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Wikipedia

Music of Puerto Rico

January 13, 2023

The music of Puerto Rico has evolved as a heterogeneous and dynamic product of diverse cultural resources. The most conspicuous musical sources of Puerto Rico have included European, Indigenous, and African influences, although many aspects of Puerto Rican music reflect origins elsewhere in the Caribbean. Puerto Rican music culture today comprises a wide and rich variety of genres, ranging from essentially indigenous genres like bomba to recent hybrids like Latin trap and reggaeton. Broadly conceived, the realm of "Puerto Rican music" should naturally comprise the music culture of the millions of people of Puerto Rican descent who have lived in the United States, and especially in New York City. Their music, from salsa to the boleros of Rafael Hernández, cannot be separated from the music culture of Puerto Rico itself.

Traditional, folk and popular music

Early music

Music culture in Puerto Rico during the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries is poorly documented. Certainly it included Spanish church music, military band music, and diverse genres of dance music cultivated by the jíbaros and enslaved Africans and their descendants. While these later never constituted more than 11% of the island's population, they contributed some of the island's most dynamic musical features becoming distinct indeed.

In the 19th century Puerto Rican music begins to emerge into historical daylight, with notated genres like danza being naturally better documented than folk genres like jíbaro music and bomba y plena and seis.

The African people of the island used drums made of carved hardwood covered with untreated rawhide on one side, commonly made from goatskin. A popular word derived from creole to describe this drum was shukbwa, that literally means 'trunk of tree'

Folk music

If the term "folk music" is taken to mean music genres that have flourished without elite support[clarification needed], and have evolved independently of the commercial mass media, the realm of Puerto Rican folk music would comprise the primarily Hispanic-derived jíbaro music, the Afro-Puerto Rican bomba, and the essentially "creole" plena. As these three genres evolved in Puerto Rico and are unique to that island[citation needed], they occupy a respected[neutrality is disputed] place in island culture, even if they are not currently as popular as contemporary musics like salsa or reggaeton.

Jíbaro music

 
A Tiple Requinto (1880) from Puerto Rico

Jíbaros are small farmers of mixed descent who constituted the overwhelming majority of the Puerto Rican population until the mid-twentieth century.[1] They are traditionally recognized as romantic icons of land cultivation, hard working, self-sufficient, hospitable, and with an innate love of song and dance. Their instruments[2] were relatives of the Spanish vihuela, especially the cuatro — which evolved from four single strings to five pairs of double strings —[3] and the lesser known tiple.[4] A typical jíbaro group nowadays might feature a cuatro, guitar, and percussion instrument such as the güiro scraper and/or bongo. Lyrics to jíbaro music are generally in the décima form, consisting of ten octosyllabic lines in the rhyme scheme abba, accddc. Décima form derives from 16th century Spain. Although it has largely died out in that country (except the Canaries), it took root in various places in Latin America—especially Cuba and Puerto Rico—where it is sung in diverse styles. A sung décima might be pre-composed, derived from a publication by some literati, or ideally, improvised on the spot, especially in the form of a “controversia” in which two singer-poets trade witty insults or argue on some topic. In between the décimas, lively improvisations can be played on the cuatro. This music form is also known as "típica" as well as "trópica".

The décimas are sung to stock melodies, with standardized cuatro accompaniment patterns. About twenty such song-types are in common use. These are grouped into two broad categories, viz., seis (e.g., seis fajardeño, seis chorreao) and aguinaldo (e.g., aguinaldo orocoveño, aguinaldo cayeyano). Traditionally, the seis could accompany dancing, but this tradition has largely died out except in tourist shows and festivals. The aguinaldo is most characteristically sung during the Christmas season, when groups of revelers (parrandas) go from house to house, singing jíbaro songs and partying. The aguinaldo texts are generally not about Christmas, and also unlike Anglo-American Christmas carols, they are generally sung by a solo with the other revelers singing chorus. In general, Christmas season is a time when traditional music—both seis and aguinaldo—is most likely to be heard. Fortunately, many groups of Puerto Ricans are dedicated to preserving traditional music by continued practice.

 
Wikisource has original text related to this article:
Porto-Rican Folk-lore Décimas, Christmas Carols, Nursery Rhymes and other songs.

Jíbaro music came to be marketed on commercial recordings in the twentieth century, and singer-poets like Ramito (Flor Morales Ramos, 1915–90) are well documented. However, jíbaros themselves were becoming an endangered species, as agribusiness and urbanization have drastically reduced the numbers of small farmers on the island. Many jíbaro songs dealt accordingly with the vicissitudes of migration to New York. Jíbaro music has in general declined accordingly, although it retains its place in local culture, especially around Christmas time and special social gatherings, and there are many cuatro players, some of whom have cultivated prodigious virtuosity.

Bomba

Main article: Bomba (Puerto Rico)

Historical references indicate that by the decades around 1800 plantation slaves were cultivating a music and dance genre called bomba. By the mid-twentieth century, when it started to be recorded and filmed, bomba was performed in regional variants in various parts of the island, especially Loíza, Ponce, San Juan, and Mayagüez. It is not possible to reconstruct the history of bomba; various aspects reflect Congolese derivation, though some elements (as suggested by subgenre names like holandés) have clearly come from elsewhere in the Caribbean. French Caribbean elements are particularly evident in the bomba style of Mayagüez, and striking choreographic parallels can be seen with the bélé of Martinique. All of these sources were blended into a unique sound that reflects the life of the Jibaro, the slaves, and the culture of Puerto Rico.

In its call-and-response singing set to ostinato-based rhythms played on two or three squat drums (barriles), bomba resembles other neo-African genres in the Caribbean. Of clear African provenance is its format in which a single person emerges from an informal circle of singers to dance in front of the drummers, engaging the lead drummer in a sort of playful duel; after dancing for a while, that person is then replaced by another. While various such elements can be traced to origins in Africa or elsewhere, bomba must be regarded as a local Afro-Puerto Rican creation. Its rhythms (e.g. seis corrido, yubá, leró, etc.), dance moves, and song lyrics that sometimes mimic farm animals(in Spanish, with some French creole words in eastern Puerto Rico) collectively constitute a unique Puerto Rican genre.

In the 1950s, the dance-band ensemble of Rafael Cortijo and Ismael Rivera performed several songs which they labelled as "bombas"; although these bore some similarities to the sicá style of bomba, in their rhythms and horn arrangements they also borrowed noticeably from the Cuban dance music which had long been popular in the island. Giving rise to Charanga music. As of the 1980s, bomba had declined, although it was taught, in a somewhat formalized fashion, by the Cepeda family in Santurce, San Juan, and was still actively performed informally, though with much vigor, in the Loíza towns, home to then Ayala family dynasty of bomberos. Bomba continues to survive there, and has also experienced something of a revival, being cultivated by folkloric groups such as Son Del Batey, Los Rebuleadores de San Juan, Bomba Evolución, Abrane y La Tribu and many more elsewhere in the island. In New York City with groups such as Los Pleneros de la 21,[5] members of La Casita de Chema, and Alma Moyo. In Chicago Buya, and Afro Caribe have kept the tradition alive and evolving. In California Bomba Liberte, Grupo Aguacero, Bombalele, La Mixta Criolla, Herencia de los Carrillo, and Los Bomberas de la Bahia are all groups that have promoted and preserved the culture. Women have also played a role in its revival, as in the case of the all-female group Yaya, Legacy Woman, Los Bomberas de la Bahia, Grupo Bambula (Originally female group) and Ausuba in Puerto Rico.

There has also been a strong commitment towards Bomba Fusion. Groups such as Los Pleneros de la 21, and Viento De Agua have contributed greatly towards fusing Bomba and Plena with Jazz and other Genres. Yerbabuena has brought a popular cross over appeal. Abrante y La Tribu have made fusions with Hip Hop. Tambores Calientes, Machete Movement, and Ceiba have fused the genres with various forms of Rock and Roll.

The Afro-Puerto Rican bombas, developed in the sugarcane haciendas of Loíza, the northeastern coastal areas, in Guayama and in southern Puerto Rico, utilize barrel drums and tambourines, while the rural version uses stringed instruments to produce music, relating to the bongos. (1) “The bomba is danced in pairs, but there is no contact. The dancers each challenge the drums and musicians with their movements by approaching them and performing a series of fast steps called floretea piquetes, creating a rhythmic discourse. Unlike normal dance routines, the drummers are the ones who follow the performers, and create a beat or rhythm based on their movements. Women who dance bomba often use dresses or scarfs to enhance bodily movements.[6] Unlike normal dance terms, the instruments follow the performer.

Like other such traditions, bomba is now well documented on sites like YouTube, and on a few ethnographic documentary films.

Plena

 
Puerto Rican Güiro

Around 1900 plena emerged as a humble proletarian folk genre in the lower-class, largely Afro-Puerto Rican urban neighborhoods in San Juan, Ponce, and elsewhere. Plena subsequently came to occupy its niche in island music culture. In its quintessential form, plena is an informal, unpretentious, simple folk-song genre, in which alternating verses and refrains are sung to the accompaniment of round, often homemade frame drums called panderetas (like tambourines without jingles), perhaps supplemented by accordion, guitar, or whatever other instruments might be handy. An advantage of the percussion arrangement is its portability, contributing to the plena's spontaneous appearance at social gatherings. Other instruments commonly heard in plena music are the cuatro, the maracas, and accordions.

The plena rhythm is a simple duple pattern, although a lead pandereta player might add lively syncopations. Plena melodies tend to have an unpretentious, "folksy" simplicity. Some early plena verses commented on barrio anecdotes, such as "Cortarón a Elena" (They stabbed Elena) or "Allí vienen las maquinas" (Here come the firetrucks). Many had a decidedly irreverent and satirical flavor, such as "Llegó el obispo" mocking a visiting bishop. Some plenas, such as "Cuando las mujeres quieren a los hombres" and "Santa María," are familiar throughout the island. In 1935 the essayist Tomás Blanco celebrated plena—rather than the outdated and elitist danza—as an expression of the island's fundamentally creole, Taino or mulatto racial and cultural character. Plenas are still commonly performed in various contexts; a group of friends attending a parade or festival may bring a few panderetas and burst into song, or new words will be fitted to the familiar tunes by protesting students or striking workers which has long been a regular form of protest from occupation and slavery. While enthusiasts might on occasion dance to a plena, plena is not characteristically oriented toward dance.

 
Old man playing the accordion in Old San Juan

In the 1920s–30s plenas came to be commercially recorded, especially by Manuel "El Canario" Jimenez, who performed old and new songs, supplementing the traditional instruments with piano and horn arrangements. In the 1940s Cesar Concepción popularized a big-band version of plena, lending the genre a new prestige, to some extent at the expense of its proletarian vigor and sauciness. In the 1950s a newly invigorated plena emerged as performed by the smaller band of Rafael Cortijo and vocalist Ismael "Maelo" Rivera, attaining unprecedented popularity and modernizing the plena while recapturing its earthy vitality. Many of Cortijo's plenas present colorful and evocative vignettes of barrio life and lent a new sort of recognition to the dynamic contribution of Afro-Puerto Ricans to the island's culture (and especially music). This period represented the apogee of plena's popularity as a commercial popular music. Unfortunately, Rivera spent much of the 1960s in prison, and the group never regained its former vigor. Nevertheless, the extraordinary massive turnout for Cortijo's funeral in 1981 reflected the beloved singer's enduring popularity. By then, however, plena's popularity had been replaced by that of salsa, although some revivalist groups, such as Plena Libre, continue to perform in their own lively fashion, while "street" plena is also heard on various occasions.

Danza

Main article: Danza
External audio
  You may listen to Graciela Rivera's interpretation of Fernández Juncos' version of "La Borinqueña"" here.
  You may listen to Luciano Quiñones piano interpretation of Tavárez's "Margarita"here
  You may listen to Luciano Quiñones piano interpretation of Morel Campos' "No me toques" here
 
Manuel Gregorio Tavárez

By the late 1700s the country dance (French contredanse, Spanish contradanza) had come to thrive as a popular recreational dance, both in courtly and festive vernacular forms, throughout much of Europe, replacing dances such as the minuet. By 1800 a creolized form of the genre, called contradanza, was thriving in Cuba, and the genre also appears to have been extant, in similar vernacular forms, in Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and elsewhere, although documentation is scanty. By the 1850s, the Cuban contradanza—increasingly referred to as danza—was flourishing both as a salon piano piece, or as a dance-band item to accompany social dancing, in a style evolving from collective figure dancing (like a square dance) to independent couples dancing ballroom-style (like a waltz, but in duple rather than ternary rhythm). According to local chroniclers, in 1845 a ship arrived from Havana, bearing, among other things, a party of youths who popularized a new style of contradanza/danza, confusingly called "merengue." This style subsequently became wildly popular in Puerto Rico, to the extent that in 1848 it was banned by the priggish Spanish governor Juan de la Pezuela. This prohibition, however, does not seem to have had much lasting effect, and the newly invigorated genre—now more commonly referred to as "danza"—went on to flourish in distinctly local forms. As in Cuba, these forms included the musics played by dance ensembles as well as sophisticated light-classical items for solo piano (some of which could subsequently be interpreted by dance bands). The danza as a solo piano idiom reached its greatest heights in the music of Manuel Gregorio Tavárez (1843–83), whose compositions have a grace and grandeur closely resembling the music of Chopin, his model. Achieving greater popularity were the numerous danzas of his follower, Juan Morel Campos (1857–96), a bandleader and extraordinarily prolific composer who, like Tavárez, died in his youthful prime (but not before having composed over 300 danzas). By Morel Campos' time, the Puerto Rican danza had evolved into a form quite distinct from that of its Cuban (not to mention European) counterparts. Particularly distinctive was its form consisting of an initial paseo, followed by two or three sections (sometimes called "merengues"), which might feature an arpeggio-laden "obbligato" melody played on the tuba-like bombardino (euphonium). Many danzas achieved island-wide popularity, including the piece "La Borinqueña", which is the national anthem of Puerto Rico. Like other Caribbean creole genres such as the Cuban danzón, the danzas featured the insistent ostinato called "cinquillo" (roughly, ONE-two-THREE-FOUR-five-SIX-SEVEN-eight, repeated).

The danza remained vital until the 1920s, but after that decade its appeal came to be limited to the Hispanophilic elite. The danzas of Morel Campos, Tavárez, José Quintón, and a few others are still performed and heard on various occasions, and a few more recent composers have penned their own idiosyncratic forms of danzas, but the genre is no longer a popular social dance idiom. During the first part of dancing danza, to the steady tempo of the music, the couples promenade around the room; during the second, with a lively rhythm, they dance in a closed ballroom position and the orchestra would begin by leading dancers in a "paseo," an elegant walk around the ballroom, giving gentlemen the opportunity to show off their lady's grace and beauty. This romantic introduction ended with a salute by the gentlemen and a curtsey from the ladies in reply. Then, the orchestra would strike up and the couples would dance freely around the ballroom to the rhythm of the music.[7]

Puerto Rican pop

Much music in Puerto Rico falls outside the standard categories of "Latin music" and is better regarded as constituting varieties of "Latin world pop." This category includes, for example, Ricky Martin (who had a #1 Hot 100 hit in the U.S. with "Livin' La Vida Loca" in 1999), the boy-band Menudo (with its changing personnel), Los Chicos, Las Cheris, Salsa Kids and Chayanne. Famous singers include the Despacito singer Luis Fonsi. Also, singer and virtuoso guitarist Jose Feliciano born in Lares, Puerto Rico, became a world pop star in 1968 when his Latin-soul version of "Light My Fire" and the LP Feliciano! became great successes in the American and international rankings and allowed Feliciano to be the first Puerto Rican to win Grammy awards, during that year. Feliciano's "Feliz Navidad" remains one of the most popular Christmas songs.

External audio
  You may listen to José Feliciano's "Light My Fire" here.

Reggaeton

See also: List of Reggaeton artists

The roots of reggaetón lie in the 1980s by Puerto Rican rapper Vico C[citation needed]. In the early 1990s reggaeton coalesced as a more definitive genre, using the "Dem Bow" riddim derived from a Shabba Ranks song by that name, and further resembling Jamaican dancehall in its verses sung in simple tunes and stentorian style, and its emphasis—via lyrics, videos, and artist personas—on partying, dancing, boasting, "bling," and sexuality rather than weighty social commentary. While reggaeton may have commenced as a Spanish-language version of Jamaican dancehall, in the hands of performers like Tego Calderón, Daddy Yankee, Don Omar and others, it soon acquired its own distinctive flavor and today might be considered the most popular dance music in the Spanish Caribbean, surpassing even salsa.[8]

Reggaetón is a genre of music, significantly blown up in Puerto Rico and across the world, that combines Latin rhythms, dancehall, and hip-hop and/or rap. Reggaetón is frequently affiliated with “machismo” characteristics, strong or aggressive masculine pride. Since women have joined this genre of music they've been underrepresented and have been fighting to change its image.[9] This inevitably is causing controversy between what the genre was and what it is now. Reggaetón has transformed from being a musical expression with Jamaican and Panamanian roots to being “dembow” a newer style that has changed the game,[10] which is listened to mainly in the Dominican Republic. Despite its success, its constant reputation highlights sexuality in the dancing, its explicit lyrics that have women screaming sexualized phrases in the background, and clothing women are presented in. In the '90s and early 2000s Reggaetón had been targeted and censored in many Latin American countries for its ranchyness nature and truths[citation needed]. Censorship can be seen as the government's way of suppressing the people and ensuring that communication isn't strong amongst the community[citation needed]. Since then, many women have joined Reggaetón in hopes of changing the preconceptions. Many of them have paved the way and have successful careers such as Karol G, and Natti Natasha and others.

 
Ivy Queen

Ivy Queen was born as Martha Ivelisse Pesante on March 4, 1972, in Añasco, Puerto Rico. After writing raps during her youth and competing in an underground nightclub called The Noise, it led to the beginning of her musical career. Many consider her as the “Queen of Reggaeton.”[11] In the beginning of her career, it was very difficult for her to be taken seriously in the reggaeton industry because this genre of music is seen as misogynistic. Recently, there has been controversy regarding how big her female influence has been on the genre. Another reggaeton artist, Anuel AA, questioned her place as the “Queen of Reggaeton” since she had not had a hit in seven years.[12] He also insinuated that his girlfriend, Karol G, should be the queen of reggaeton. Ivy Queen responded saying her career paved the way for female artists to thrive in this genre.[13] In reaction to the comments made by her boyfriend Anuel AA, Karol G responded with a video, saying “For Becky G, Natti Natasha, Anitta, Ivy Queen and all the women who have shown me respect in all my social networks and interviews: I have had the honor of telling them in person how much I admire their work and careers, but we are all worthy of what we have, because nobody has given anything to anyone.” She went on to say, “This is a crown, and nobody is not going to give it to them, for what they have done. I am not looking for a degree, and I am only looking for the success of my own career, as everyone is doing everyday. Getting up for the dream. To my boyfriend, I just want to say thank you, because I know what you wanted to say. I am your queen and I am very happy that you see me that big, because you do motivate me. All of us are going to do what we like and work for it.”[14] Ultimately, Ivy Queen would make amends with Anuel, and after finally meeting Karol G, Ivy would go on to feature on Karol’s successful 2021 album “KG0516” on the multi-artist track “Leyendas” (‘Legends’). The track, also featuring Zion, Nicky Jam, and Wisin y Yandel, opens with Ivy Queen singing memorable parts of her biggest song to date, “Yo Quiero Bailar” (‘I want to dance’), before Karol joins in.

Ivy Queen has had influence on other women like Cardi B and Farina. Even men, such as Bad Bunny,[15] have listed her as an influence for their lyrics. Her ability to compete amongst men who dominated Reggaetón gave hope to other women who had similar interest in the music industry. Her influence and her dominance in the genre has helped other women be able to break through in the reggaetón scene and sparked a place for women empowerment not only for Puerto Rican artist, but for other Latinas who are newer to the game such as Karol G and Natti Natasha, leaving Ivy Queen to crown herself with the title “The Queen”.[16]

Karol G is a Colombian reggaeton singer who has done collaborations with other reggaeton singers, such as J Balvin, Bad Bunny, and Maluma.[17] Throughout her career, Karol G has had troubles in the industry because reggaeton is a genre that is dominated by males. She recounts how when starting her career she noticed that there weren't many opportunities for her in the genre because reggaeton was dominated by male artists.[18] In 2018, Karol G's single "Mi Cama" became very popular and she made a remix with J Balvin and Nicky Jam. The Mi cama remix appeared in the top 10 Hot Latin Songs and number 1 in Latin Airplay charts.[19] This year she has collaborated with Maluma on her song "Creeme" and with Anuel AA in the song "Culpables". The single, "Culpables" has been in the top 10 Hot Latin Songs for 2 consecutive weeks.[17] On May 3, 2019 Karol G was able to release her new album called Ocean.[20]

Natti Natasha is a Dominican reggaeton singer who has also joined the reggaeton industry and has listed Ivy Queen as one of her influences for her music.[21] In 2017 she made a single called "Criminal" that features reggaeton artist, Ozuna. Her single "Criminal" became very popular on YouTube with more than has 1.5 billion views.[22] In 2018 Natti Natasha collaborated with RKM and Ken Y in their single "Tonta". She later also collaborated with Becky G in “Sin Pijama” which made it to the top 10 in Hot Latin songs, Latin Airplay, and Latin Pop Airplay charts.[23] After all the collaborations that Natti Natasha has done she was able to release her album called illumiNatti on February 15, 2019.[24]

Caribbean influences

Bachata and bachatón

Although bachata is very well-known to have originated in the Dominican Republic, it has received notable recognition in Puerto Rico due to its strong cultural ties with the Dominican Republic. One of the primary influences of bachata includes Cuba's bolero and Puerto Rico's Jíbaro, along with others such as Cuban son, America's rock and blues, Mexico's ranchera and corrido and Dominican merengue[25][26][27] The appearance of Dominican styles of music such as bachata and merengue in reggaetón coincided with the arrival in Puerto Rico of the Dominican-born production team of Luny Tunes—although they are not solely credited for this development.[28] In 2000, they received an opportunity to work in the reggaeton studio of DJ Nelson. They began to produce a string of successful releases for reggaeton artists including Ivy Queen, Tego Calderón and Daddy Yankee.[28] "Pa' Que Retozen", one of the first songs to combine bachata and reggaeton appeared on Tego Calderón's highly acclaimed El Abayarde (2002). It features the unmistakable guitar sounds of Dominican bachata—although, it was not produced by Luny Tunes but by DJ Joe.[28] Luny Tunes, however, on their debut studio album, Mas Flow (2003) included a hit by Calderón, "Métele Sazón". It had exhibited bachata's signature guitar arpeggios as well as merengue's characteristic piano riffs.[28] After the initial success of these songs, other artists began to incorporate bachata with reggaeton. Artists such as Ivy Queen began releasing singles that featured bachata's signature guitar sound and slower romantic rhythm as well as bachata's exaggerated emotional singing style.[28] This is reflected in the hits "Te He Querido, Te He Llorado" and "La Mala".[28] Daddy Yankee's "Lo Que Paso, Paso" and Don Omar's "Dile" also reflect this. A further use of bachata occurred in 2005 when producers began remixing existing reggaeton with bachata's characteristic guitar sounds marketing it as bachatón defining it as "bachata, Puerto Rican style".[28]

Puerto Rican artists that have been known to experience with bachata and/or bachatón includes Daddy Yankee, Ivy Queen, Don Omar, Ozuna, Nicky Jam, Myke Towers, Bad Bunny, Romeo Santos, Toby Love, Tego Calderón, Héctor El Father, Tito El Bambino, Wisin & Yandel, Angel & Khriz, Chayanne, Ricky Martin, amongst many others.[28][29][30]

Bolero

Although bolero has its origins in Cuba, it had already reached Puerto Rico in the 20th century where it was popularized on the island through the first radio stations in 1915 and was being both enjoyed as well as composed and performed by Puerto Ricans, including such outstanding figures as Rafael Hernández, Daniel Santos, Pedro Flores, Johnny Albino, Odilio González, Noel Estrada, José Feliciano, Trio Vegabajeño, and Tito Rodríguez, amongst many others. Similar to Cuba, the bolero in Puerto Rico is usually combined with other genres, such as danza, plena, jíbaro, guaracha, mambo, rumba, cha-cha-cha, and salsa.

Merengue

Although merengue is a type of music and dance that has its origins and also carries a very strong association with the Dominican Republic, it became widespread all throughout Latin America and the United States, including Puerto Rico.[31][32] The choreography of the ballroom merengue is a basic side two-step, but with a difficult twist of the hip to the right, which makes it somewhat hard to perform. The two dance partners get into a vals, or waltz-like position. The couple then side steps, known as a paso de la empalizada or "stick-fence step," followed by either a clockwise or counter-clockwise turn. During all of the dance steps of the ballroom merengue, the couple never separates. The second kind of merengue is called the Figure Meringue or Merengue de Figura. The performing couple makes individual turns without releasing the hands of the partner and still keeping the rhythm of the beat.[33] Popular merengue performers from Puerto Rico include Elvis Crespo, Olga Tañón, Gisselle, Manny Manuel, Grupo Mania, Limi-T 21, amongst many others.[34][35] Merenhouse, which is a subgenre of merengue that is formed by rapping and includes influences of hip-hop, dancehall, and latin house was formed in New York City in the late 1980s. Lisa M, who was the first major female Latin rapper that was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico is often credited for making the first song in the merenhouse genre. Mostly credited on her second album No Lo Derrumbes, which was released in 1990.[36]

Guaracha and salsa

 
The timbales of Tito Puente on exhibit in the Musical Instruments Museum in Phoenix, AZ

Salsa is another genre whose form derived from the Cuban/Puerto Rican melding of genre, especially Cuban dance music of the 1950s—but which in the 1960s–70s became an international genre, cultivated with special zeal and excellence in Puerto Rico and by Puerto Ricans in New York City. Forms such as the Charanga were hugely popular with Puerto Ricans and Nuyoricans who, in effect, rescued this genre which had been stagnating and limited to only Cuba in the 1960s, giving it new life, new social significance, and many new stylistic innovations. Salsa is the name acquired by the modernized form of Cuban/Puerto Rican-style dance music that was cultivated and rearticulated starting in the late 1960s by Puerto Ricans in New York City and, subsequently, in Puerto Rico and elsewhere. While salsa soon became an international phenomenon, thriving in Colombia, Venezuela, and elsewhere, New York and Puerto Rico remained its two epicenters. Particularly prominent in the island were El Gran Combo, Sonora Ponceña, and Willie Rosario, as well as the more pop-oriented "salsa romántica" stars of the 1980s–90s. (For further information see the entry on "salsa music.")

Other popular Nuyorican and Puerto Rican exposers of these genres have been Tito Puente, Tito Rodríguez (guaracha and bolero singer), pianists Eddie Palmieri, Richie Ray and Papo Lucca, conguero Ray Barreto, trombonist and singer Willie Colón, and singers La India, Andy Montañez, Bobby Cruz, Cheo Feliciano, Héctor Lavoe, Ismael Miranda, Ismael Rivera, Tito Nieves, Pete El Conde Rodríguez and Gilberto Santa Rosa.

Classical music

The island hosts two main orchestras, the Orquesta Sinfónica de Puerto Rico and the Orquesta Filarmónica de Puerto Rico. The Casals Festival takes place annually in San Juan, attracting classical musicians from around the world. Since the nineteenth century there have been diverse Puerto Rican composers, including Felipe Gutierrez Espinosa, Manuel Gregorio Tavárez, Juan Morel Campos, Aristides Chavier, Julio C. Arteaga, and Braulio Dueño Colón. At the beginning of the 20th century we find José Ignacio Quintón, Monsita Ferrer and José Enrique Pedreira. Moving to the mid-20th century a new wave of composers appeared, some of them with a significant degree of nationalism. In this group are Amaury Veray, Héctor Campos Parsi, Jack Delano and Luis Antonio Ramírez. With more contemporary languages come to the musical scene Rafael Aponte Led and Luis Manuel Álvarez. From the 1970s on, a fair number of musicians add to the list and, though with different styles, they all had an imposing international flavor. Ernesto Cordero, Carlos Alberto Vázquez, Alfonso Fuentes, Raymond Torres-Santos, Alberto Rodríguez, William Ortiz-Alvarado, José Javier Peña Aguayo, Carlos Carrillo and Roberto Sierra belong to this group.

Hip-Hop

As social conditions and urban decay took its toll in the projects New York City during the 1970s, blacks and Puerto Ricans were equally affected. As a way of coping with the disarray that was taking place in New York, both Puerto Ricans and blacks worked together to collaborate on rap music that would help express their creative art. As Deborah Pacini Hernandez wrote in her article, "Oye Como Va! Hybridity and Identity in Latino Popular Music," many of the ways that blacks and Puerto Ricans coped with their struggles was through, "graffiti, DJing, emceeing, break dancing, and fashion—the cultural elements comprising hip-hop." (56) As hip-hop music rose to prominence, it was clear that Puerto Ricans had an influence on the hip-hop industry, from the break dancing to the sound of the music.

"To speak of Puerto Ricans in rap means to defy the sense of instant amnesia that engulfs popular cultural expression once it is caught up in the logic of commercial representation. It involves sketching in historical contexts and sequences, tracing traditions and antecedents, and recognizing hip-hop to be more and different than the simulated images, poses, and formulas the public discourse of media entertainment tends to reduce it to. The decade and more of hindsight provided by the Puerto Rican involvement shows that, rather than a new musical genre and its accompanying stylistic trappings, rap constitutes a space for the articulation of social experience. From this perspective, what has emerged as “Latin rap” first took shape as an expression of the cultural turf shared, and contended for, by African Americans and Puerto Ricans over their decades as neighbors, coworkers, and “homies” in the inner-city communities." – Juan Flores, Puerto Rocks: Rap, Roots and Amnesia[37]

Despite the fact that Puerto Ricans had a huge impact on the rise of hip-hop during the late 1970s, they struggled to receive credit as hip-hop was portrayed through the media as a genre that was predominantly black. Instead of switching genres, they had to find other ways to mask their cultural identities. For example, DJ Charlie Chase was one of the first Puerto Rican artists to burst onto the scene with his group, the Cold Crush Brothers, but was the only person in the original group who wasn't black. He said that he knew he had to change his name because if he went out to perform as Carlos Mendes, he might not have gotten the credit or attention that he deserved.

However, rappers such as DJ Charlie Chase set the scene for more mainstream success in the future. Because of the development of Puerto Ricans in hip-hop, artists like Big Pun, Daddy Yankee, Fat Joe, Swizz Beats, Young MA, Calle 13 (band) have become more successful. Lin-Manuel Miranda achieved universal acclaim with his opera-musical Hamilton (musical), which blends rap and classical influences.

Dance

 
Puerto Rican children dancing at Plaza Las Delicias during the March 2008 Feria de Artesanias de Ponce

Dance is a performing art related to expressing one's ideas and values. The activity is associated with exercise because of the required movements required to execute specific dance patterns. In Puerto Rico, dance is considered to be a part of the culture that is passed on from generation to generation and practiced at family and community parties and celebrations.

Historical influences

Dance has been influenced by the different cultures of the Taíno natives, the Spaniards, and the African slaves. Since pre-Columbian times, dance has always been part of the culture of Puerto Rico and has evolved according to the social and demographic changes. The earliest dances documented by the early historians were the Taíno areyto dances that were chanted by a chorus, set to music, and led by a guide. They practiced storytelling while the guide indicated the steps and songs that were to be repeated until the story was finished. Dances of European origin also became popular among the country folk and the settlers of the central part of the island and rapidly acquired unique features of rhythm, instrumentation, interpretation, and even fashion.

As the population of the Taíno dwindled, Spanish, African and, from 1898 on, North American dances appeared on the island and took root and developed in the mountains, on the coast, and in thé cities.[38]

After the island was taken over by Spain, the music and the dance of Puerto Rico consisted of a combination of the harmonious musical styles that are borrowed from Spanish, African, and other European cultures, creating Puerto Rico's signature style of Latin dance.[33]

Salsa

It refers to the mixture of different rhythms composed of different Latin, African, and Caribbean dances. Salsa is said to be first created around the 1960s and became popular to the non-Latino world drastically. The salsa dance is similar to the mambo dance.[33][39]

Salsa dancing is structured in six step patterns phrased on 8 counts of the music. The 8 different steps include 6 moves with 2 pauses. The pattern of the dance is 1,2,3 and pause for 4, move for 5,6,7 and pause for 8. The basic steps are (1) the forward and backward: in this step consist of two rock steps going in and out of the moves. The second step is known as the basic side dance step, it is similar to the first step except for this step, the moves are towards the side. The side to side feels and turns are of the significant aspects of the salsa dance.[40]

Cha Cha Chá

The Cha Cha Chá dance originated in Cuba. Before the dance begins, one know how to count the Cha Cha Chá. The following are the first basic steps: (1) Count the Cha Cha Chá in "rock step, triple step and then rock step". (2) Eventually, count to three "1,2,3 Cha Cha Chá", which brings to the three full beats and two half beats of the dance. The second category is known as the Cha Cha Chá side basic, the most often used basic move of the dance. It is similar to the previous one except for the triple step to the side rather than in place. The third step is known as the "underarm in Cha Cha Chá" ans shows how to do the lady's underarm steps to the right. Based on the previous step, men might not struggle, but women must know the exact turning spot. The dance is named after the scraping sounds that are produced by the feet of the dancers.[41]

See also

References

  1. ^ Solis, Ted (2005). "You Shake Your Hips Too Much Diasporic Values and Hawai'i Puerto Rican Dance Culture" (PDF). Ethnomusicology. 49 (1): 79. (PDF) from the original on 19 June 2018.
  2. ^ Museo de la Música Puertorriqueña. 1 November 2015 at the Wayback Machine EyeTour.com Video Guide. Ponce, Puerto Rico. Accessed 26 October 2015.
  3. ^ The cuatros: El Proyecto del Cuatro. 12 August 2015 at the Wayback Machine Cuatro-pr.org Accessed 26 October 2015.
  4. ^ The Instruments: El Proyecto del Cuatro. 9 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine The Cuatro Project. Cuatro-pr.org Accessed 26 October 2015.
  5. ^ "Los Pleneros de la 21: Afro-Puerto Rican traditions". Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. 1 December 2008. from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  6. ^ Dance of Puerto Rico. 15 May 2018 at the Wayback Machine Caribya! Accessed 14 May 2018
  7. ^ "Puerto Rican Cultural Center – Music, Dance, and Culture of Puerto Rico". prfdance. from the original on 15 May 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  8. ^ "Inside Puerto Rico's Flourishing Music Community Post-Hurricane Maria: 'We're Back In Business'". Billboard. from the original on 11 June 2019. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  9. ^ "The Women Who Pioneered Reggaeton – And The Women Changing It | AJ+". 28 October 2018. from the original on 9 January 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2019 – via YouTube.
  10. ^ support, EYWA. "Puerto Rico: Censorship on reggaeton genre". from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  11. ^ Forbes.com[dead link] on-latin-hip-hop-history/#21fec27b3e6a
  12. ^ "Ivy Queen Reacts to Anuel AA Questioning Her Status as the Queen of Reggaetón. This is What La Diva Told Karol G's Boyfriend!". People en Español. from the original on 6 May 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  13. ^ "Ivy Queen Reacts to Anuel AA Questioning Her Status as the Queen of Reggaetón. This is What La Diva Told Karol G's Boyfriend!". People en Español. from the original on 6 May 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  14. ^ https://rnow.today/news/Karol-G-publicly-apologizes-to-Ivy-Queen-because-of-Anuel-AA-20200721-0005.html. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  15. ^ "How Bad Bunny Took Over Pop – Singing Exclusively In Spanish". Billboard. from the original on 26 April 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  16. ^ Exposito, Suzy (9 March 2019). "The First Time: Ivy Queen on Early Reggaeton, Embracing Her LGBTQ Fans". from the original on 10 May 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  17. ^ a b "Watch All Of Karol G's 2018 Collaborations (So Far)". Billboard. from the original on 11 June 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  18. ^ "Becky G and Karol G on Lifting Up Music's Latinas: 'There's Space For All Of Us'". Billboard. from the original on 10 June 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  19. ^ "Becky G and Karol G on Lifting Up Music's Latinas: 'There's Space For All Of Us'". Billboard. from the original on 10 June 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  20. ^ "Karol G Unveils 'Ocean,' Her Most Intimate Album Yet: It's 'My Heart and Soul'". Billboard. from the original on 17 June 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  21. ^ Diario, Listin (7 March 2012). "Dominicana Natti Natasha se abre espacio en reguetón de la mano de Don Omar". listindiario. from the original on 7 May 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  22. ^ "Natti Natasha is ushering in a brighter future for reggaeton". The FADER. from the original on 13 July 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  23. ^ "Why 2018 Is Natti Natasha's Year". Billboard. from the original on 11 June 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  24. ^ "Natti Natasha On Pouring Her Heart Out In Debut Album 'ilumiNATTI': 'It's All About Empowerment'". Billboard. from the original on 11 June 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  25. ^ Brooks, Nadia. "Bachata's African Roots". LATV. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  26. ^ "Genre Guide: Bachata". Dominican Music. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  27. ^ Guillen, Juan. "The Threads That Bind Bachata to the Blues". LatinTrends. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  28. ^ a b c d e f g h Raquel Z. Rivera, Wayne Marshall and Deborah Pacini Hernandez. "Reggaeton". Duke University Press. 2009. pg. 143-
  29. ^ Roiz, Jessica. "20 Latin Urban Artists Who've Experimented With Bachata". Billboard. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  30. ^ Cepeda, Eduardo. "Tu Pum Pum: The Story of Luny Tunes, the Producers Who Fueled Reggaeton's Commercial Explosion". Remezcla. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  31. ^ Ilich, Tijana. "The History and Spread of Merengue". LiveAbout. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  32. ^ Tim, Captain. "Rock to Merengue Music from Puerto Rico". Caribbean Trading. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  33. ^ a b c IIWINC. "Dance of Puerto Rico | Caribya!". caribya. from the original on 15 May 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  34. ^ Ilich, Tijana. "The History and Spread of Merengue". LiveAbout. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  35. ^ Tim, Captain. "Rock to Merengue Music from Puerto Rico". Caribbean Trading. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  36. ^ Rivera, R.Z.; Marshall, W.; Hernandez, D.P.; Radano, R.; Kun, J.; Flores, J. (2009). Reggaeton. Refiguring American Music (in Norwegian Nynorsk). Duke University Press. p. 141. ISBN 978-0-8223-9232-3. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  37. ^ "OpenAM (Login)". northwestern edu. from the original on 16 December 2018. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  38. ^ Meet Puerto Rico. 15 May 2018 at the Wayback Machine www.meetpuertorico.com Accessed 14 May 2018
  39. ^ "Puerto Rico San Juan Ponce Caribbean salsa dance music culture". 29 November 2017. from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  40. ^ "How To Dance Salsa For Beginners | 4 Salsa Dance Steps". Learntodance.com. from the original on 15 May 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  41. ^ "Cha Cha Dance Steps For Beginners – Free Cha Cha Video Course". Learntodance.com. from the original on 16 May 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2018.

Further reading

  • Barton, Hal. “The challenges of Puerto Rican bomba.” In Caribbean dance from abakuá to zouk, ed. Susanna Sloat. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2014.
  • Blanco, Tomás. "Elogio de la plena." In Revista del instituto de cultura puertorriqueña 2, 19792 (from Revista ateneo puertorriqueño 1, 1935).
  • Brau, Salvador. "La danza puertorriqueña." In Ensayos sobre la danza puertorriqueña. San Juan: Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, 1977a.
  • Brill, Mark. Music of Latin America and the Caribbean, 2nd Edition, 2018. Taylor & Francis ISBN 1138053562
  • Díaz Díaz, Edgardo. 2008. “Danza antillana, conjuntos militares, nacionalismo musical e identidad dominicana: retomando los pasos perdidos del merengue.” Latin American Music Review 29(2): 229–259.
  • Díaz Diaz, Edgardo, and Peter Manuel. “Puerto Rico: The Rise and Fall of the Danza as National Music”. In Creolizing Contradance in the Caribbean, edited by Peter Manuel. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2009.
  • Flores, Juan. Divided Borders: Essays on Puerto Rican Identity. Houston: Arte Público Press, 1993.
  • Flores, Juan. From bomba to hip-hop: Puerto Rican culture and latino identity. New York: Columbia University Press, 2000.
  • . La Salita Cafe. Archived from the original on 25 June 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
  • Leymarie, Isabelle (1993). La salsa et le Latin Jazz. Paris: PUF. ISBN 2130453171.
  • Leymarie, Isabelle (1996). Du tango au reggae: musiques noires d’Amérique latine et des Caraïbes. Paris: Flammarion. ISBN 2082108139.
  • Leymarie, Isabelle (1997). La música latinoaméricana: Ritmos y danzas de un continente. Barcelona: BSA. ISBN 8440677057.
  • Leymarie, Isabelle (1998). Músicas del Caribe. Madrid: Akal. ISBN 8440677057.
  • Leymarie, Isabelle (1998). Cuba: La Musique des dieux. Paris: Éditions du Layeur. ISBN 2911468163.
  • Leymarie, Isabelle (2002). Cuban Fire: The Story of Salsa and Latin Jazz. New York: Continuum. ISBN 0826455867.
  • Leymarie, Isabelle (2005). Jazz Latino. Barcelona: Robinbook. ISBN 8496222276.
  • Malavet Vega, Pedro. Historia de la canción popular en Puerto Rico (1493-1898). San Juan, 1992.
  • Manuel, Peter, with Kenneth Bilby and Michael Largey. Caribbean Currents: Caribbean Music from Rumba to Reggae (2nd edition). Temple University Press, 2006 ISBN 1-59213-463-7
  • Manuel, Peter, "Puerto Rican Music and Cultural Identity: Creative Appropriation of Cuban Sources from Danza to Salsa," Ethnomusicology 3/2, Spring/Summer 1994, pp. 249–80.
  • Quintero Rivera, Angel. "Ponce, the danza and the national question: notes toward a sociology of Puerto Rican music." [trans. of 1986] In Vernon Boggs, Salsiology, Greenwood Press, 1992. and in Thompson, Donald, ed., Music in Puerto Rico: A reader’s anthology. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 2002.
  • Quintero Rivera, Angel. Salsa, sabor y control: sociología de la música tropical. Mexico City: siglo veintiuno, 1998.
  • Rodríguez Julia, Edgardo. El entierro de Cortijo. San Juan: Ediciones Huracán, 1995.
  • Stavans, Ilan, Latin Music: Musicians, Genres, and Themes. ABC-CLIO. 2014. ISBN 0313343969
  • Sweeney, Philip. "Not Quite the 52nd State". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 2: Latin & North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific, pp 481–487. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0
  • Thompson, Donald, ed. |title=Music in Puerto Rico: A reader's anthology. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 2002.
  • de Thompson, Annie Figueroa, Bibliografía anotada sobre la música en Puerto Rico. San Juan: Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, 1977.

External links

  • Puerto Rican Cuatro Project (El Proyecto del cuatro)
  • For The Love of Puerto Rico: 10 Great Salsa Tracks by Boricuas
  • Music Of Puerto Rico — website of songs, artists and other related information

January 13, 2023
music, puerto, rico, music, puerto, rico, evolved, heterogeneous, dynamic, product, diverse, cultural, resources, most, conspicuous, musical, sources, puerto, rico, have, included, european, indigenous, african, influences, although, many, aspects, puerto, ric. The music of Puerto Rico has evolved as a heterogeneous and dynamic product of diverse cultural resources The most conspicuous musical sources of Puerto Rico have included European Indigenous and African influences although many aspects of Puerto Rican music reflect origins elsewhere in the Caribbean Puerto Rican music culture today comprises a wide and rich variety of genres ranging from essentially indigenous genres like bomba to recent hybrids like Latin trap and reggaeton Broadly conceived the realm of Puerto Rican music should naturally comprise the music culture of the millions of people of Puerto Rican descent who have lived in the United States and especially in New York City Their music from salsa to the boleros of Rafael Hernandez cannot be separated from the music culture of Puerto Rico itself Contents 1 Traditional folk and popular music 1 1 Early music 1 2 Folk music 1 2 1 Jibaro music 1 2 2 Bomba 1 2 3 Plena 1 3 Danza 1 4 Puerto Rican pop 1 5 Reggaeton 2 Caribbean influences 2 1 Bachata and bachaton 2 2 Bolero 2 3 Merengue 2 4 Guaracha and salsa 3 Classical music 4 Hip Hop 5 Dance 5 1 Historical influences 5 2 Salsa 5 3 Cha Cha Cha 6 See also 7 References 8 Further reading 9 External linksTraditional folk and popular music Edit The Museum of Puerto Rican Music in Ponce Early music Edit Music culture in Puerto Rico during the 16th 17th and 18th centuries is poorly documented Certainly it included Spanish church music military band music and diverse genres of dance music cultivated by the jibaros and enslaved Africans and their descendants While these later never constituted more than 11 of the island s population they contributed some of the island s most dynamic musical features becoming distinct indeed In the 19th century Puerto Rican music begins to emerge into historical daylight with notated genres like danza being naturally better documented than folk genres like jibaro music and bomba y plena and seis The African people of the island used drums made of carved hardwood covered with untreated rawhide on one side commonly made from goatskin A popular word derived from creole to describe this drum was shukbwa that literally means trunk of tree Folk music Edit If the term folk music is taken to mean music genres that have flourished without elite support clarification needed and have evolved independently of the commercial mass media the realm of Puerto Rican folk music would comprise the primarily Hispanic derived jibaro music the Afro Puerto Rican bomba and the essentially creole plena As these three genres evolved in Puerto Rico and are unique to that island citation needed they occupy a respected neutrality is disputed place in island culture even if they are not currently as popular as contemporary musics like salsa or reggaeton Jibaro music Edit A Tiple Requinto 1880 from Puerto Rico Jibaros are small farmers of mixed descent who constituted the overwhelming majority of the Puerto Rican population until the mid twentieth century 1 They are traditionally recognized as romantic icons of land cultivation hard working self sufficient hospitable and with an innate love of song and dance Their instruments 2 were relatives of the Spanish vihuela especially the cuatro which evolved from four single strings to five pairs of double strings 3 and the lesser known tiple 4 A typical jibaro group nowadays might feature a cuatro guitar and percussion instrument such as the guiro scraper and or bongo Lyrics to jibaro music are generally in the decima form consisting of ten octosyllabic lines in the rhyme scheme abba accddc Decima form derives from 16th century Spain Although it has largely died out in that country except the Canaries it took root in various places in Latin America especially Cuba and Puerto Rico where it is sung in diverse styles A sung decima might be pre composed derived from a publication by some literati or ideally improvised on the spot especially in the form of a controversia in which two singer poets trade witty insults or argue on some topic In between the decimas lively improvisations can be played on the cuatro This music form is also known as tipica as well as tropica The decimas are sung to stock melodies with standardized cuatro accompaniment patterns About twenty such song types are in common use These are grouped into two broad categories viz seis e g seis fajardeno seis chorreao and aguinaldo e g aguinaldo orocoveno aguinaldo cayeyano Traditionally the seis could accompany dancing but this tradition has largely died out except in tourist shows and festivals The aguinaldo is most characteristically sung during the Christmas season when groups of revelers parrandas go from house to house singing jibaro songs and partying The aguinaldo texts are generally not about Christmas and also unlike Anglo American Christmas carols they are generally sung by a solo with the other revelers singing chorus In general Christmas season is a time when traditional music both seis and aguinaldo is most likely to be heard Fortunately many groups of Puerto Ricans are dedicated to preserving traditional music by continued practice Wikisource has original text related to this article Porto Rican Folk lore Decimas Christmas Carols Nursery Rhymes and other songs Jibaro music came to be marketed on commercial recordings in the twentieth century and singer poets like Ramito Flor Morales Ramos 1915 90 are well documented However jibaros themselves were becoming an endangered species as agribusiness and urbanization have drastically reduced the numbers of small farmers on the island Many jibaro songs dealt accordingly with the vicissitudes of migration to New York Jibaro music has in general declined accordingly although it retains its place in local culture especially around Christmas time and special social gatherings and there are many cuatro players some of whom have cultivated prodigious virtuosity Bomba Edit Main article Bomba Puerto Rico Historical references indicate that by the decades around 1800 plantation slaves were cultivating a music and dance genre called bomba By the mid twentieth century when it started to be recorded and filmed bomba was performed in regional variants in various parts of the island especially Loiza Ponce San Juan and Mayaguez It is not possible to reconstruct the history of bomba various aspects reflect Congolese derivation though some elements as suggested by subgenre names like holandes have clearly come from elsewhere in the Caribbean French Caribbean elements are particularly evident in the bomba style of Mayaguez and striking choreographic parallels can be seen with the bele of Martinique All of these sources were blended into a unique sound that reflects the life of the Jibaro the slaves and the culture of Puerto Rico In its call and response singing set to ostinato based rhythms played on two or three squat drums barriles bomba resembles other neo African genres in the Caribbean Of clear African provenance is its format in which a single person emerges from an informal circle of singers to dance in front of the drummers engaging the lead drummer in a sort of playful duel after dancing for a while that person is then replaced by another While various such elements can be traced to origins in Africa or elsewhere bomba must be regarded as a local Afro Puerto Rican creation Its rhythms e g seis corrido yuba lero etc dance moves and song lyrics that sometimes mimic farm animals in Spanish with some French creole words in eastern Puerto Rico collectively constitute a unique Puerto Rican genre In the 1950s the dance band ensemble of Rafael Cortijo and Ismael Rivera performed several songs which they labelled as bombas although these bore some similarities to the sica style of bomba in their rhythms and horn arrangements they also borrowed noticeably from the Cuban dance music which had long been popular in the island Giving rise to Charanga music As of the 1980s bomba had declined although it was taught in a somewhat formalized fashion by the Cepeda family in Santurce San Juan and was still actively performed informally though with much vigor in the Loiza towns home to then Ayala family dynasty of bomberos Bomba continues to survive there and has also experienced something of a revival being cultivated by folkloric groups such as Son Del Batey Los Rebuleadores de San Juan Bomba Evolucion Abrane y La Tribu and many more elsewhere in the island In New York City with groups such as Los Pleneros de la 21 5 members of La Casita de Chema and Alma Moyo In Chicago Buya and Afro Caribe have kept the tradition alive and evolving In California Bomba Liberte Grupo Aguacero Bombalele La Mixta Criolla Herencia de los Carrillo and Los Bomberas de la Bahia are all groups that have promoted and preserved the culture Women have also played a role in its revival as in the case of the all female group Yaya Legacy Woman Los Bomberas de la Bahia Grupo Bambula Originally female group and Ausuba in Puerto Rico There has also been a strong commitment towards Bomba Fusion Groups such as Los Pleneros de la 21 and Viento De Agua have contributed greatly towards fusing Bomba and Plena with Jazz and other Genres Yerbabuena has brought a popular cross over appeal Abrante y La Tribu have made fusions with Hip Hop Tambores Calientes Machete Movement and Ceiba have fused the genres with various forms of Rock and Roll The Afro Puerto Rican bombas developed in the sugarcane haciendas of Loiza the northeastern coastal areas in Guayama and in southern Puerto Rico utilize barrel drums and tambourines while the rural version uses stringed instruments to produce music relating to the bongos 1 The bomba is danced in pairs but there is no contact The dancers each challenge the drums and musicians with their movements by approaching them and performing a series of fast steps called floretea piquetes creating a rhythmic discourse Unlike normal dance routines the drummers are the ones who follow the performers and create a beat or rhythm based on their movements Women who dance bomba often use dresses or scarfs to enhance bodily movements 6 Unlike normal dance terms the instruments follow the performer Like other such traditions bomba is now well documented on sites like YouTube and on a few ethnographic documentary films Plena Edit Puerto Rican Guiro Around 1900 plena emerged as a humble proletarian folk genre in the lower class largely Afro Puerto Rican urban neighborhoods in San Juan Ponce and elsewhere Plena subsequently came to occupy its niche in island music culture In its quintessential form plena is an informal unpretentious simple folk song genre in which alternating verses and refrains are sung to the accompaniment of round often homemade frame drums called panderetas like tambourines without jingles perhaps supplemented by accordion guitar or whatever other instruments might be handy An advantage of the percussion arrangement is its portability contributing to the plena s spontaneous appearance at social gatherings Other instruments commonly heard in plena music are the cuatro the maracas and accordions The plena rhythm is a simple duple pattern although a lead pandereta player might add lively syncopations Plena melodies tend to have an unpretentious folksy simplicity Some early plena verses commented on barrio anecdotes such as Cortaron a Elena They stabbed Elena or Alli vienen las maquinas Here come the firetrucks Many had a decidedly irreverent and satirical flavor such as Llego el obispo mocking a visiting bishop Some plenas such as Cuando las mujeres quieren a los hombres and Santa Maria are familiar throughout the island In 1935 the essayist Tomas Blanco celebrated plena rather than the outdated and elitist danza as an expression of the island s fundamentally creole Taino or mulatto racial and cultural character Plenas are still commonly performed in various contexts a group of friends attending a parade or festival may bring a few panderetas and burst into song or new words will be fitted to the familiar tunes by protesting students or striking workers which has long been a regular form of protest from occupation and slavery While enthusiasts might on occasion dance to a plena plena is not characteristically oriented toward dance Old man playing the accordion in Old San Juan In the 1920s 30s plenas came to be commercially recorded especially by Manuel El Canario Jimenez who performed old and new songs supplementing the traditional instruments with piano and horn arrangements In the 1940s Cesar Concepcion popularized a big band version of plena lending the genre a new prestige to some extent at the expense of its proletarian vigor and sauciness In the 1950s a newly invigorated plena emerged as performed by the smaller band of Rafael Cortijo and vocalist Ismael Maelo Rivera attaining unprecedented popularity and modernizing the plena while recapturing its earthy vitality Many of Cortijo s plenas present colorful and evocative vignettes of barrio life and lent a new sort of recognition to the dynamic contribution of Afro Puerto Ricans to the island s culture and especially music This period represented the apogee of plena s popularity as a commercial popular music Unfortunately Rivera spent much of the 1960s in prison and the group never regained its former vigor Nevertheless the extraordinary massive turnout for Cortijo s funeral in 1981 reflected the beloved singer s enduring popularity By then however plena s popularity had been replaced by that of salsa although some revivalist groups such as Plena Libre continue to perform in their own lively fashion while street plena is also heard on various occasions Danza Edit Main article Danza External audio You may listen to Graciela Rivera s interpretation of Fernandez Juncos version of La Borinquena here You may listen to Luciano Quinones piano interpretation of Tavarez s Margarita here You may listen to Luciano Quinones piano interpretation of Morel Campos No me toques here Manuel Gregorio Tavarez By the late 1700s the country dance French contredanse Spanish contradanza had come to thrive as a popular recreational dance both in courtly and festive vernacular forms throughout much of Europe replacing dances such as the minuet By 1800 a creolized form of the genre called contradanza was thriving in Cuba and the genre also appears to have been extant in similar vernacular forms in Puerto Rico Venezuela and elsewhere although documentation is scanty By the 1850s the Cuban contradanza increasingly referred to as danza was flourishing both as a salon piano piece or as a dance band item to accompany social dancing in a style evolving from collective figure dancing like a square dance to independent couples dancing ballroom style like a waltz but in duple rather than ternary rhythm According to local chroniclers in 1845 a ship arrived from Havana bearing among other things a party of youths who popularized a new style of contradanza danza confusingly called merengue This style subsequently became wildly popular in Puerto Rico to the extent that in 1848 it was banned by the priggish Spanish governor Juan de la Pezuela This prohibition however does not seem to have had much lasting effect and the newly invigorated genre now more commonly referred to as danza went on to flourish in distinctly local forms As in Cuba these forms included the musics played by dance ensembles as well as sophisticated light classical items for solo piano some of which could subsequently be interpreted by dance bands The danza as a solo piano idiom reached its greatest heights in the music of Manuel Gregorio Tavarez 1843 83 whose compositions have a grace and grandeur closely resembling the music of Chopin his model Achieving greater popularity were the numerous danzas of his follower Juan Morel Campos 1857 96 a bandleader and extraordinarily prolific composer who like Tavarez died in his youthful prime but not before having composed over 300 danzas By Morel Campos time the Puerto Rican danza had evolved into a form quite distinct from that of its Cuban not to mention European counterparts Particularly distinctive was its form consisting of an initial paseo followed by two or three sections sometimes called merengues which might feature an arpeggio laden obbligato melody played on the tuba like bombardino euphonium Many danzas achieved island wide popularity including the piece La Borinquena which is the national anthem of Puerto Rico Like other Caribbean creole genres such as the Cuban danzon the danzas featured the insistent ostinato called cinquillo roughly ONE two THREE FOUR five SIX SEVEN eight repeated The danza remained vital until the 1920s but after that decade its appeal came to be limited to the Hispanophilic elite The danzas of Morel Campos Tavarez Jose Quinton and a few others are still performed and heard on various occasions and a few more recent composers have penned their own idiosyncratic forms of danzas but the genre is no longer a popular social dance idiom During the first part of dancing danza to the steady tempo of the music the couples promenade around the room during the second with a lively rhythm they dance in a closed ballroom position and the orchestra would begin by leading dancers in a paseo an elegant walk around the ballroom giving gentlemen the opportunity to show off their lady s grace and beauty This romantic introduction ended with a salute by the gentlemen and a curtsey from the ladies in reply Then the orchestra would strike up and the couples would dance freely around the ballroom to the rhythm of the music 7 Puerto Rican pop Edit Much music in Puerto Rico falls outside the standard categories of Latin music and is better regarded as constituting varieties of Latin world pop This category includes for example Ricky Martin who had a 1 Hot 100 hit in the U S with Livin La Vida Loca in 1999 the boy band Menudo with its changing personnel Los Chicos Las Cheris Salsa Kids and Chayanne Famous singers include the Despacito singer Luis Fonsi Also singer and virtuoso guitarist Jose Feliciano born in Lares Puerto Rico became a world pop star in 1968 when his Latin soul version of Light My Fire and the LP Feliciano became great successes in the American and international rankings and allowed Feliciano to be the first Puerto Rican to win Grammy awards during that year Feliciano s Feliz Navidad remains one of the most popular Christmas songs External audio You may listen to Jose Feliciano s Light My Fire here Reggaeton Edit See also List of Reggaeton artists The roots of reggaeton lie in the 1980s by Puerto Rican rapper Vico C citation needed In the early 1990s reggaeton coalesced as a more definitive genre using the Dem Bow riddim derived from a Shabba Ranks song by that name and further resembling Jamaican dancehall in its verses sung in simple tunes and stentorian style and its emphasis via lyrics videos and artist personas on partying dancing boasting bling and sexuality rather than weighty social commentary While reggaeton may have commenced as a Spanish language version of Jamaican dancehall in the hands of performers like Tego Calderon Daddy Yankee Don Omar and others it soon acquired its own distinctive flavor and today might be considered the most popular dance music in the Spanish Caribbean surpassing even salsa 8 Reggaeton is a genre of music significantly blown up in Puerto Rico and across the world that combines Latin rhythms dancehall and hip hop and or rap Reggaeton is frequently affiliated with machismo characteristics strong or aggressive masculine pride Since women have joined this genre of music they ve been underrepresented and have been fighting to change its image 9 This inevitably is causing controversy between what the genre was and what it is now Reggaeton has transformed from being a musical expression with Jamaican and Panamanian roots to being dembow a newer style that has changed the game 10 which is listened to mainly in the Dominican Republic Despite its success its constant reputation highlights sexuality in the dancing its explicit lyrics that have women screaming sexualized phrases in the background and clothing women are presented in In the 90s and early 2000s Reggaeton had been targeted and censored in many Latin American countries for its ranchyness nature and truths citation needed Censorship can be seen as the government s way of suppressing the people and ensuring that communication isn t strong amongst the community citation needed Since then many women have joined Reggaeton in hopes of changing the preconceptions Many of them have paved the way and have successful careers such as Karol G and Natti Natasha and others Ivy Queen Ivy Queen was born as Martha Ivelisse Pesante on March 4 1972 in Anasco Puerto Rico After writing raps during her youth and competing in an underground nightclub called The Noise it led to the beginning of her musical career Many consider her as the Queen of Reggaeton 11 In the beginning of her career it was very difficult for her to be taken seriously in the reggaeton industry because this genre of music is seen as misogynistic Recently there has been controversy regarding how big her female influence has been on the genre Another reggaeton artist Anuel AA questioned her place as the Queen of Reggaeton since she had not had a hit in seven years 12 He also insinuated that his girlfriend Karol G should be the queen of reggaeton Ivy Queen responded saying her career paved the way for female artists to thrive in this genre 13 In reaction to the comments made by her boyfriend Anuel AA Karol G responded with a video saying For Becky G Natti Natasha Anitta Ivy Queen and all the women who have shown me respect in all my social networks and interviews I have had the honor of telling them in person how much I admire their work and careers but we are all worthy of what we have because nobody has given anything to anyone She went on to say This is a crown and nobody is not going to give it to them for what they have done I am not looking for a degree and I am only looking for the success of my own career as everyone is doing everyday Getting up for the dream To my boyfriend I just want to say thank you because I know what you wanted to say I am your queen and I am very happy that you see me that big because you do motivate me All of us are going to do what we like and work for it 14 Ultimately Ivy Queen would make amends with Anuel and after finally meeting Karol G Ivy would go on to feature on Karol s successful 2021 album KG0516 on the multi artist track Leyendas Legends The track also featuring Zion Nicky Jam and Wisin y Yandel opens with Ivy Queen singing memorable parts of her biggest song to date Yo Quiero Bailar I want to dance before Karol joins in Ivy Queen has had influence on other women like Cardi B and Farina Even men such as Bad Bunny 15 have listed her as an influence for their lyrics Her ability to compete amongst men who dominated Reggaeton gave hope to other women who had similar interest in the music industry Her influence and her dominance in the genre has helped other women be able to break through in the reggaeton scene and sparked a place for women empowerment not only for Puerto Rican artist but for other Latinas who are newer to the game such as Karol G and Natti Natasha leaving Ivy Queen to crown herself with the title The Queen 16 Karol G is a Colombian reggaeton singer who has done collaborations with other reggaeton singers such as J Balvin Bad Bunny and Maluma 17 Throughout her career Karol G has had troubles in the industry because reggaeton is a genre that is dominated by males She recounts how when starting her career she noticed that there weren t many opportunities for her in the genre because reggaeton was dominated by male artists 18 In 2018 Karol G s single Mi Cama became very popular and she made a remix with J Balvin and Nicky Jam The Mi cama remix appeared in the top 10 Hot Latin Songs and number 1 in Latin Airplay charts 19 This year she has collaborated with Maluma on her song Creeme and with Anuel AA in the song Culpables The single Culpables has been in the top 10 Hot Latin Songs for 2 consecutive weeks 17 On May 3 2019 Karol G was able to release her new album called Ocean 20 Natti Natasha is a Dominican reggaeton singer who has also joined the reggaeton industry and has listed Ivy Queen as one of her influences for her music 21 In 2017 she made a single called Criminal that features reggaeton artist Ozuna Her single Criminal became very popular on YouTube with more than has 1 5 billion views 22 In 2018 Natti Natasha collaborated with RKM and Ken Y in their single Tonta She later also collaborated with Becky G in Sin Pijama which made it to the top 10 in Hot Latin songs Latin Airplay and Latin Pop Airplay charts 23 After all the collaborations that Natti Natasha has done she was able to release her album called illumiNatti on February 15 2019 24 Caribbean influences EditBachata and bachaton Edit Although bachata is very well known to have originated in the Dominican Republic it has received notable recognition in Puerto Rico due to its strong cultural ties with the Dominican Republic One of the primary influences of bachata includes Cuba s bolero and Puerto Rico s Jibaro along with others such as Cuban son America s rock and blues Mexico s ranchera and corrido and Dominican merengue 25 26 27 The appearance of Dominican styles of music such as bachata and merengue in reggaeton coincided with the arrival in Puerto Rico of the Dominican born production team of Luny Tunes although they are not solely credited for this development 28 In 2000 they received an opportunity to work in the reggaeton studio of DJ Nelson They began to produce a string of successful releases for reggaeton artists including Ivy Queen Tego Calderon and Daddy Yankee 28 Pa Que Retozen one of the first songs to combine bachata and reggaeton appeared on Tego Calderon s highly acclaimed El Abayarde 2002 It features the unmistakable guitar sounds of Dominican bachata although it was not produced by Luny Tunes but by DJ Joe 28 Luny Tunes however on their debut studio album Mas Flow 2003 included a hit by Calderon Metele Sazon It had exhibited bachata s signature guitar arpeggios as well as merengue s characteristic piano riffs 28 After the initial success of these songs other artists began to incorporate bachata with reggaeton Artists such as Ivy Queen began releasing singles that featured bachata s signature guitar sound and slower romantic rhythm as well as bachata s exaggerated emotional singing style 28 This is reflected in the hits Te He Querido Te He Llorado and La Mala 28 Daddy Yankee s Lo Que Paso Paso and Don Omar s Dile also reflect this A further use of bachata occurred in 2005 when producers began remixing existing reggaeton with bachata s characteristic guitar sounds marketing it as bachaton defining it as bachata Puerto Rican style 28 Puerto Rican artists that have been known to experience with bachata and or bachaton includes Daddy Yankee Ivy Queen Don Omar Ozuna Nicky Jam Myke Towers Bad Bunny Romeo Santos Toby Love Tego Calderon Hector El Father Tito El Bambino Wisin amp Yandel Angel amp Khriz Chayanne Ricky Martin amongst many others 28 29 30 Bolero Edit Although bolero has its origins in Cuba it had already reached Puerto Rico in the 20th century where it was popularized on the island through the first radio stations in 1915 and was being both enjoyed as well as composed and performed by Puerto Ricans including such outstanding figures as Rafael Hernandez Daniel Santos Pedro Flores Johnny Albino Odilio Gonzalez Noel Estrada Jose Feliciano Trio Vegabajeno and Tito Rodriguez amongst many others Similar to Cuba the bolero in Puerto Rico is usually combined with other genres such as danza plena jibaro guaracha mambo rumba cha cha cha and salsa Merengue Edit Although merengue is a type of music and dance that has its origins and also carries a very strong association with the Dominican Republic it became widespread all throughout Latin America and the United States including Puerto Rico 31 32 The choreography of the ballroom merengue is a basic side two step but with a difficult twist of the hip to the right which makes it somewhat hard to perform The two dance partners get into a vals or waltz like position The couple then side steps known as a paso de la empalizada or stick fence step followed by either a clockwise or counter clockwise turn During all of the dance steps of the ballroom merengue the couple never separates The second kind of merengue is called the Figure Meringue or Merengue de Figura The performing couple makes individual turns without releasing the hands of the partner and still keeping the rhythm of the beat 33 Popular merengue performers from Puerto Rico include Elvis Crespo Olga Tanon Gisselle Manny Manuel Grupo Mania Limi T 21 amongst many others 34 35 Merenhouse which is a subgenre of merengue that is formed by rapping and includes influences of hip hop dancehall and latin house was formed in New York City in the late 1980s Lisa M who was the first major female Latin rapper that was born and raised in San Juan Puerto Rico is often credited for making the first song in the merenhouse genre Mostly credited on her second album No Lo Derrumbes which was released in 1990 36 Guaracha and salsa Edit The timbales of Tito Puente on exhibit in the Musical Instruments Museum in Phoenix AZ Salsa is another genre whose form derived from the Cuban Puerto Rican melding of genre especially Cuban dance music of the 1950s but which in the 1960s 70s became an international genre cultivated with special zeal and excellence in Puerto Rico and by Puerto Ricans in New York City Forms such as the Charanga were hugely popular with Puerto Ricans and Nuyoricans who in effect rescued this genre which had been stagnating and limited to only Cuba in the 1960s giving it new life new social significance and many new stylistic innovations Salsa is the name acquired by the modernized form of Cuban Puerto Rican style dance music that was cultivated and rearticulated starting in the late 1960s by Puerto Ricans in New York City and subsequently in Puerto Rico and elsewhere While salsa soon became an international phenomenon thriving in Colombia Venezuela and elsewhere New York and Puerto Rico remained its two epicenters Particularly prominent in the island were El Gran Combo Sonora Poncena and Willie Rosario as well as the more pop oriented salsa romantica stars of the 1980s 90s For further information see the entry on salsa music Other popular Nuyorican and Puerto Rican exposers of these genres have been Tito Puente Tito Rodriguez guaracha and bolero singer pianists Eddie Palmieri Richie Ray and Papo Lucca conguero Ray Barreto trombonist and singer Willie Colon and singers La India Andy Montanez Bobby Cruz Cheo Feliciano Hector Lavoe Ismael Miranda Ismael Rivera Tito Nieves Pete El Conde Rodriguez and Gilberto Santa Rosa Classical music EditThe island hosts two main orchestras the Orquesta Sinfonica de Puerto Rico and the Orquesta Filarmonica de Puerto Rico The Casals Festival takes place annually in San Juan attracting classical musicians from around the world Since the nineteenth century there have been diverse Puerto Rican composers including Felipe Gutierrez Espinosa Manuel Gregorio Tavarez Juan Morel Campos Aristides Chavier Julio C Arteaga and Braulio Dueno Colon At the beginning of the 20th century we find Jose Ignacio Quinton Monsita Ferrer and Jose Enrique Pedreira Moving to the mid 20th century a new wave of composers appeared some of them with a significant degree of nationalism In this group are Amaury Veray Hector Campos Parsi Jack Delano and Luis Antonio Ramirez With more contemporary languages come to the musical scene Rafael Aponte Led and Luis Manuel Alvarez From the 1970s on a fair number of musicians add to the list and though with different styles they all had an imposing international flavor Ernesto Cordero Carlos Alberto Vazquez Alfonso Fuentes Raymond Torres Santos Alberto Rodriguez William Ortiz Alvarado Jose Javier Pena Aguayo Carlos Carrillo and Roberto Sierra belong to this group Hip Hop EditAs social conditions and urban decay took its toll in the projects New York City during the 1970s blacks and Puerto Ricans were equally affected As a way of coping with the disarray that was taking place in New York both Puerto Ricans and blacks worked together to collaborate on rap music that would help express their creative art As Deborah Pacini Hernandez wrote in her article Oye Como Va Hybridity and Identity in Latino Popular Music many of the ways that blacks and Puerto Ricans coped with their struggles was through graffiti DJing emceeing break dancing and fashion the cultural elements comprising hip hop 56 As hip hop music rose to prominence it was clear that Puerto Ricans had an influence on the hip hop industry from the break dancing to the sound of the music To speak of Puerto Ricans in rap means to defy the sense of instant amnesia that engulfs popular cultural expression once it is caught up in the logic of commercial representation It involves sketching in historical contexts and sequences tracing traditions and antecedents and recognizing hip hop to be more and different than the simulated images poses and formulas the public discourse of media entertainment tends to reduce it to The decade and more of hindsight provided by the Puerto Rican involvement shows that rather than a new musical genre and its accompanying stylistic trappings rap constitutes a space for the articulation of social experience From this perspective what has emerged as Latin rap first took shape as an expression of the cultural turf shared and contended for by African Americans and Puerto Ricans over their decades as neighbors coworkers and homies in the inner city communities Juan Flores Puerto Rocks Rap Roots and Amnesia 37 Despite the fact that Puerto Ricans had a huge impact on the rise of hip hop during the late 1970s they struggled to receive credit as hip hop was portrayed through the media as a genre that was predominantly black Instead of switching genres they had to find other ways to mask their cultural identities For example DJ Charlie Chase was one of the first Puerto Rican artists to burst onto the scene with his group the Cold Crush Brothers but was the only person in the original group who wasn t black He said that he knew he had to change his name because if he went out to perform as Carlos Mendes he might not have gotten the credit or attention that he deserved However rappers such as DJ Charlie Chase set the scene for more mainstream success in the future Because of the development of Puerto Ricans in hip hop artists like Big Pun Daddy Yankee Fat Joe Swizz Beats Young MA Calle 13 band have become more successful Lin Manuel Miranda achieved universal acclaim with his opera musical Hamilton musical which blends rap and classical influences Dance Edit Puerto Rican children dancing at Plaza Las Delicias during the March 2008 Feria de Artesanias de Ponce Dance is a performing art related to expressing one s ideas and values The activity is associated with exercise because of the required movements required to execute specific dance patterns In Puerto Rico dance is considered to be a part of the culture that is passed on from generation to generation and practiced at family and community parties and celebrations Historical influences Edit Dance has been influenced by the different cultures of the Taino natives the Spaniards and the African slaves Since pre Columbian times dance has always been part of the culture of Puerto Rico and has evolved according to the social and demographic changes The earliest dances documented by the early historians were the Taino areyto dances that were chanted by a chorus set to music and led by a guide They practiced storytelling while the guide indicated the steps and songs that were to be repeated until the story was finished Dances of European origin also became popular among the country folk and the settlers of the central part of the island and rapidly acquired unique features of rhythm instrumentation interpretation and even fashion As the population of the Taino dwindled Spanish African and from 1898 on North American dances appeared on the island and took root and developed in the mountains on the coast and in the cities 38 After the island was taken over by Spain the music and the dance of Puerto Rico consisted of a combination of the harmonious musical styles that are borrowed from Spanish African and other European cultures creating Puerto Rico s signature style of Latin dance 33 Salsa Edit It refers to the mixture of different rhythms composed of different Latin African and Caribbean dances Salsa is said to be first created around the 1960s and became popular to the non Latino world drastically The salsa dance is similar to the mambo dance 33 39 Salsa dancing is structured in six step patterns phrased on 8 counts of the music The 8 different steps include 6 moves with 2 pauses The pattern of the dance is 1 2 3 and pause for 4 move for 5 6 7 and pause for 8 The basic steps are 1 the forward and backward in this step consist of two rock steps going in and out of the moves The second step is known as the basic side dance step it is similar to the first step except for this step the moves are towards the side The side to side feels and turns are of the significant aspects of the salsa dance 40 Cha Cha Cha Edit The Cha Cha Cha dance originated in Cuba Before the dance begins one know how to count the Cha Cha Cha The following are the first basic steps 1 Count the Cha Cha Cha in rock step triple step and then rock step 2 Eventually count to three 1 2 3 Cha Cha Cha which brings to the three full beats and two half beats of the dance The second category is known as the Cha Cha Cha side basic the most often used basic move of the dance It is similar to the previous one except for the triple step to the side rather than in place The third step is known as the underarm in Cha Cha Cha ans shows how to do the lady s underarm steps to the right Based on the previous step men might not struggle but women must know the exact turning spot The dance is named after the scraping sounds that are produced by the feet of the dancers 41 See also Edit Puerto Rico portal Latin music portalBoogaloo Urbano music Museo de la Musica Puertorriquena Latin trap Cultural diversity in Puerto Rico History of Puerto Rico Cachi Cachi music Latin freestyle Latin house Latin American music in the United StatesReferences Edit Solis Ted 2005 You Shake Your Hips Too Much Diasporic Values and Hawai i Puerto Rican Dance Culture PDF Ethnomusicology 49 1 79 Archived PDF from the original on 19 June 2018 Museo de la Musica Puertorriquena Archived 1 November 2015 at the Wayback Machine EyeTour com Video Guide Ponce Puerto Rico Accessed 26 October 2015 The cuatros El Proyecto del Cuatro Archived 12 August 2015 at the Wayback Machine Cuatro pr org Accessed 26 October 2015 The Instruments El Proyecto del Cuatro Archived 9 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine The Cuatro Project Cuatro pr org Accessed 26 October 2015 Los Pleneros de la 21 Afro Puerto Rican traditions Smithsonian Folkways Recordings 1 December 2008 Archived from the original on 7 August 2020 Retrieved 5 September 2020 Dance of Puerto Rico Archived 15 May 2018 at the Wayback Machine Caribya Accessed 14 May 2018 Puerto Rican Cultural Center Music Dance and Culture of Puerto Rico prfdance Archived from the original on 15 May 2018 Retrieved 14 May 2018 Inside Puerto Rico s Flourishing Music Community Post Hurricane Maria We re Back In Business Billboard Archived from the original on 11 June 2019 Retrieved 28 May 2019 The Women Who Pioneered Reggaeton And The Women Changing It AJ 28 October 2018 Archived from the original on 9 January 2020 Retrieved 10 May 2019 via YouTube support EYWA Puerto Rico Censorship on reggaeton genre Archived from the original on 9 November 2020 Retrieved 10 May 2019 Forbes com dead link on latin hip hop history 21fec27b3e6a Ivy Queen Reacts to Anuel AA Questioning Her Status as the Queen of Reggaeton This is What La Diva Told Karol G s Boyfriend People en Espanol Archived from the original on 6 May 2019 Retrieved 6 May 2019 Ivy Queen Reacts to Anuel AA Questioning Her Status as the Queen of Reggaeton This is What La Diva Told Karol G s Boyfriend People en Espanol Archived from the original on 6 May 2019 Retrieved 6 May 2019 https rnow today news Karol G publicly apologizes to Ivy Queen because of Anuel AA 20200721 0005 html a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a Missing or empty title help How Bad Bunny Took Over Pop Singing Exclusively In Spanish Billboard Archived from the original on 26 April 2019 Retrieved 10 May 2019 Exposito Suzy 9 March 2019 The First Time Ivy Queen on Early Reggaeton Embracing Her LGBTQ Fans Archived from the original on 10 May 2019 Retrieved 10 May 2019 a b Watch All Of Karol G s 2018 Collaborations So Far Billboard Archived from the original on 11 June 2019 Retrieved 30 September 2019 Becky G and Karol G on Lifting Up Music s Latinas There s Space For All Of Us Billboard Archived from the original on 10 June 2019 Retrieved 30 September 2019 Becky G and Karol G on Lifting Up Music s Latinas There s Space For All Of Us Billboard Archived from the original on 10 June 2019 Retrieved 30 September 2019 Karol G Unveils Ocean Her Most Intimate Album Yet It s My Heart and Soul Billboard Archived from the original on 17 June 2019 Retrieved 30 September 2019 Diario Listin 7 March 2012 Dominicana Natti Natasha se abre espacio en regueton de la mano de Don Omar listindiario Archived from the original on 7 May 2019 Retrieved 30 September 2019 Natti Natasha is ushering in a brighter future for reggaeton The FADER Archived from the original on 13 July 2019 Retrieved 30 September 2019 Why 2018 Is Natti Natasha s Year Billboard Archived from the original on 11 June 2019 Retrieved 30 September 2019 Natti Natasha On Pouring Her Heart Out In Debut Album ilumiNATTI It s All About Empowerment Billboard Archived from the original on 11 June 2019 Retrieved 30 September 2019 Brooks Nadia Bachata s African Roots LATV Retrieved 7 December 2022 Genre Guide Bachata Dominican Music Retrieved 7 December 2022 Guillen Juan The Threads That Bind Bachata to the Blues LatinTrends Retrieved 7 December 2022 a b c d e f g h Raquel Z Rivera Wayne Marshall and Deborah Pacini Hernandez Reggaeton Duke University Press 2009 pg 143 Roiz Jessica 20 Latin Urban Artists Who ve Experimented With Bachata Billboard Retrieved 7 December 2022 Cepeda Eduardo Tu Pum Pum The Story of Luny Tunes the Producers Who Fueled Reggaeton s Commercial Explosion Remezcla Retrieved 7 December 2022 Ilich Tijana The History and Spread of Merengue LiveAbout Retrieved 12 December 2022 Tim Captain Rock to Merengue Music from Puerto Rico Caribbean Trading Retrieved 12 December 2022 a b c IIWINC Dance of Puerto Rico Caribya caribya Archived from the original on 15 May 2018 Retrieved 14 May 2018 Ilich Tijana The History and Spread of Merengue LiveAbout Retrieved 12 December 2022 Tim Captain Rock to Merengue Music from Puerto Rico Caribbean Trading Retrieved 12 December 2022 Rivera R Z Marshall W Hernandez D P Radano R Kun J Flores J 2009 Reggaeton Refiguring American Music in Norwegian Nynorsk Duke University Press p 141 ISBN 978 0 8223 9232 3 Retrieved 7 January 2020 OpenAM Login northwestern edu Archived from the original on 16 December 2018 Retrieved 13 December 2018 Meet Puerto Rico Archived 15 May 2018 at the Wayback Machine www meetpuertorico com Accessed 14 May 2018 Puerto Rico San Juan Ponce Caribbean salsa dance music culture 29 November 2017 Archived from the original on 9 November 2020 Retrieved 18 July 2019 How To Dance Salsa For Beginners 4 Salsa Dance Steps Learntodance com Archived from the original on 15 May 2018 Retrieved 14 May 2018 Cha Cha Dance Steps For Beginners Free Cha Cha Video Course Learntodance com Archived from the original on 16 May 2018 Retrieved 15 May 2018 Further reading EditBarton Hal The challenges of Puerto Rican bomba In Caribbean dance from abakua to zouk ed Susanna Sloat Gainesville University Press of Florida 2014 Blanco Tomas Elogio de la plena In Revista del instituto de cultura puertorriquena 2 19792 from Revista ateneo puertorriqueno 1 1935 Brau Salvador La danza puertorriquena In Ensayos sobre la danza puertorriquena San Juan Instituto de Cultura Puertorriquena 1977a Brill Mark Music of Latin America and the Caribbean 2nd Edition 2018 Taylor amp Francis ISBN 1138053562 Diaz Diaz Edgardo 2008 Danza antillana conjuntos militares nacionalismo musical e identidad dominicana retomando los pasos perdidos del merengue Latin American Music Review 29 2 229 259 Diaz Diaz Edgardo and Peter Manuel Puerto Rico The Rise and Fall of the Danza as National Music In Creolizing Contradance in the Caribbean edited by Peter Manuel Philadelphia Temple University Press 2009 Flores Juan Divided Borders Essays on Puerto Rican Identity Houston Arte Publico Press 1993 Flores Juan From bomba to hip hop Puerto Rican culture and latino identity New York Columbia University Press 2000 Bomba and Plena Artists Offer Live Music in Puerto Rico La Salita Cafe Archived from the original on 25 June 2014 Retrieved 28 June 2014 Leymarie Isabelle 1993 La salsa et le Latin Jazz Paris PUF ISBN 2130453171 Leymarie Isabelle 1996 Du tango au reggae musiques noires d Amerique latine et des Caraibes Paris Flammarion ISBN 2082108139 Leymarie Isabelle 1997 La musica latinoamericana Ritmos y danzas de un continente Barcelona BSA ISBN 8440677057 Leymarie Isabelle 1998 Musicas del Caribe Madrid Akal ISBN 8440677057 Leymarie Isabelle 1998 Cuba La Musique des dieux Paris Editions du Layeur ISBN 2911468163 Leymarie Isabelle 2002 Cuban Fire The Story of Salsa and Latin Jazz New York Continuum ISBN 0826455867 Leymarie Isabelle 2005 Jazz Latino Barcelona Robinbook ISBN 8496222276 Malavet Vega Pedro Historia de la cancion popular en Puerto Rico 1493 1898 San Juan 1992 Manuel Peter with Kenneth Bilby and Michael Largey Caribbean Currents Caribbean Music from Rumba to Reggae 2nd edition Temple University Press 2006 ISBN 1 59213 463 7 Manuel Peter Puerto Rican Music and Cultural Identity Creative Appropriation of Cuban Sources from Danza to Salsa Ethnomusicology 3 2 Spring Summer 1994 pp 249 80 Quintero Rivera Angel Ponce the danza and the national question notes toward a sociology of Puerto Rican music trans of 1986 In Vernon Boggs Salsiology Greenwood Press 1992 and in Thompson Donald ed Music in Puerto Rico A reader s anthology Lanham MD Scarecrow 2002 Quintero Rivera Angel Salsa sabor y control sociologia de la musica tropical Mexico City siglo veintiuno 1998 Rodriguez Julia Edgardo El entierro de Cortijo San Juan Ediciones Huracan 1995 Stavans Ilan Latin Music Musicians Genres and Themes ABC CLIO 2014 ISBN 0313343969 Sweeney Philip Not Quite the 52nd State 2000 In Broughton Simon and Ellingham Mark with McConnachie James and Duane Orla Ed World Music Vol 2 Latin amp North America Caribbean India Asia and Pacific pp 481 487 Rough Guides Ltd Penguin Books ISBN 1 85828 636 0 Thompson Donald ed title Music in Puerto Rico A reader s anthology Lanham MD Scarecrow 2002 de Thompson Annie Figueroa Bibliografia anotada sobre la musica en Puerto Rico San Juan Instituto de Cultura Puertorriquena 1977 External links EditPuerto Rican Cuatro Project El Proyecto del cuatro La Parranda Puertorriquena The Music Symbolism and Cultural Nationalism of Puerto Rico s Christmas Serenading Tradition For The Love of Puerto Rico 10 Great Salsa Tracks by Boricuas Music Of Puerto Rico website of songs artists and other related information Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Music of Puerto Rico amp oldid 1132723107, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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