In the first half of the twentieth century, there was an acute confrontation between traditional musicians and academics. This discussion revolved around issues related to the concept of nationalist work and, as one might think, they did not find a point of closure. This phenomenon, like the partisan struggle of liberals and conservatives, had a national impact, reaching, even, the remote regions such as Nariño. In Pasto, Luis E. Nieto, an empirical composer, sought to add his effort to this confrontation and composed the pasillo Cantar de selva, which is the central object of this analysis. In the second half of the last century, a group of academic composers, better equipped theoretically than their predecessor, assumed the task of producing repertoires based on the country's musical tradition, where the Andean region is no longer the only source of inspiration, but also the coasts the same as some South American rhythms. The information is analyzed in light of the approaches of New History, microhistory and gadamerian hermeneutics.