The Music of Latin America

 

 

After reading through the module materials and viewing the assigned videos, what are your thoughts and impressions on the music of Latin America? Provide specific examples to support your answer.

Questions to help focus your thinking (you don’t have to answer them all): What similarities do you see and how are these musical styles different? How does music reflect transculturation?

Submit a well-composed response by writing in the “Reply” section directly below this prompt. If you would like to reply to other people, write in the “Reply” section below their post.

Protocols:

Produce a substantial and revised response to the given prompt (about 200 words – remember, your post should be detailed and specific enough to demonstrate that you have a thorough understanding of the learning materials

Examples of Musical Genres: South America
A few examples of musical styles in Latin America are provided starting below and over the next few pages in this module. We can only scratch the surface of what there is to offer; however, if you haven’t done so already, you will get a sense of just how diverse the music of this region is.

Tango – Argentina
More of a dance than a musical style, tango is synonymous with Buenos Aires, Argentina. Originating in the working class, immigrant neighborhoods of Buenos Aires in the 19th century, the sensual dance is accompanied by guitar or an ensemble consisting of a piano, double bass, violin, flute, and the accordion-like bandoneon. Review a brief history Links to an external site.of Tango and watch a demonstration below.

Cumbia – Colombia
The Colombian cumbia originated as a courtship dance during the colonial period, celebrating the African and indigenous peoples of the Caribbean coast who played this style using African-derived drums and Indian flutes and percussion instruments while singing in Spanish. The traditional dance at first mimicked the Spanish colonizers and later evolved into a graceful and sensual couple dance, with the man bringing the woman a candle as a symbol of fertility. As with most folkloric genres, cumbia comprised several styles or variations, and eventually was modernized as its popularity spread to the urban centers, where it had previously been looked down-upon. With the adoption of cumbia by larger, more modern ensembles, the rhythm became homogenized, yet retained its basic up-beat feeling. It spread throughout Central America by the mid-20th-century, and is considered one of the most popular genres for dancing along with salsa and merengue. Several regional Mexican musical ensembles, including bandas and norteño conjuntos, have adopted cumbia as well.

Vallenato – Colombia
A bit inland from Colombia’s northern coast, specifically from the Valledupar region, comes the genre known as vallenato. Emerging in the mid-20th century, with origins in traditional cumbia, vallenato contains several styles. A traditional group contains button accordion (brought to northern Colombia in the early 1800s), caja (a small, single-membrane drum) and the guacharaca (a palm wood scraper). This humble music was discriminated against—as were its creators—until musicians began adapting vallenato into more modern ensembles during the 1950s and 60s. In the 1990s, artists including Carlos Vives helped to popularize the genre. Contemporary vallenato groups may be much larger, but its humble origins—and traditional ensembles—have recently become wildly popular among young generations in Colombia today.

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