O gesto vocal latinoamericano na performance de Mercedes Sosa na década de 1960

Abstract

This dissertation examines the transformation of Mercedes Sosa's vocal gesture during the 1960s, connecting it to the political life of folklore in Argentina, her early career, and episodes that shaped her sense of belonging. The study uses the perspective of the Nuevo Cancionero, a movement of aesthetic and ideological renewal in Argentine folklore, to explore Sosa's role in the musical and sociopolitical landscape of the time and the shift in the production and reproduction of national identities in Latin American societies, where new media played a key role. The work of scholars such as Machado, Tatit, Zumthor, Giménez, Waisman, González, Bastos, Costa, and Martínez is invoked, providing a nuanced perspective on Sosa's vocal gesture and its cultural impact. The analysis of two distinct recordings of "Zamba de Los Humildes," made between 1960 and 1967, allows for a deeper understanding of Sosa's vocal development, revealing it as a blend of diverse vocal practices, transformed into a characteristic gesture through a conciliatory listening approach. Sosa's sound offers insight into her positioning through her unique vocal gesture, solidified during performance. The study acknowledges Latin American popular singing in the 1960s and 70s as a platform of resistance and protest, reflected in Sosa's work, enabling an approach to the "singing of the people of a place," a concept that extends the artistic gesture to include a sense of belonging. In sum, the dissertation elucidates the complex interplay between music, politics, and society in 1960s Argentina, as reflected in Sosa's career, highlighting the transformation of her vocal gesture, her influential interpretation, and her role in shaping Latin American identity.