Spanish music spans many genres and draws inspiration from Latin America. Artists such as Juan Luis Guerra and Marc Anthony bring salsa, merengue, and bachata dance clubs across the world.
Each region in Spain boasts its own folk music that represents local culture. Murcia, for instance, boasts its signature guitar-accompanied cante jondo style of folk music.
Danzonete
Danzon dance music emerged during the 19th century and features a slow dance tempo accompanied by orchestral instruments. Based on African isorhythms and European melodic phrasing, its development was further spurred on through fusion with son music.
Danzonete music features a rhythmic pattern consisting of ten verses (called decimas), each four bars long. It is performed to plucked string instruments such as tiple and Cuban tres.
Since its creation in Cuba in the early 1930s, danzonete has gained widespread acclaim and become its national genre. Influencing other Latin American styles like salsa and mambo as well as jazz musicians such as Tito Puente and Arthur Murray.
Corridos
Corridos are narrative metrical tales written with poetic verses that form a song. Originating from medieval European ballads and Spanish romances, corridos can often span 20-30 stanzas to offer rich details as they recount historical events.
Corrido music typically features fast tempos and catchy melodies, while lyrics usually feature greetings from the singer, prologue, story itself, moral or farewell lineage, etc.
Corridos are not monolithic groups; they can range from progressive to conservative and even violent ideologies. In certain northern border states affected by cartel violence, narcocorridos provide cathartic outlets for residents looking for relief by venting their views about political issues or societal concerns through these gatherings.
Salsa
Salsa (from Spanish: “sauce”) is a genre of dance music which draws heavily upon Latin American and Caribbean styles. It was developed in New York City by musicians hailing from Cuba, Puerto Rico and Mexico who collaborated with American jazz influences to form its foundations.
The clave provides the rhythmic framework of salsa music. Singers, instrumentalists and dancers can feel its pulse guiding when to sing or perform their performances.
Hector Lavoe’s salsa hit “Mi gente” was an anthem for Latino communities living in New York, while Panamanian artist Ruben Blades helped push forward this genre with conscious lyrics that send social messages through rhythmic beats.
Merengue
Merengue dance is well known for being easy to learn and enjoy, thanks to its rhythmic bass beats which guide dancers’ steps along with the music. Therefore, it makes Merengue an excellent style to introduce newcomers into Latin and Salsa culture.
Caribbean rhythm combining African roots and European elements from its colonial history. While high society initially frowned upon it because of its suggestive lyrics and sensual movements, this trend became immensely popular with rural populations.
Antonio Carlos “El Guacho” Alberti, Wilfrido Vargas and Juan Luis Guerra have combined outside influences like rock music, jazz and salsa with merengue to bring it into the modern era.
Norteno
Norteno music features accordion-driven accordion music accompanied by lyrics on socially relevant issues, similar to corrido; its golden age occurred during Mexico’s political revolution of the 1910s and 1920s, when bands such as Los Alegres del Norte and Cornelio Reyna popularized it commercially; more contemporary bands like Intocable incorporate elements of rock music as well as other popular styles into their songs.
Conjunto and polka are similar genres; however, norteno differs by having a faster, more insistent beat than polka. Although mostly instrumental, norteno sometimes features romantic love songs as well as songs about drug traffickers and border war between Texas and Mexico.
Hip-Hop
Hip-hop emerged in the late 1980s and early ’90s as a cultural movement with roots in African American, Afro-Caribbean and Latino inner city communities that faced economic hardship and violent crime.
Hip hop was coined by Keith Wiggins of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five; this phrase first made an appearance in their song, “Hip Hip Hooray”. Since then, hip hop has become an influential part of global society, contributing to culture, fashion and language through various subgenres.
Hip-hop culture revolves around four key pillars: DJing, rapping (sometimes known as MCing), breakdancing and graffiti art. Reggaeton is a Puerto Rican form of hip-hop which incorporates call and response rapping techniques into its music.