4s 4s

16. La roncadora (The Growling Polca) polca
Walter Roldán, button accordion; Chichí Vidiella, bandoneón; Ricardo Cunha, guitarrón and vocals, Bernardo
Sanguinetti, guitar and vocals
The composer of this polca, accordionist Chico Soares de Lima, lived in the northern department
of Rivera, bordering Brazil, and was a member of a large clan of musicians important in Uruguayan
folklore, the Soares de Lima Medeiros. Walter says, “When I met Chico Soares, the song of his
that I liked the best was this one. I was very young and I didn’t have the ability to play it, but it was
stored in my head. Many years passed until I had enough ability on the accordion to play this polca
as he did.” In this way, Walter’s incredible musical memory has preserved many songs of popular
accordionists of northern Uruguay.
17. La chiquita de Buricayupí (The Little Girl from Buricayupí) polca
Chichí Vidiella, bandoneón; Ricardo Cunha, guitarrón
Buricayupí is a small rural village near Tres Bocas de Cerro Chato,
the town where Chichí was born, in the northern department of
Paysandú. Chichí’s uncles played this song.
On this rendition with only bandoneón and guitarrón, the distinctive
manner of accompaniment can be perceived in Ricardo
Cunha’s playing. “The way of playing that I saw in guitarists in the
countryside [was a] percussive way of playing. In addition to playing
the strings, [they strummed] in a form that the guitar served as
element of percussion as well. The guitarists who accompanied
accordions always played in that way,” says Cunha.
Guitarrón made by Montevideo luthier Luís Eduardo Miranda
4 15 s