Module 4

Question 1

European-Influence

Answer 1

-Emphasis on melody and supporting harmony catches the ear

Question 2

African-Influence

Answer 2

-Polyrhythmic undercurrent moves the feet

Question 3

Latin Language

Answer 3

-Dates roughly to the ninth century BCE, when it was spoken mainly on the Italian peninsula
-Formal language of the Roman Empire
~Until the early 1960s served as the liturgical language of the Roman Catholic Church

Question 4

Vulgar Latin

Answer 4

-Common people spoke Latin in the earlier centuries

~Evoloved into several distinct branches that today form the Romance language family

Question 5

Romance Language Family

Answer 5

• Spanish
• Portuguese
• French
• Italian
• Romanian

Question 6

Countries with Predominate Romance Languages

Answer 6

-Latian Europe
~Spain
~Portugal
~France
~Italy

Question 7

Romania

Answer 7

• Geographical location in Eastern Europe complicates its status as part of Latin Europe
• Usually considered part of Slavic Europe since most of its neighboring countries consist of Slavic-language speakers

Question 8

Populations of pre-Columbian heritage

Answer 8

-The Inca or Arawak find the “Latian American” label disturbing
~They believe that it diminishes their indigenous cultural identity in favor of association with populations often still viewed as colonial intruders

Question 9

Brazilians

Answer 9

-Recognize their linguistic categorization as a Latin American country
~But their Portuguese, rather than Spanish connection to Latin Europe often motivates separate consideration

Question 10

Latin Grammy Awards

Answer 10

-Established in 1997
-First aired on television in the US in 2000
-Presented annually to recognize outstanding artistic and technical achievement in the music industry
~Focus solely on participants who are considered Latin ethnicity, including those from the Americas and Europe
~Those who have participated in the production of Latin music
-Can be sung ONLY in either Spanish or Portuguese
~French and other languages spoken in Latin Europe or America are excluded from consideration

Question 11

Latin Grammy Award Categories

Answer 11

-Television focuses on Pop Artists
-Other categories reveals an expansive range of music genres that are considered for the awards
~Salsa
~Merengue
~Cumbia
~Samba
~Tango
~Flamanco
-Best album/song awards are generally won by artists from the rock/pop genres

Question 12

Gloria Estefan

Answer 12

-Thrust Latin pop onto the global scene
-Based in Miami, Gloria, and her husband Emilio Jr., had been a force in Latin popular music for nearly four-decades
-Found initial success with the 1980s pop tune “Dr. Beat,” which paved the way for the group to play to a greater number of non-Latino audiences
-Archived superstar status with the smash hit “Conga,” a song that successfully melded rhythmic elements of salsa with a clear defined duple-meter dance beat essential to the era’s pop music
-Often hailed as the “Queen of Latin Pop,” recording songs in both English and Spanish
-During the late 1970s she attended the Univeristy of Miami, which has one of the most recognized music programs in the US
~Having been among the first to offer degrees in Jazz, studio music, and other areas of the music business such as merchandising and studio engineering
-Although she did not pursue a degree in music, she preformed with the Miami Sound Machine, then a popular local Latin pop group
-The group preformed for local events, playing a mixture of American popular songs, Latin Jazz, and Cuban son; which inspired them to compose their own music drawing elements from these genres
-The group released several Spanish-language albums locally until 1984, when they received a recording contract from Epic/Columbia to record their first Elglish-language studio album

Question 13

Conga

Answer 13

• A dance believed to have originated in Cuba with Carnival celebrations; it became popular in the US during the early years of Jazz, in 1930 through the 1950s
• Participants form a long procession and take three shuffle steps followed by a kick step

Question 14

Latin Jazz

Answer 14

-Loud brass instruments
~Trumpets
~Trombones

Question 15

Montuno

Answer 15

-Has two meanings in Latin American music
~General term refers to instrumental solo breaks that can be performed by a variety of instruments, such as timbales, trumpets, piano, and so on
~Also refers to the repeated ostinato pattern of the piano
*The piano style utilized in montuno is a loud and percussive sound that is complex, with rhythmic syncopation and harmonic chromaticism

Question 16

Clave

Answer 16

-Does appear in Latin pop, the rhythmic basis of pop music tends to be on steady duple-meter patterns, rather than syncopated rhythms

Question 17

Tango

Answer 17

-Often described as “the vertical expression of a horizontal desire” was by no means a well-respected dance in its early history
-Created by portenos (people of the port) dwelling in slums near the docks of Buenos Aries, symbolized the swelling number of disenfranchised immigrants and unemployed citizens, often former soldiers, during the latter half of the nineteenth century
-The original Tango ensembles included just violin, guitar, and flute
~By the turn of the century a button-box accordion, known as the bandoneon was added
-By the 1930s, the standard ensemble included two violins and two bandoneons, to which were later added a piano and double bass
-By the 1940s, the ensemble grew to include larger sting sections
-A variety of instruments have since followed, but the Bandoneons has maintained a central role in both small and large ensembles, commonly referred to as Orquesta tipica, it is less prominent in larger ensembles
-Common distinguished element of the tango is the inclusion of a distinctive rhythm derived from the HABANERA rhythm that originated in nineteenth-century Cuba

Question 18

Habanera

Answer 18

-Rhythm follows a four-beat unit that skips the second pulse, instead sounding on the second half of the beat
~This anticipation of the third beat is common in music throughout Lain America and can be heard with variation in many styles, including samba and tango
*Perhaps the most widely known use of the habanera rhythm in “classical” music
-the musical phrasing of much tango music “pushes” towards this beat, even if its volume is the same as the first and fourth beats

Question 19

Carlos Gardel

Answer 19

-Most famous of tango Cancion singers
-Rising popularity of tango developed through recordings, radio, and film, as well as numerous concert performances in Europe and the Americas
-Numerous instrumental ensembles, large and small, have recorded “Por Una Cabeza” and it has appeared on the soundtracks of several films
-Gardel sings in Spanish, the official language of Argentina; his vocal timber is very “full” with precise diction and controlled use of vibrato
~This is a typical tango Cancion singers

Question 20

Astor Piazzolla

Answer 20

• His father encouraged him to learn the Bandoneon, which he mastered quickly
• His skill was well regarded throughout Buenos Aries, where he began to study the compositions of such art music masters as Bach, Bartok, and Stravinsky
• In 1953, he went to Paris studied under Nadia Boulanger, while there he created his own sound by composing Jazz, and classically influenced tango music, which he dubbed NUEVO TANGO (new tango)
• His new vision for tango was ill-favored by many of his fellow Argentineans
• Eventually, his work was accepted in Argentina and paved the way for other tango artists, such as those collaborating on the Gotan Project recordings, to experiment with new elements from jazz, classical, rock, and electronic music, fusing them with traditional tango

Question 21

Salsa

Answer 21

-Certain ingredients are essential, but the end result is tastefully varied
-Most scholars and musicians consider salsa to be derived from Afro-Cuban music, but many others regard it as an innovation of Puerto Ricans
-To describe a “spirit” or “feeling” in Latin music
-Musical roots back to Europe and Africa
~Musical heritage draws primarily from the melody, harmony, and vocal forms of the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain), with an undercurrent of polyrhythmic percussion transplanted mainly from West Africa

Question 22

Son

Answer 22

• Cuban for salsa
• In the 1930s, Americans first became familiar with son, referring to it as ramba
• In Cuban context is a purely percussion-based style with accompanying vocals
• By the 1940s, the style had evolved into SON MONTUNO, an innovation of Arsenio Rodríguez
• In America, the genre later became known as Latin Jazz and was popularized by jazz icon Tito Puente and Francisco Raúl Gutiérrez Grillo better known as “Machito”.
• Cuban music took of in the US in the 1950s as mambo and cha-cha-cha dance crazes swept the globe

Question 23

Nueva Trova

Answer 23

• A guitar-accompanied vocal genre with politically oriented lyrics, akin to American folk music of the era made popular by artists as Bob Dylan.
• Artists such as Silvio Rodriguez, were generally supportive of the Castro government and rarely established themselves outside Cuba

Question 24

Buena Vista Social Club

Answer 24

-One of the highest-selling world music albums of all-time
-Projet spearheaded by American guitarist Ry Colder and band leader Juan de Marcos Gonzalez, the album brought attention to some of Cuba’s “old guard” musicians
~The aforementioned Segundo, vocalist Ibrahim Ferrer and O’Mara Portuondo, and pianist Ruben Gonzalez, among others
-Though the album is controversial among Cuban music scholars and musicians, it success, and that of the subsequent document film of the same name, reacquainted the world with son and other music genres that persist in Cuba
-The island’s tourist industry benefited from the increased exposure, and many musicians found their services in greater demand, both in Cuba and abroad
-Several of the members recorded solo albums afterward, and others continued to tour abroad
-Whether based in nostalgia or artistry, the group’s acclaim helped to re-establish Cuba’s primary role in the success of Latin American music worldwide

Question 25

Cuban Son Montuno

Answer 25

-A variety of timbers in one of the distinctive aspects of Cuban Son and other Latin jazz styles
-Melody and harmony balance with a vibrant percussion section
-Has two basic sections in its overall form
~Largo
*Refers to the opening section that includes composed melody and an extended harmonic progression
~Montuno
*A repetition of a relatively short length of musical material

Question 26

Clave

Answer 26

• Means “key”
• This rhythm is often played on clave (wood sticks) or substituted by a similarly sharp sound, such as striking the rim of a snare drum
• Rhythm extends through two four-beat measures and is of two types either 3+2 or 2+3
• Standard clave patterns are known as son clave due to their prevalence in Cuban son music
• A common variation is the rumba clave, which delays the “3” pulse by half-beat in both the 3+2 and 2+3 rhythm

Question 27

Descarga (extended improvisational vamps

Answer 27

-Generally have no set length

Question 28

Bomba

Answer 28

-Performance consist of dancers challenging the lead drummer
-The dancer improvises movements to which the lead drummer is meant to synchronize rhythms
~A vocalist often accompanies, and onlookers are expected to sing a group response to the singer’s call
-Modern bomba performances frequently mix elements of other styles, such as salsa, as evidenced by the frequent inclusion of brass instruments, notably trumpets and trombones

Question 29

Plena

Answer 29

• Probably the most popular “folk” music of Puerto Rico
• Was originally subdued couple’s dance
• The early 1900s, a lead vocalist was included, adding lyrics that were topical and laden with astute social commentary, as with other Caribbean vocal genres
• During the 1930s, gradually declined in its traditional form as it incorporated many jazz elements brought with the imported style

Question 30

Salsa

Answer 30

-Salsa was born in New York City
-The term itself is used to describe not only a musical style but also a specific dance that can be performed to a variety of different music types
-The term SALSA can be considered similar to the terms jazz or classical
~Suggests a certain recognizable sound but encompass a variety of specific subtype
-Some genres influence Salsa even American hip-hop

Question 31

Tito Puente

Answer 31

• During the 1930s he played the saxophone in the US Navy marching band
• After the war, he studied orchestration and conduction at the Julliard School of Music in NYC and soon formed his own band
• Initiated his solo career during the 1950s
• During the Rock era, Puente career remained steady

Question 32

Mambo

Answer 32

-Differs from son montuno primarily in its instrumental emphasis
-Largo
~Which features that vocalist and main composition is regularly absent from mambo, which is intended primarily to be dance music
-More than just a montuno vamp, for it, incorporates composed arrangements that highlight the different sections of the band

Question 33

Timba

Answer 33

• Often referred to as Cuban salsa
• Incorporate many of the recognized features of mainstream “American” salsa and Latin Pop but also ass a variety of folk, classical, and popular traditions found on the island
• American rock influences often appear in the form of the electric guitar or synthesizer, usually used to add an orchestral “string” sound, and a drum set with a prominent kick drum
• Songs often express Cuban nationalism and is clave rhythm (2+3) and may exclude and clave rhythm altogether, opting for a straight, less syncopated, duple dance beat

Question 34

Reggaeton

Answer 34

• Genre drew heavily from Jamaican reggae and dancehall, African American and Latin hip-hop, as well as techno and other electronic music subgenres
• Dem bow “riddim” (a rhythmic articulated by percussion and a melodic bass) as a recent innovation; in fact, its basic pattern is inspired by the habanera rhythm, which has been common to Latin American music for well over a century
• The basic pattern repeats before the end of each melodic phrase
• Often infused with Spanish slag terms derived from the vocalists’ cultural background (Puerto Rico)
• Fast cars and sexy women are stereotypical images associated and are frequently referenced in lyrics and accompanying videos