2016: 'Chilean New Song' book is out
Latitudes
informs that the book Chilean
New Song: The Political Power of Music, 1960s-1973, by Dr J. Patrice
McSherry has been published by Temple University Press. The book can be
acquired in three different formats (kindle, hardcover and paperback) directly
from Temple
University Press, Amazon
US, and Amazon
UK.
Chilean New Song (la Nueva Canción chilena) entranced and
uplifted a country that struggled for social change during the turbulent 1960s
and early 1970s, until the 1973 coup that overthrew democratic socialist
president Salvador Allende. This powerful musical style—with its poetic lyrics
and haunting blend of traditional indigenous wind and stringed instruments—was
born of and expressed the aspirations of rising classes. It promised a socially
just future as it forged social bonding.
In this book, Dr McSherry deftly
combines a political-historical view of Chile with a narrative of its cultural
development. The author examines the democratizing power of this music and,
through interviews with key protagonists, the social roles of politically
committed artists who participated in a movement for change. She explores the
impact of Chilean New Song and the way this artistic/cultural phenomenon
related to contemporary politics to capture the passion, pain, and hope of
millions of Chileans.