Caribbean Music History

The African beats, the wind instruments and the rhythms that have been passed down through the

Each one of these instruments complements Merengue Tipico in a way that no other instrument would. The tambora is a two-headed drum that is more used as a background instrument in Merengue Tipico. It originated in Africa and was brought to the Caribbean by the West African slaves that came to work plantation (Larson, 2017). Moreover, the guira is a percussion instrument that is played by rasping a metal stick against the rough surface of the instrument (Solano, 2017). Also, there is the saxophone, which is one of the last instruments that was added to the Merengue Tipico, and contributes to give a better rhythm to it. The other instrument that is essential in Merengue Tipico is the accordion. This is a musical instrument that has form of a box. It is held and played by pulling the sides apart and then pushing them together while pressing buttons and keys. However, the instruments in Bachata are completely different, except that the guira is also played in Bachata. The instruments used to play bachata are the lead guitar, the segunda guitar, the bass guitar, the bongos, and the güira (Marracco, 2014). The lead guitar, the segunda guitar and the bass guitar are essential to play Bachata. These instruments are the ones that make the most improvisation. Followed by the bongos, which are a pair of single-headed drums that are played with hands and fingers (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2017). Overall, Merengue Tipico and

The swift sandy beaches of the Caribbean were once desolate and unknown rule by the natural habitat of Taino natives whose sole existence revolved around primitive nature. These Virgin Islands would be a critical and strategic discovery for the strengthening Spanish empire during the 15th century under the rule of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabel of Castile . On October 1492, a man by the name of Christopher Columbus would take the power of the Spanish crown to excellency and great dominion over the new world. The lives of both the natives and the Spaniards would be revolutionized and two completely different worlds would collide for the first time. The discovery of the New World was masked by preconceptions, ancient interpretations of

Though the most early forms of Puerto Rican music is seldom found in record, several genres of it can be traced back to African Origins. First arriving as slaves to be traded off to work in harvesting sugar. Along with them they brought several different percussion instruments including a subidor. Danza By the late 19th century, a

Drums have always had a significant role in culture. The drum serves as the pulse of many nations and peoples and has historically had a dominant role in many of the rituals and ceremonies of the African, Latin American, and American Indian cultures.

Among the more notorious dimensions of the age of exploration and colonization is the impact which this massive wave of maritime transmigration would have on the indigenous populations of those locations where European settlers made landfall. And perhaps no historical figure is as emblematic of this impact than Christopher Columbus, who in his ambition to bring gold, spices and cotton home from the lands he believed to be the West Indies, would help to set off one of the most complete genocides in human history. As the text by McKay et al (2003) demonstrates, Columbus approached the natives that he encountered in the Caribbean with a sense of European superiority that would come to define colonialism and to justify its attendant ethnic cleansing. Indeed, the perspective offered by Columbus is that of a conqueror establishing dominance over a people quite vulnerable to subordination.

Many of the modern Cuban music comes from Europe and Africa. There are very few native traditions as it is Cuban music now consist of a mixture of African and European music. The paths with African music crossed when the Africans would work on large plantations and the Spanish would be on small farms. The Africans made many percussion instruments and rhythms that fit the new instruments well. The Spanish saw the innovation of the Africans and made the guitar as their contribution to the musical style of hard laborers. The Europeans gave the Spanish the idea to combine music styles and express it in a visual form, more commonly known as notes.

The African people of the island used drums made of carved harwood covered with an untreated

The instruments used in the rumba each play a key part and are essential in constructing the unique sound of the rumba. The claves, a pair of wooden sticks struck against one another, begin the rumba. They help keep the rhythm and often accelerate the pulse and vary the patterns of the rumba. They also set the tempo and the mood of the rumba. The Conga drums, also essential, are barrel shaped and have varying pitches. The most important conga is the quinto, or lead drum. Its’ function is to improvise. The Cata is a bamboo or wooden tube played with sticks. It gets its name from the sound that it makes. The Madruga is an iron shaker that helps keep a steady basic pulse. The Cajones are wooden packing cases that are beat on like drums. They originated from when laws were passed banning the use of real drums due to the colonists’ fear of slave insurrections.

During the time when the international slave trade was starting to grow larger. Columbus and his men enslaved many of the native inhabitants of the West Indies and exposed them to extreme violence. He even sent them as a gift to Queen Isabella, “In lieu of the material riches he had promised the Spanish monarchs, he

As was related by the Spanish, the first account of Indigenous Caribbean music was a religious ceremony called areito. In this ceremony, around 1,000 people danced in circles around the musicians located in the center. Using the “call-and-response” style of music that is common among the indigenous peoples, the musicians would chant and play music using an array of idiophones and slit wood drums. Although this civilization was brought to near extinction save the few who reside in few sparse villages. Following this, black slaves were brought in as laborers and their influence along with the European influence and the Amerindians created a mixture of the cultures. Although the Indian culture is not seen except for some language or vocabulary,

The Evolution of Reggae Music Reggae has sustained the test of time and remains one of the world's last genuine folk music. The evolution of Reggae music can be traced back to the early 1900's with 'Mento', which is a simple music art form of Jamaican folk music with strong African roots. Reggae music is protest songs against racism, corruption and injustice. It has close links with a religion based around the Bible that is re-interpreted from a black's perspective, 'Rastafarianism'.

The Caribbean is a vastly diverse area representing the effects of colonialism, slavery, and the combination of many cultures.

(Group Tainos) The cacique was the head of the Tainos society. The cacique was a hereditary title which passed down from father to son. Generally speaking, the Tainos practised monogamy. However, the cacique was allowed to practise polygamy (this was to increase his chances of having a heir).