At Spain’s vast musical landscape there’s something for everyone; whether your tastes run to classical or Latin pop music – Spain offers something to fit anyone.
Flamenco, an ancient form of folk music created by Gypsies, is well known for its beautiful guitar playing and passionate dancing. Some contemporary flamenco artists include Paulina Alvrez and Gonzalo Rubalcaba as contemporary performers of flamenco music.
Corridos
Corridos are narrative songs that tell heroic tales of oppression, betrayal, social bandits, current events or legendary figures. Many times these tales are drawn from real events but their details exaggerated to glorify their hero or further enhance the tale. Corridos typically contain four to six lines with lines two, three and four each featuring words which rhyme at their ends;
Corridos can often be found being performed at markets and ferias (marketplaces), plazas of large cities and restaurants where they originated – often by wandering singers called trovadores or wandering singers who reflect the news of the day in exchange for tips. Restaurants were the initial setting where this genre first emerged. Recently, Natanael Cano has made waves within this genre with his album Corridos Tumbados which experienced unprecedented popularity.
Musica Llaneera
Within Spain, musical styles differ depending on which region one visits. Drawing influence from various genres, traditional Spanish music genres reflect its cultural diversity.
Silvana Trevale of Venezuela recently visited her native plains to document joropo music (musica llanera). Although traditionally performed by men working in cattle herding industries, increasingly women are participating in this type of singing as part of herding operations.
Bolero is an emotive Latin music genre that explores themes of love, heartbreak, and longing through melodic guitar playing, rich orchestration, and slow tempo – each element providing expressive performances. Contemporary artists have even taken to adapting it into mainstream styles like reggaeton; Cafe Tacvba blends it with reggaeton while its urban-themed lyrics make its music immensely popular in dance clubs and other Latin venues worldwide.
Tango
Tango music embodies romance and passion like no other genre can. With its rhythm that stands out, this genre’s lyrics often tackle topics such as love, heartbreak and the fleetingness of life.
Tango became increasingly popular among European immigrant communities in Buenos Aires and Montevideo (Uruguay), particularly Carlos Gardel who became its biggest star during its early popularity, recording hundreds of songs including his popular “El Dia Que Me Quiera.”
Tango can be defined by its characteristic 2/4 or 4/4 rhythmic beats per measure and use of traditional instruments like guitar, violin and piano as well as at least two Bandoneon concertina accordions (the Bandoneon). Astor Piazzolla revolutionised this genre, making it more contemporary and accessible for new audiences with his version known as tango nuevo.
Salsa
Salsa began with the combination of Afro-Cuban mambo and jazz forms to form its unique sound. Over time, salsa evolved further thanks to Cuban exiles such as orchestra leader Machito, singer Celia Cruz and timbale player Tito Rodriguez who made significant contributions. Over time, further refinement occurred thanks to horn sections being added and Fania record label.
General surveys of salsa tend to focus on the 1960s-70s New York City scene; however, studies by Boggs 1992, Flores 2016 and Rondon 2008 all consider its development alongside Latin American musical trends more broadly. Leymarie 1993 and Morales 2003 provide valuable histories of this genre as well.
Merengue
Merengue music originated in the Dominican Republic during the 1920s from danzon, mixing European string instruments with African guira and tambora drums. It quickly gained popularity throughout New York City during the 1960s due to a massive wave of Dominican immigrants arriving here and bringing this style with them.
Merengue tipico is the signature style of music on Puerto Rico, featuring melodic and lyrical songs accompanied by accordions (first introduced to the island by German tobacco traders), accordion, saxophone, box bass and guyano (double-ended tambora). Tipico rhythms generally consist of two sections; first is rhythmically straightforward while introducing melodic elements of songs; while jaleo (improvised music with fast rhythmic patterns) provides fast paced improvisational elements.
Johnny Ventura and Wilfrido Vargas popularized merengue by speeding up its tempo and adding salsa influences; later in the 1970s all-female orchestras such as Las Chicas del Can began performing merengue worldwide. Today merengue continues its global popularity by mixing mainstream pop with Latin rhythms and melodies to become an in-demand dance floor favorite among clubs worldwide.