Variedad sonora de las antaras nasca: ¿Un caos o el sistema?

Abstract

The ceramic Panpipe (antara) was the main melodic instrument in Nasca culture. The archaeological excavations accomplished in 1994 and 1995 in Nasca ceremonial center at Cahuachi gave the extraordinary finding for archaeomusicological studies: the 27 antaras, which served as an offering in the temple in Sector Y13. The detailed studies on antaras (analysis of recorded sounds and acoustic calculations) gave a large amount of information about their musical/acoustical properties. It is possible also, thanks to the good state of preservation of instruments, to reconstruct the process of making of antaras. The applied technology of production seems to be very complex and to reflect the sophisticated general idea of sonorous space. The series of sounds and the types of intervals show the peculiarity of Nasca musical system which is to give the highest range to both values of music: melody and complex dissonances.