Taking a Musical Trip to Cuba!

Sampling the Afro-Cuban Musical Experience

Some Background 

   Traditional Cuban music stems from the Spanish and African heritage that is deeply rooted within Cuban culture. This fusion of cultural backgrounds was a result of the African slave trade when Spanish settlers brought their slaves to cultivate the island of Cuba (Hosted In Havana). There are five basic genres of Afro-Cuban music: rumba, son, cancion Cubana, danzon, and punto guarjira (Brozensky et al). However, the three most common genres which will be discussed further are the rumba, son, and danzon. What is unique about the Afro-Cuban genres is that each genre has its own associated dance each of which has individually laid the foundation for numerous contemporary dances that are still popular today.

Rumba

    Some of you may be familiar with rumba as it has become very popular in the U.S. as a ballroom dance.  However, traditional rumba is actually split into sub-genres in which the rhythm and meter can vary quite a bit. For example, common forms of the rumba include columbia and guaguanco. Columbia maintains a 2/4 meter throughout the piece while the guaguanco utilizes a drum trio including the tumbadora, segundo, and quinto. The quinto is a set of sticks that plays the 3/2 meter "rumba clave," while the drums maintain a 2/4 meter. Rumba is characteristically upbeat and is the type of music for parties, dancing, and just generally having a good time. Rumba dances are intended to be erotic and enticing, originally meant to be a marriage dance. (Brozensky et al). La Polémica by the group Los Muñequitos de Matanzas was released in 1960 as a part of the album Guagaunćo Matancero: Candela! Cuban Classics, Vol. IV. La Polémica is an example of a guanguanco rumba.

Son

    Son combines music and poetry to portray the thoughts and emotions of the artists. Traditional son themes include love, humor, and patriotism. The lyrics of son is arranged in a decima, which is a ten-line, octosyllabic verse. Similar to rumba, son is generally performed in 2/4 time. A rhythmic characteristic unique to son is that the son clave which has both a forward and reverse clave. That is, a forward clave has a tresillo (triplet) followed by two eighth notes, while the reverse is the opposite (Hosted in Havana). Interestingly, the son dance is the predecessor to many contemporary dances including the mambo, salsa, and the cha-cha (Brozensky et al). An example of son music is El Maneaito by the group Salsaloco De Cuba which was released between 2008 and 2013 with the album Baila Loco.  

Danzon

    Danzon really represents the European influence on Afro-Cuban music. Danzon was different from other genres as it began to incorporate less traditional instruments such as the flute, piano, and string instruments. Still, African drums play a significant role in the music. The danzon dance is described as a very slow, elegant dance performed by couples (Brozensky et al). Nievecita was composed in 1883 by Miguel Failde, who is credited as the grandfather of danzon. It is performed by Orquestra Failde which was founded by Ethiel Failde who is the great-great nephew of Miguel Failde.

In Sum
    I can really appreciate how each genre seems to be differentiated by the feelings they convey and how they're applicable to different scenarios. Rumba is great for a party while a danzon is good for something more intimate. The tone and feel of the music are changed using the rhythm, lyrics, instruments, and dance. I find it fascinating how much Cuban culture is expressed and valued through their music and dance.

Sources

Brozensky, Jennifer, et al. “Cuba and Its Music.” Cuba and Its Music, www2.cedarcrest.edu/academic/soc/ccameron/soc215/cuba/cuba.htm.

“Cuban Music History.” Hosted In Havana, Boogalu Productions, www.hostedhavana.com/resources/cuban-music-history.

“History of Popular Cuban Music.” Orquesta La Moderna Tradición, www.danzon.com/eng/history/cuban-music.htm.