Thursday Nov. 19th – Cuban Music #2
Traditional Music of Santeria
Though I cannot hear much of a pitch there is a pattern in the song that repeats. The melody is smooth but short so the pattern finishes and starts again quickly. The contour of the song is repetitive, small circle. Since the song is labeled as ”traditional music of Santeria,” the listener can assume that it relates to the Santeria religion, and would be used in religious ceremonies. Therefore, the character of the melody is simple so that anyone can recognize and follow it. This also leaves it open as a platform to sing improvisational lyrics. The range of the melody maintains an alto to tenor sound. The phrasing of this traditional piece is 3 drummed notes to a breath, I think.
The texture of this piece is smooth and flowing. There are either 2 drums used in this piece or one drum and one stick (used against the side of the drum). There are 3 layers; I think there is a lead drum, a secondary percussion instrument and a shaker. The lead drum functions to carry the song while the shaker keeps the pulse of the song. The shaker is slower and steady while the ”lead” drum is faster. It is very difficult to pull the 2 drums apart in order to determine their so-called speed. There is an instrumental call and response where the 2 drums call and respond to each other – I believe they are the typical drums of Cuba that are the same kind of drum, but toned differently. The sound of this song reminds me a little of the beach dock with the rolling waves, the driftwood hitting the rocks or dock, and the sand shaking beneath my feet.
This song has a triple beat meter. The only rhythm I hear is the drums. The shaker does not make enough of an impression on me to be influential. The tempo of the song repeats itself quickly, as well as the song’s overall tempo makes a slight, slow, gradual increase until about 3/4 of the way through when it gradually slows. There really isn’t much swing to this song since it is so repetitive. There is no changing in it so there really isn’t much action either. It is a good example of a syncopated song.
One note comes in right after the previous one. There isn’t a tell-tale harmony in this song since the 2 “drums” call and respond to one another, but with a slight discord. If there is, this is not a typical harmonic song. The only change in dynamics is for a short moment in the beginning and another short moments at the end when there is a softness; through the remaining song the loudness does not change. The articulation in this song has very clear instruments, but it is difficult to separate them because the notes are played so close together. I feel that this song carries a sense of organic, earthy qualities because it is so repetitive like a cycle, i.e. the earth’s cycle or the rolling waves. With this image in my mind I kept thinking of driftwood which doesn’t give the song a specific color, but a sense of timbre.
Cuban Musical Culture as it relates to the song Traditional Music of Santeria
Since the song is labeled as traditional music of Santeria, it is easy to assume that there is a spirituality since it would be used in religious ceremonies or gatherings. This song could be used in street ceremonies as well as more formal church services. Because this song is very repetitive, I feel like it would keep a group of people together, moving at the same pace and direction, but at the same time since there are no vocals it would allow people to participate and call out to praise and call to their orishas. The song is so simple and repetitive, it is uniform. The function of the music is to bring order to a religious ceremony to make sections of the song available to participants who want to chime in and or dance to that portion (which is also relating to a specific orisha or saint).
The term professional varies n this context, because you do not have to be professional to play within the religious arena. The music would not necessarily be recorded or produced, nor would is really make money, however there would be a standard for experience. The audience members would have subsidiary roles in the music, as they would advertise by word of mouth and repeat the songs played within other areas of their life (for example, at home, with their children, singing to get work done, etc.).
Dances that accompany Santeria music are spontaneous movements as the dancer feels necessary in order to express themselves. Also since this is traditional music with a religious background, it would have a more formal,appropriate context. It would be individualized and improvisational. The etiquette would have to be religiously accepted and based.
