Tuesday Nov. 17th – Cuban article
The opinion for Cuban music is, of course, their music is beautiful because it is part of praising their gods, connecting to their history and maintaining their culture. The music has a specific place within the religion and spirituality of Cuba. The bembe’ sessions are community held gatherings to honor orishas (African deities) and saints. Each instrument has a place and rhythm in the ceremony that allows individuals to call out and support their orisha or saint, as well as dictates a specific point in the music to complete their dances. The music would be viewed as very appropriate. I get the feeling that the music is almost only meant for them, therefore it must live up to their standards. The more they put into it the, the more integrated it becomes in their culture. Cuban music can be appropriate for dancing, a commonly accepted part of their passionate culture. It is also essential as part of many religious ceremonies and community gatherings. Rumba dancing also offers an arena for relationships within the dance moves. The music is an outlet of ideas, emotion, and attention for the topics, gods, and people who are important to Cuba.
The music prior to the late 1950′s, was one that filled the lives of Cubans at home and within nightclubs and big orchestras. After Castro’s induction, the music business changed dramatically to one owned , regulated, and restrained, by the government. Recording, touring and having employment as a musician was extremely difficult. Music and musicians were limited until the late 1990′s. It has only been in the last few years, that music from Cuba has again been recorded and heard world-wide.
Training would have come from taking professional classes and job focused musical employment. But at the same time, since music was such a cultural and religious necessity, there would be many informal singers, dancers, and musicians to help maintain the music community. One important factor, specific to Cuba, would be the limited recordings and musicians of the times during Castro. During this time, training for music would have been extremely hard to come by in a formal setting, but was offered to those promising musicians a Conservatoire training.
Local people and other Cuban artists would be prominent audiences. The religious activities dictate audience participation therefore, church-goers would be audiences and performers. Cuban music is centered in Cuba, whether by choice or by dictatorship from Castro, but there is a comfort for Cuban musicians to play with Cuban musicians because they are playing for the same reasons.
Everyone has subsidiary roles in the music production since it is played for religious, community and social purposes. The audience is full of active participants who sing and chant and dance to the music. These subsidiary roles would have been even more important during Cuba’s boycott/Castro years.
Some dance forms that accompany rumba and cuban music include the Guaguanco’, the yambu’, and the Columbia dances which originated within the rumba dance music. The danzon, the charanga, and the chachacha are still other dances associated with cuban music. .
what kinds of other movements go with the movement? The guaguanco dance is a sexual display, while the yambu is more formal. the columbia consists of acrobatic movements.
Depending on the context of the song, the appropriate attire and rituals would change. Some songs are directed toward a couple, while others are viewed as entertainment only, and still others are conveying a message. Within Cuba, part of the rituals and attire would also depend on the event or location of the music, i.e. a church verses an outdoor event.
There is a strong connection with the actual instruments to the Cuban musical culture. The chekere (rattles), congas, and bata drums are specific to Cuban music and important in the layout of songs. Instrumentation still has strong roots in the African history of Cuba.
The concert has always been a form of music exposure to a large group of people. In this lives, the stage, the instruments, the electronics (possibly), the bleachers/chairs and arena setup. The nightclub is another way to materially access music while still being social. In that there would be a dance floor, drinks, and bar included. Music touring which includes, interviews, modes of transportation, equipment, storage, and a host of props, are also associated strongly with music.
