Oralities and musicalities in dialogue: Kalfu and the musicalization of the Mapuche poetry of Elicura Chihuailaf

Abstract

In this article, I present an analysis of the musicalization of the Mapuche poetry of Elicura Chihuailaf carried out by the Chilean band Kalfu. The research proposal I put forward is that this musicalization can be understood as the culmination of a broad process of transmission and dialogue between oralities and musicalities, which develops in three stages: the first, in which we find the orality and musicality of the Mapuche oral tradition that serves as inspiration for Elicura Chihuailaf's poetry; the second, which consists of the textual representation of these oralities and musicalities in the “oralitura” work carried out by the poet, where the orality and musicality of the poem are also incorporated; and the third, in which the sonic reconfiguration of these oralities and musicalities takes place through Kalfu’s musicalization work, where the orality of the musicians’ vocal interpretation and the musicality of the instrumental composition are also integrated.