Music of Cuba

For years I have listened to Spanish and Latin America music as it’s rhythms, beats, and tones place me into a state of happiness, and find myself daydreaming of foreign lands traveled stirring up good memories while, mind mapping a trip to Cuba in the near. Reviewing the syllabus as to prepare for this Spanish class, it was a relief to find the magic bullet number sixty nine seizing the desire or need to look any further. This last project coincidently, is my final class prior to graduation;…

Cruz Only few people succeed in the music industry, and fewer people succeed at an international scale. Many factors impact when it comes to succeeding in the music industry, in other words an artist has to overcome a different number of challenges. During the beginning of 20th century, Cuba had few artists, which mainly remained known at a local level. It was until the mid 20th century when Cuban music would spark a revolution. Celia Cruz, a prime example of music revolutionary. Despite the…

“Miami isn’t too far; it is ninety-five miles away at the most…” Maya’s cherubic features made it hard to fabricate an excuse for wanting to stay in Cuba. I knew that staying here, staying in poverty, predisposed me to a life of misery and malnourishment. The journey would be perilous, which made me wonder if it was worth it. I longed to voice my dissent and convince her to condone the actions of the corrupt government, however I knew the time to liberate had come. My patience for living life…

culturally for Cuba and its then state of music. Described by Acosta as “a symbol of a generation of intellectuals”¹, there was a musical abundance in Cuba that seemed to have attracted the world once the U.S. began to notice. Cuba quickly became an honored destination for blended genres that drew various inspirations from Europe and Africa—where Cuba would then distribute to the U.S. and further solidify their influence. One thing I analyzed from this reading was the how central Caribbean music…

In this article, “Changing Values in Cuban Rumba, A Lower Class Black Dance Appropriated by the Cuban Revolution,” by Yvonne Payne Daniel, quotes “To say, ‘We're all the same’ or ‘There is no racism in Cuba,’ is to mask difference and potentially to permit prejudice and discrimination to fester. Rumba illuminates the problems of the state in its attempt to link respect and prestige among all Cubans. Rumba performance, visually affirms the persistent reality of its origins in the nineteenth…

Location: Cuba is an island in the northern hemisphere that is 90 miles south of Key West, Florida. It lies between the Caribbean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean and the entrance to the Gulf of Mexico. Cuba is also the largest island in the Caribbean Sea and the 17th largest island in the world. It is 760 miles long and 55 miles wide. Some of its neighboring islands are Haiti, the Bahamas, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic. The coordinates of Cuba are 21.5218oN, 77.79812oW. Boundaries/Physical…

are classified as mixed African and European, thirty-seven percent is classified as black or negro and one percent Chinese (everyculture.com). History tells African slaves were brought to Cuba and some have married their masters, which resulted to Cuban mulattos (cuban-culture.com). Other races have also come to Cuba in the past such as Russian, Chinese and European. Three dominant bloods are present in Cubans makeup: “First of these roots is that of the aborigine inhabitants; their ethnic…

unique as its impressive talent. Born in Cuba in 1924, Cruz grew up in a poor neighborhood of Havana. As one of fourteen children in the house, some siblings, other cousins, Cruz stood out among them for their ability to sing. She started entering amateur contests from fourteen. Cruz studied at the National Music Conservatoria Havana with a concentration in voice, piano and music theory. Although her father encouraged her to become a teacher, developing her music career was inevitable natural…

The republic of Cuba is an island nation in the northern Caribbean Sea where the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean meet. Just south of the U.S. State Florida, west of Haiti and North of Jamaica. Cuba is one of the world’s last remaining communist (socialist) countries, ruled under President Raul Castro the brother of the famed Fidel Castro who died in 2008. Cuba is considered part of Latin America and is a multiethnic country. Their customs are derived in roots from Spanish colonies,…

Amaya Thompkins Professor Norals ENGL1010-A09 September 10, 2016 “Cuba” Known for its beauty, bizarre tourist’s attractions, and valued cigars, the Caribbean island of Cuba, a totalitarian communist state, has a multiracial and multicultural society. The largest island of the West Indies group; Cuba lies within ninety miles south of Key West, Florida. The mixture of native, African, and European influences in Cuba gives the island a lively culture that is known around the world. The introduction…