Erke
Musical instrument of Bolivian origin
The erke (alternatively erque, coroneta, or quepa) is a large labrosone (lip reed) instrument native to the Gran Chaco of Bolivia, northern Chile, and the Argentine Northwest.
01Construction
The erke is composed of two or more lengths of cane joined at the ends to form a single tube. The internal nodes of the canes are removed and the exterior is often wrapped with gut or wool. The end often has an amplifier made of cow horn or brass. The instrument is blown through at the other end, and may be three to seven metres in length.
02History
Although in the latter half of the 20th century, Andean folkloric musical groups used the erke for secular music, among the indigenous and criollo peoples of the Andes the erke is used solely for ritual purposes.
Traditionally, but not commonly, only adult men play the erke and it is considered profane to play the erke outside of a ritual context. The erke is commonly played during winter, as it is believed that playing it in spring or summer can bring snow.
03Similar instruments
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Erke”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Erke - Noroeste Argentino.jpg by N J.O. Zavalía, CC BY 2.0
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