gift for musician

Known as toc toc for the sound that they make, these percussion instruments are essential to any Peruvian musical ensemble. Their origin can be traced as far back as pre-Hispanic times. Dionisio Quilla carves the instrument from pumaquiro wood in the shape of two hollow cylinders for double toc toc. One side is longer than the other, resulting in contrasting beats when struck with a stick. The single toc toc features a low relief surface to enrich the sound. The playing sticks are carved from capirona wood.

Dionisio Quilla crafts a beautiful quena flute, an instrument dating to the Inca Empire. Quena means "many-holed object" in the Quechua language. It is said to have entranced birds to soar above its player, which may be no wonder given that early versions the quena were fashioned from condor bone. Quilla crafts this piece from diablo fuerte or yellow wood and paints it by hand. It includes a bright fabric carrying case.

Jacaranda wood lends its extraordinary beauty to this quena flute. Crafted by hand, it is a legacy of the Inca, an indispensable instrument in today's traditional Peruvian music. Benito Tito perforates holes of different widths to ensure a sweet sound and tunes it to 440. The mouthpiece is carved from bone and its case emulates pre-Hispanic textiles.

The rich grain of jacaranda wood lends its extraordinary beauty to this quena flute. Crafted by hand, it is a legacy of the Inca and an indispensable instrument in today's traditional Peruvian music. Benito Tito perforates holes of different widths to ensure a sweet sound. Its case emulates pre-Hispanic textiles.

The flute is tuned to the key of G 440.

Poised to sing sweet melodies of the Andes, this beautiful zampoña panpipe is handcrafted by Benito Tito. Its name, Laca, refers to the presence of the traditional musical instrument at festive events. Tito selects eleven reeds according to size, sands them and aligns them with precision. They are held in place with nylon monofilament and covered with synthetic fabric. A matching fabric case is included; it emulates pre-Hispanic textile design.

Celebrating the condor and its impressive size and strength, the yawar ("blood" in Quechua) fiesta takes place in Peru's Apurimac and Ayacucho regions. The condor represents the people of Peru, while the bull represents the Spanish. If the condor flies, this augurs a good harvest, and musicians accompany the event. Alejandro Chávez crafts the wooden box to house this retablo, or diorama and paints it in vivid colors. The figures are carefully modeled from ceramic plaster and painted by hand.