El vals en la bohemia de Valparaíso

The waltz, as a popular musical genre, plays a key role in various nightlife spaces in Valparaíso during the 20th century, remaining in force to this day. In 2020, it was included as one of the representative genres of the ‘Traditional bohemian music of Valparaíso’, with its practitioners from different generations being recognized as part of the local intangible heritage. In order to contribute to the understanding of this phenomenon, this paper reviews historical background on various aspects of the popular waltz in South America, with a particular focus on its impact on Valparaiso’s bohemian life. Specifically, it describes how the musicality of the waltz took shape in this city and its prominence in the 1960s in relation to artists, groups and musical spaces, as well as through emblematic songs such as ‘La Joya del Pacífico’, ‘Valparaíso’ or ‘Los Cerros de Valparaíso’. The construction of this musicality involves processes of exchange and hybridisation on a continental scale. Subsequently, the article analyses the current dynamics of the waltz in this city, its artists and repertoires, exploring its significance as part of a sound milieu and as an identity marker within the framework of the ongoing patrimonialisation processes. In relation to these processes and from a critical perspective, the article addresses their implications concerning certain consumption dynamics and the social precarity faced by popular and bohemian music artists.