Fulía
The term fulía refers to a variety of folk genres in Venezuela generally performed as part of the vigils of the Cruz de Mayo.
[4] The name and origins of the fulía can both be traced back to the Canarian folía, which in turn is a folkloric derivation of a harmonic formula common in Renaissance and Baroque style by the same name.
Though this initial classical folía bears little resemblance to its Venezuelan descendant, there are some elements that have been preserved throughout the centuries, such as the tonicization to both the relative minor and major (as in a Romanesca progression).
[4] The fulía central is native to coastal communities with significant Afro-Venezuelan demographics in the center and central-western regions of Venezuela.
The fulía central features a solo singer on the verses with a chorus that answers, and is accompanied by a cuatro, maracas, and percussion that varies between locations.
[9] In the region of Barlovento, the traditional percussive accompaniment to the fulía involves three cylindrical drums called the prima ("first"), the cruzao ("crossed"), and the pujao ("pushed").
Some, such as the one performed by David Araujo (text below), involve praising the cross and have a clear religious focus: Other décimas can be completely secular in text and themes, such as the following recorded by Luis Felipe Ramón y Rivera and Isabel Aretz: In the excerpt above, the poetic voice poses a challenge to another "trovador," or poet.
Below is a transcription of a verse from a fulía performed by the Grupo Madera: To which the ensemble would respond with "santísima Cruz de Mayo" (Holiest Cross of May).
As a result, the excerpt above would be realized in the following fashion: The themes of the text can be quite varied, but often focus on the ceremony of the Cruz de Mayo itself,[11] on love and heartbreak,[7] or on everyday life in the town.
In the east of Venezuela the music in the vigils is not limited to fulías, but instead includes other local styles such as the punto de velorio and the jota cumanesa.
Regarding the form, the fulía oriental traditionally commences with a brief passage featuring the mandolin or the bandola, after which the first two lines of the stanza are sung.
[17] The mandolin and bandola typically perform an arpeggiating countermelody against the singer, while the cuatro and guitar provide rhythmic and harmonic accompaniment.
