Cuban Music: From Son and Rumba to the Buena Vista Social Club and Timba Cubana / Edition 1

by Maya Roy, Denise Asfar, Gabriel Asfar

Overview

Native Americans supplied the maracas. African slaves brought drums and ritual music, and Spaniards brought guitars, brass instruments, and clarinets along with European ballroom dancing. The advent of blues and jazz gave new forms to styles of songs, notably feeling songs, which joined the more traditional styles of trova and bolero. Cuban culture represents a convergence of these diverse backgrounds, and the musical heritage presented in this book reflects these traditions as well. In colonial times, African ritual sounds mixed with Catholic liturgies and brass bands of the Spanish military academies. Ballroom dances, including French music from Haiti popular in 18th-century Havana society, existed side by side with the cabildos (guilds and carnival clubs) and the plantations. The son, considered the expression of Cuban musical identity, had its origins in a rural setting in which African slaves and small farmers from Andalusia worked and played music together, developing many variations over the years, including big band music. Cuban music is now experiencing a major renaissance, and is enjoyed throughout the world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781558762824
Publisher:	Wiener, Markus Publishers, Incorporated
Publication date:	01/11/2016
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	258
Product dimensions:	6.80(w) x 8.58(h) x 0.77(d)

Table of Contents

Introduction
I. Ritual Music
II. Comparsas and Congas: The Carnival Celebrations
III. The Rumba
IV. Punto and Tonadas of the Rural Regions
V. The Danzón: Prehistory and Posterity: From the Quadrille to the Cha-cha-cha
VI. Song: Trova, Bolero, Feeling
VII. The Son
VIII. Music Since the Revolution
IX. By Way of a Provisional Epilogue: Buena Vista Social Club or Timba cubana?
Bibliography
Select Discography
Glossary
Comments on Musical Examples

Editorial Reviews

From Rumba to rap, Paris-based writer Maya Roy surveys the history of Cuban music, showing how the island's colonial history led to a unique fusion of musical influences from around the world. Cuban Music examines the ritual music of slaves; popular songs and the impact of Catholic liturgies; the roots of dances like the mambo and the cha-cha-cha; and the fate of music after the Communist revolution, when many musicians emigrated and new experimental groups formed by Cubans on and off the island. Roy also discusses Buena Vista Social Club and the controversies stirred by the film's nostalgic view of Cuba's 1950s "golden age." (June) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

With the thawing of the Cold War and the popularity of The Buena Vista Social Club record and film, Cuban music has been enjoying a resurgence around the world. This book helps explain the many musical threads that fused to form the rich musical heritage of Cuba. Roy (musicology, Univ. of Paris) traces the music's development from its roots as ritual music for the original slave population to music since the Cuban revolution and post-Buena Vista Social Club directions. Intervening chapters cover the rumba, cha-cha, jazz, and many lesser-known styles such as comparsas, congas, and the son. The writing style is a bit dry, so it's somewhat difficult to imagine what the early music may have sounded like. There are also numerous mentions of esoteric percussion instruments that few readers will recognize. On the plus side, there is a bibliography, a fairly extensive discography, and a helpful glossary that describes many of the unfamiliar terms. As very few popular histories of Cuban music are available, this slim volume would be a good addition to any music collection or public library serving a Cuban American population. Bill Walker, Stockton-San Joaquin Cty. P.L., CA Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

This is a translation of a 1998 book written in French (Cit<'e> de la Musique/ Actes Sud.). Roy, who has written before about Cuba and Caribbean identify and has hosted a variety of musical programs, summarizes the melding of cultural influences<-->Native American, African, and Spanish, among others<-->from which the distinctive Cuban sound evolved. The book includes a bibliography, a discography, and a glossary, but no index. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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