Cultura y Patrimonio Musical en Rutas de Peregrinación: El Caso de la Vía de la Plata en Extremadura

One important component of cultural heritage that can be promoted is music. Musical heritage joins the tangible with the intangible, gives life to stones, unites experiences across generations and between intellectuals, farmers, and workers, and accompanies pilgrims at every step along the way. When speaking of promoting culture, how can we forget musical heritage and its power to revive lifeless stones on the pilgrim’s path or in the loneliness and gathering of walkers?... the majestic organs, the musicians with their bagpipes and drums, the horns, the lutes, the guitars, the Gregorian chant and counterpoint in churches and monasteries, the popular tunes sung in groups, the ballads sung by locals that connect with the stories brought by the pilgrims in their backpacks, the wealth of ritual dances all along the way. This presentation will undertake an extensive reflection about these themes and will present proposals for developing an artistic programme for expanding the role of culture and meaning on a pilgrimage route, the Via de la Plata, in its course through Extremadura