Latin Music: Question Response Paper
1. Latin music has had a major effect on many mainstream American styles. Due to the sheer volume of cultures and ethnic groups who have contributed to Latin music since its development more than 400 years ago, the music has evolved to be an incredibly diverse family of music styles and rhythms. Heard on the radio, in clubs, on the television and in movies, Latin beats and sounds continue to express the pride, identity and lifestyle of the Latino culture. Every generation of music lovers has embraced Latin music, whether it’s the big band rhumbas, tangos, and mambos of Xavier Cugat in the 1950s, Antonio Carlos Jobim’s blissful nova in the ‘60s, the hothouse salsa of the ‘70s, or contemporary superstars …show more content…
Unlike a painting or a piece of sculpture, which are compositions in space, a musical work is a composition dependent upon time. Rhythm is music’s pattern in time. Whatever other elements a given piece of music may have, rhythm is the one indispensable element of all music. Rhythm can exist without melody, as in the drumbeats of primitive music, but melody cannot exist without rhythm. In music that has both harmony and melody, the rhythmic structure cannot be separated from them. But, every part of music contributes to its identity. The instruments, the tempo, and the use of cords and scales all affect how we distinguish and can easily tell what genre of music we are listening to.
4. The various styles and sub genres of Latin music are long and large enough to full a book, but a few genres form the basis for what followed. Between the coasts of the U.S. and South America, Cuba offers some of the finest rhythmic exports, including rhumba, danzón, and son. Add to that a bevy of newer popular styles like reggaeton, baladas, tropical and bachata, mariachi, cumbia, and merengue—and you have a global …show more content…
They are the Rhumba, danzón, and son. Rhumba (the original Afro-Cuban rhythm) are performed with calvés, bata, quinto and conga drums, a fevered rhythm supercharging all types of dancers. The clavé rhythm, (chak-chak-chak-chak-chak) is the basis for the rhumba. The danzón is very different from the rhumba, more influenced by European tradition. Son uses a larger band incorporating melodic instruments as well as vocals, best represented by such groups as Los Van Van.
6. The tango is a fiery, romantic dance had been transformed by the bendoneón player, Astor Piazzolla. This music features the bendoneón, (cousin to the accordion) upright bass, piano, violin, and guitar. Tango’s combination of slow, sorrowful sections and uptempo passages, where dancers throw each other around like puppets, is extremely beloved.
7. Brazil’s bossa nova is a blissful, subtle music characterized by refined rim percussion, breezy acoustic guitars, and romantic melodies. It is like the samba, but I think it places more emphasis on melody and less on percussion. Its universal appeal continues to grow, even as the style adapts and morphs in the hands of contemporary
1. Latin music has had a major effect on many mainstream American styles. Due to the sheer volume of cultures and ethnic groups who have contributed to Latin music since its development more than 400 years ago, the music has evolved to be an incredibly diverse family of music styles and rhythms. Heard on the radio, in clubs, on the television and in movies, Latin beats and sounds continue to express the pride, identity and lifestyle of the Latino culture. Every generation of music lovers has embraced Latin music, whether it’s the big band rhumbas, tangos, and mambos of Xavier Cugat in the 1950s, Antonio Carlos Jobim’s blissful nova in the ‘60s, the hothouse salsa of the ‘70s, or contemporary superstars …show more content…
Unlike a painting or a piece of sculpture, which are compositions in space, a musical work is a composition dependent upon time. Rhythm is music’s pattern in time. Whatever other elements a given piece of music may have, rhythm is the one indispensable element of all music. Rhythm can exist without melody, as in the drumbeats of primitive music, but melody cannot exist without rhythm. In music that has both harmony and melody, the rhythmic structure cannot be separated from them. But, every part of music contributes to its identity. The instruments, the tempo, and the use of cords and scales all affect how we distinguish and can easily tell what genre of music we are listening to.
4. The various styles and sub genres of Latin music are long and large enough to full a book, but a few genres form the basis for what followed. Between the coasts of the U.S. and South America, Cuba offers some of the finest rhythmic exports, including rhumba, danzón, and son. Add to that a bevy of newer popular styles like reggaeton, baladas, tropical and bachata, mariachi, cumbia, and merengue—and you have a global …show more content…
They are the Rhumba, danzón, and son. Rhumba (the original Afro-Cuban rhythm) are performed with calvés, bata, quinto and conga drums, a fevered rhythm supercharging all types of dancers. The clavé rhythm, (chak-chak-chak-chak-chak) is the basis for the rhumba. The danzón is very different from the rhumba, more influenced by European tradition. Son uses a larger band incorporating melodic instruments as well as vocals, best represented by such groups as Los Van Van.
6. The tango is a fiery, romantic dance had been transformed by the bendoneón player, Astor Piazzolla. This music features the bendoneón, (cousin to the accordion) upright bass, piano, violin, and guitar. Tango’s combination of slow, sorrowful sections and uptempo passages, where dancers throw each other around like puppets, is extremely beloved.
7. Brazil’s bossa nova is a blissful, subtle music characterized by refined rim percussion, breezy acoustic guitars, and romantic melodies. It is like the samba, but I think it places more emphasis on melody and less on percussion. Its universal appeal continues to grow, even as the style adapts and morphs in the hands of contemporary