HISPANIC MUSIC FOR BEGINNERS PETER KOLAR, World Library Publications Terminology Spanish vs. Hispanic; Latino, Latin-American, Spanish-speaking (El) español, (los) españoles, hispanos, latinos, latinoamericanos, habla-español, habla-hispana Hispanic culture A melding of Spanish culture (from Spain) with that of the native Indian (maya, inca, aztec) Religion and faith popular religiosity: día de los muertos (day of the dead), santería, being a guadalupano/a faith as expession of nationalistic and cultural pride in addition to spirituality Diversity within Hispanic cultures Many regional, national, and cultural differences Mexican (Southern, central, Northern, Eastern coastal) Central America and South America influence of Spanish, Portuguese Caribbean influence of African, Spanish, and indigenous cultures Foods as varied as the cultures and regions Spanish Language Basics a, e, i, o, u all pure vowels (pronounced ah, aey, ee, oh, oo) single r vs. rolled rr (single r is pronouced like a d; double r = rolled) g as h except before u v pronounced as b (b like burro and v like victor ) ll and y as j (e.g. yo = jo ) the silent h Elisions (spoken and sung) of vowels (e.g. Gloria a Dios, Padre Nuestro que estás, mi hijo) Dipthongs pronounced as single syllables (e.g. Dios, Diego, comunión, eucaristía, tienda) ch, ll, and rr considered one letter Assigned gender to each noun Stress: on first syllable in 2-syllable words (except if ending in r, l, or d ) Stress: on penultimate syllable in 3 or more syllables (except if ending in r, l, or d ) Any word which doesn t follow these stress rules carries an accent mark é, á, í, ó, étc. Dialects In English there exists regional dialects (i.e. British, East Coast, Southern, Midwest), the same holds true for Spanish: Castellano (Spanish of Spain) notably z as th e.g. corazón pronouced cora-thón Latin-American: Mexican, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Dominican, Argentinian, etc. Spanish has its own slang, both common and street Influence of Spanglish especially in borderland areas, urban entry points for immigrants, southwest
Musical styles (based on regions) Northern Mexico and Tejano: known for norteña, polka, ranchera, banda Caribbean and coastal: known for bolero tropical, salsa, afro-cubano, merengue, cumbia, mambo, cha-cha, guajira, rhumba, samba, son cubano, son montuno, bassa nova, nueva trova, bomba, plena, trio Eastern Mexico: known for its danzas (dances) huasteco, huapango, indígena Central Mexico: known for mariachi (which is really a type of ensemble not a style) bolero romántico, bolero ranchero, carnavalito, vals ranchero, polca, son jaliciense Central America: known for its marimba South America: known for andino, tango, vallenato Miscellaneous: trio, rock en español Melodies of Latin-america 2-voice texture (a simple auto-harmony in which a segunda voz is added above or below) trio (3-voice auto-harmony) harmony is often very basic in support of beautiful melodies Musical Instruments of Latin-America Guitars: vihuela, cuatro, requinto, charango, guitarrón, bass guitar Trumpet Violin Marimba Accordion Saxophone and clarinet other Brass trombone, tuba ( banda ) Percussion: congas, bongos, maracas, shaker, güiro, cabasa, cowbell, clave, tambourine Piano Synthesized keyboard Organ Harp Liturgical Application Familiarize yourself with the styles and expressions appropriate to the community Know the ensembles you have to work with (both in terms of instrumentation and people) Getting Hispanic musicians to read music and Anglo readers to improvise/play by ear Know when (or when not) to use bilingual music Use available musical resources: hymnals, song collections, recordings, octavos, the internet Resources on liturgy, music planning (AIM, Liturgia y Canción) Indexes from Accompaniment books Missalettes and other worship aids Handout prepared by Peter Kolar, WLP