This is one of the only aboriginal groups in South America that has never been defeated by conquerors. As great warriors, their music and instruments are often used to get the fighters ready to go to battle. The Trutruka is a long and heavy flute-like instrument made of mambo, which has a horn sound that is used as the call of war. It is also used for religious purpose in which the rhythm of a melody is more spiritual sounding. Another instrument that is also used for war and religious purposes is the Kultrum, which is a drum made of wood and animal skin. For both instruments the rhythm dictates the mood of the dance, which determines the distinction of war or religious dance.

Easter Island

Comparing the music of the Easter Island and Hawaii is a great example to use as evidence of the effect of climate in the music. The Easter Island is located some three thousands kilometers to the west coast of the center zone in Chile. It is an island created by the constant eruption of an active volcano that is located in the middle island. The climate is very similar to the one found in the state of Hawaii since they are both tropical. But what really calls my attention is the similarity in the sounds of instruments and the style of the music. It is hard to distinguish one from the other, but since these islands are extremely far apart, how could this be possible? The answer must be that the climate has produced similar ecosystems in which the people can create similar musical instruments. Also, the tropical uplifting weather makes the music sound lively. According to a NY Times article, the happiest people found in the Unites States live in the state of Hawaii, and the reason for this feeling is the effect that the weather has on people s moods. This happiness also manifests in the style of the music, which is lively and "tropical" sounding.
The Moais are the main attraction for tourists to this island for their mysterious origin. They are made of volcanic rock, which scientists cannot figure out how a human civilization without the modern technology would be able to achieve. There is a musical instrument made of volcanic rock, but its origin is not mysterious. The Maea is a musical instrument consisting of two volcanic rocks that are smashed against each other. Once the volcanic rock has cooled off, the people go find rounded rocks that are later used as the Maea. Another instrument from this zone is the Keho, which is a hole in the ground with another smaller hole filled with a volcanic rock that is smashed by a person s legs by sitting on the surface of the hole. The bigger whole in the ground works as an amplifier to the sounds created with the smashing of the smaller whole filled with a volcanic rock. Other important musical instruments include the Ukelele, another instrument that sounds very tropical, and the Hio, a flute made of mambo.

Conclusion

The effect of climate in music can manifest in two different forms, a direct or indirect way.
The first direct way manifests by the use of the materials found in certain ecosystems as musical instruments. The reason why the people in the north of Chile use the Armadillo s shell as the material for the Charango is because in the desert there are no trees as the resource of wood. Most of the guitar-like instruments are made of wood, but when there is no wood around, people use things that are found in their home. The second direct effect of climate to music comes from the influence that the weather has on the people s moods, which transfers into the final performance of the music. If the climate is tropical, the music will be lively and more danceable, on the other hand, when the climate is cold and rainy, the music will be more melancholic and structured. This effect is seen even in the classical music where the north of Europe dominated the writing of structured fugues while the south dominated the composition of beautiful songs and Opera. The climate dictates weather a person will spend his time indoors or outdoors, which then will dictate the type of expression seen through arts. Generally speaking, social life indoors tends to have a more structured, thought-provoking outcome while having a social encounter outdoors tends to have a more expressive danceable result through the arts.
In general, when the weather is warm and confortable, the music manifests in a danceable style with complex rhythms and uplifting melodies. On the contrary, when the weather is cold and rainy, music establishes a more listenable aspect with a melancholic feel.
There is also an indirect way in which the climate can affect the music. When the climate allows for a confortable life style, people will tend to migrate to these areas and bring their own habits, traditions, and ways of life. With that, they will also bring their own musical instruments, and musical styles. In the center zone of Chile, it is possible to find dances and influences from all over Spain, and the North and the South of Chile..