Spain’s music reflects its diverse culture and identity, from passionate flamenco guitar strums to infectious reggaeton beats. Discover some of its most beloved genres through Polyglottist Language Academy’s blog post!
Son cubano is an iconic musical genre from Cuba that features an infectious beat derived from clave rhythms. Additionally, this genre’s call-and-response lyrics tell tales about daily life in Cuba.
Danzon
Spanish pop music combines catchy melodies with distinctively Spanish elements to form an innovative yet familiar genre. Popular singers in this musical category include J Balvin, Alejandro Sanz, Rosalia and Pablo Alboran.
Danzon originated in Cuban dance halls of 19th-century Cuba, becoming a powerful influencer on Latin music over time. Characterized by its slow tempo, traditional charanga instrumentation and intricate dance moves – Danzon remains a captivating style today.
Music from Puerto Rico typically begins with a four-bar introduction (paseo), followed by one or more thematic sections that build off of it. Clade provides both structure and the backdrop for musical and dance improvisations.
Miguel Failde is widely credited with pioneering Danzon music and dance style in Cuba in 1879 with “Las Alturas de Simpson.” This waltz-like genre quickly captured audiences at dance salons before eventually becoming the official national genre and style.
Initially, danzon was performed by groups known as orquestas tipicas that consisted primarily of wind instruments like cornet, valve trombone and ophicleide with violins, violas and cellos for accompaniment as well as piano. Gradually however, the lighter sound of charanga took over and has since become the dominant form of danzon music.
Timbales (conga) and guiro (bass drum) percussion sections are essential components of this genre. On a timbale’s cascara (shell), its cascara will sound with beats of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. These hits, known as claves, form the basis for rhythmic interplay with orchestrations.
Modern danzon has been influenced by various mainstream and experimental musical genres and cultural movements, from soulful ballads of Jose Manuel Calderon’s soulful ballads to stadium-selling performances from Bronx-born self-proclaimed King of Bachata Romeo Santos’ hip-hop inspired productions; it continues to reach new audiences globally.
Corridos
Corridos are narrative, metrical songs that tell a narrative or poem through melody and lyrics that often features themes of oppression, history, criminal lives or socially relevant topics like vaquero life or other topics of social interest. Corridos developed during the Mexican Revolution and have become an important component of Tejano music in the Southwest; moreover they have had an influence over American musical genres such as norteno and ranchera as well as hip-hop musicians who use its storytelling format in their performances.
Like other folk traditions, corridos have their own evolving subject matter. When the Chicano Movement gained steam during the 1960s and 70s, corridos took on more political themes, with songs about leaders of Mexican American communities advocating economic justice or cultural pride being prevalent themes. Additionally, this period witnessed an explosion of what have come to be known as “narcocorridos”, ballads detailing drug smuggling operations by their participants which have come to dominate this genre today.
However, many corridos are factually accurate depictions of real events; one such famous border corrido was written by folklorist Americo Paredes in 1959: El Corrido del Caballo Blanco (“The White Horse Corrido”). It describes heroic events that unfolded during a horse race between Cumpas and Agua Prieta near Texas-Mexico border town and wrote by Paredes himself.
Even when not based on real events, corridos often create the illusion of reality and are taken seriously by listeners. Still, some corridos contain errors with regards to names or dates or may contain embellishments with exaggerated details.
Therefore, it’s crucial to recognize that not all corridos aim to be absolutely accurate; nonetheless, their popularity lies in this very expectation. Although critics argue corridos promote crime, cultural experts argue against these claims, suggesting any attempts at silencing these songs will likely backfire and become symbolic of communities grappling with structural injustice.