Charm and sing of memory: from the BíoBío region Carmen Jiménez Chamorro remembers

Abstract

This article addresses the memories and musical experiences of Carmen Rosa Jiménez Chamorro (b. Lota 1914 - d. Hualpén 2016). A Chilean and long-lived woman who lived in the BioBío region. In her last years, specifically for one of the cases here analysed and, due to the earthquake of 2010 in Chile, Carmen Jiménez begun to remember and sing old songs and verses which were activated as a resulted of her ageing and transformation of her mnemonic capacities. For instance, an anarchist hymn, a foxtrot related to the earthquake of Valparaíso in 1906 and, a child song. All of them, as a part of her personal songbook. This research informs about these songs and also about their place as effective resource of connection with her personal history which is also social and local history. Because, they preserve and update some relevant, although no much studied, aspects of the Chilean popular culture during 20th century. This work hope to contribute to construction of a collective and local musical memory, as a patrimonial and educational tool in order to stimulate through musical research in the knowledge and worth of the songs performed by our older people.