Spain is home to an endlessly captivating musical repertoire ranging from flamenco guitar strums and reggaeton beats to soulful bolero melodies and more, making for an inspiring cultural mosaic that showcases Spain’s vibrant history and vibrant culture. Spanish music offers something for every musical taste and mood imaginable – be it dancing the night away or relaxing to soulful bolero melodies – so there’s sure to be something perfect to suit you and everyone’s ears.
Salsa and merengue rhythms popularized by Marc Anthony and the Buena Vista Social Club can be heard throughout Spain in clubs and festivals.
Corridos
Corridos are narrative ballads that recount stories about historical events, heroes and everyday struggles from across history and across cultures. Corridos have often been associated with Mexican border region where their stories mirror inter-cultural conflicts as described by folklorist Americo Paredes.
Traditional corridos were traditionally performed by individuals accompanied by an acoustic guitar accompanied by a simple melody; usually featuring several stanzas that emphasize language over instrumentation. Recently however, norteno bands such as Los Tigres del Norte and Los Tucanes have developed what’s called narcocorridos to focus on drug trafficking themes in their performances.
Corridos differ from many folkloric genres in that most of their plot lines are grounded in reality, unlike many folkloric genres that may or may not. Songs like “Bonita Esta Tierra” and “Consejos a los Nortenos” highlight how Mexican immigrants struggled against American wealth and racism.
Merengue
Merengue, or merengue, originated in Dominican Republic during late 19th century and combined European musical styles with African rhythms brought over from enslaved people en masse, to create an infectious sound and dance style which resonated strongly among Dominicans.
Traditional merengue tipico performances require the use of a diatonic button accordion, guira (which resembles maracas but actually consist of sheets of metal with small bumps that are brushed by a stiff brush), and tambora. Songs in merengue can range from flirtatious or amusing through topical or romantic in their content, and often feature coros (chants performed simultaneously by singers and dancers).
Orchestral merengue, or merengue de orquesta, became immensely popular after Trujillo was assassinated in 1961. Groups such as Johnny Ventura’s Combo Show were known to draw large crowds to performances featuring flashy choreography and smaller combinations with reduced brass instruments.
Son Cubano
Traditional Cuban Son is an amalgamation of Spanish and African musical styles, serving as the cornerstone of modern Latin music. The montuno section includes call-and-response patterns between singer and musicians in an improvisational waltz form.
Tres (an instrument with three sets of double strings) and maracas serve as the rhythmic foundation for son. Other drums such as bongo and conga drums may also be included in an ensemble for greater complexity in harmonies. Pianos and trumpets may be added for greater complexity of harmonic structures.
Trio Matamoros from Santiago de Cuba was widely credited with introducing son to Havana during the 1920s, when their sextet format became the standard and by 1940 many groups added trumpets, creating septetos. Famous singer/composers including Arsenio Rodriguez, Benny More and Duo Los Compadres helped popularise son in this period; its success through albums like Buena Vista Social Club album and film helped spread traditional son to new audiences around the globe; in 2012 the Cuban government declared son part of their national cultural heritage!
Bolero
The Bolero is an elegant dance with smooth, gliding movements and dramatic arm styling. It is typically performed to slow music with romantic lyrics. This variation on Fandango originated as courtship dance in Spain during the 18th century.
An emotional impactful, repetitive melody combined with steady rhythm creates an incredible and hypnotic effect, giving this piece its distinctive character and soundscape.
Bolero music has also been integrated into other forms of Latin music, including rumba, cha-cha and mambo. Cuban versions of boleros differ considerably from their Spanish counterparts in that they feature Afro-Cuban elements with two/4 time signature and guitar accompaniment; making it an excellent accompaniment for dances such as danzon and cha-cha.
Musica Llaneera
Musica Llanera, popular among cowboys known as Llaneros from Venezuela’s plains, reflects rural life by celebrating landscape and love while often reflecting rural life’s rustic nature. Accompanied by instruments such as harp, cuatro (four string instrument) and maracas.
Danzonete is a vocal variation of danzon made popular by artists such as Carlos Gardel. The genre combines instrumental aspects with vocal performances for an idealized cultural mestizaje through mixing Spanish guitar with African drum rhythms.
Joropo music has been adapted for modern times through forms like narcocorridos that explore themes related to drug trafficking and outlaws. Classical performances by pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba feature this genre; El Sistema’s program for systematizing musical training for at-risk youth also incorporates it into their curriculum.