Rumba - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

8/20/2019 Rumba - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/rumba-wikipedia-the-free-encyclopedia 1/4

Rumba

Stylistic origins Afro-Cuban music

Cultural origins Cuba

Typical instruments congas

Derivative forms Columbia - yambu

Fusion genres

son montuno – guaracha – mambo –

Afro-Cuban jazz – chachachá – guajira

Regional scenes

Cuba and rest of the world

Rumba dance pattern.[1]

RumbaFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rumba is a family of percussive rhythms, song and

ballroom dance that originated in Cuba as a combination

of various musical traditions. The name derives from the

Cuban Spanish wordrumbo

which means "party" or"spree". It is secular, with no religious connections.[2]

People of African descent in Havana and Matanzas

originally used the word rumba as a synonym for party.[3]

Olavo Alén states that over time, "rumba ceased to be

simply another word for party and took on the meaning

both of a defined Cuban musical genre and also of a very

specific form of dance."[4] The term spread in the 1930s

and 1940s to the faster popular music of Cuba (the

"Peanut Vendor" was a classic), where it was used as a

catch-all term, rather like salsa today. Also, the term isused in the international Latin-American dance syllabus,

but in reference to a slower dance based on the bolero-son.

Ballroom rumba, or rhumba, is essentially son as opposed to the

older folkloric rumba. Similarly, the African style of pop music

called African Rumba or soukous is also son-based.

The term is also used today for various styles of popular music from Spain, as part of the so-called Cantes

de ida y vuelta, or music that developed between both sides of the Atlantic. Flamenco rumba is a genre that

is entirely different from Cuban rumba.

Contents

1 Types

2 Cuban rumba

2.1 Rhythmic structure

2.2 History

2.3 Guaguancó, yambú, columbia

3 See also

4 References

5 External links

Types

Cuban Rumba, percussion, song and dance styles that owe their origin to African slaves in Cuba.

Rumba (dance), international dance styles that correspond to slower Cuban music, such as the

bolero-son.

Catalan Rumba (rumba catalana), is a genre of music that developed in Barcelona's Romani

mba - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumba

4 16/01/2015 15:18



Rumba clave in duple-pulse and triple-pulse structures

community.

Flamenco Rumba, a style of flamenco music from Spain also known as Gypsy Rumba or Rumba

Gitana.

African Rumba, Inspired by the Cuban son, a style of music that originated in Congo, and evolved

into soukous music.

Cuban rumba

Rhythmic structure

Cuban rumba is played in both

triple-pulse (12/8, 6/8) and duple-pulse

(4/4, 2/2) structures. In Columbia, triple

pulse is the primary structure and duple

pulse is secondary. In yambú and

guaguancó duple-pulse is primary andtriple-pulse is secondary.[5] The three

conga (or tumbadora) parts are known as

salidor, segundo, and quinto (the lead

drum). The parts have other names too.

Rhythmically, rumba is based on the five-stroke guide pattern called clave and the inherent structure it

conveys.[6]

History

David Peñalosa states: "... the history of rumba is filled with so many unknowns, contradictions, conjecturesand myths which have, over time been taken as fact, that any definitive history of the genre is probably

impossible to reconstruct. Even elders who were present at historic junctures in rumba’s development will

often disagree over the critical details of its history."[7]

The Africans brought over to be slaves had a history and culture that later merged with the other cultures

they had been pushed into. The African origins of rumba can be traced to two secular dances of the Bantu

origin: the yuka and “makuta”.[8] There are also other African influences in rumba. Rumba combines music,

dance, and vocals, where all three elements interact with rhythmic improvisation.[9]

By most accounts, rumba first emerged in Cuba during the 1880s, at the time when slavery was

finally abolished on the island. We know that the Congolese-based progenitors of rumba existed

in the slave barracones (‘barracks’) during the early nineteenth century. It is therefore highly

probable that various types of proto-rumbas were danced prior to the first rumba references

made by contemporary chroniclers. Initially the musical instruments of rumba consisted of

regular household items: the side of a cabinet functioned in the role of the present-day tumba or

salidor (the primary supportive drum), while an overturned drawer served as the quinto (the lead

drum) and a pair of spoons played the cáscara part on whatever was available.[10]

Several types of rumba emerged, some of which have been lost to time, or are extremely rare today. Theseinclude the taona,[11] papalote,[12] tonada,[13] jiribilla and resedá.[14]

The great Matanzas rumbero Chachá Vega states: “I was born in the neighborhood called Simpson. You had


4 16/01/2015 15:18



rumba for lunch and rumba for dinner . . . so, you had to learn rumba . . . Young and old, with great respect,

and consideration. It was a whole way of life. [In other words, we’re born with the rumba] and we will die

with the rumba.”[15] As an energetic Afro-Cuban dance, rumba was often suppressed and restricted because

it was viewed as dangerous and lewd. Because of this, when it first emerged it was done in private. This

includes a smooth combination of music, dance and poetry to produce a unique sound and dance [8] While

the syncopated rhythms, and call-and-response singing are clearly of African origin, the song framework is

largely based in the music traditions of Spain. The various styles of rumba songs derive their melodies,

patterns and instrumentation from seguidillas, copla, peteneras, jotas, soleares, malagueñas, isas, folías andtheir related dances. A Cuban rumba song often begins with the soloist singing meaningless syllables called

the diana. The male dancer and singer then may proceed to improvise lyrics stating the reason for holding

the present rumba ('decimar'; span.: to make ten-line stanzas), or instead tunes into a more or less fixed song

such as: "Ave Maria Morena" (Anónimo), "Llora Como Lloré" (S. Ramirez), "Cuba Linda, Cuba Hermosa"

(R.Deza), "China de Oro (Laye Laye)", and "Malanga."

Guaguancó, yambú, columbia

The three main forms of rumba today are yambú, guaguancó, and Columbia. The differences between them

are in the choreography and the pace.

Guaguancó is a couple dance of sexual competition between the male and female. The female seductively

moves her upper and lower body in contrary motion, and holding the ends of her skirt, “opens” and “closes”

it in rhythm with the music. The male tries to distract her with fancy (often counter-metric) steps, accented

by the quinto, until he is in position to surprise her with a single thrust of his pelvis. This erotic movement is

called the vacunao (‘vaccination’ or ‘injection’), a gesture derived from yuka and makuta, symbolizing

sexual penetration. The vacunao can also be expressed with a sudden gesture of the hand or foot. The quinto

often accents the vacunao, usually as the resolution to a phrase spanning more than one cycle of clave. The

female reacts to the vacunao by quickly turning away, bringing the ends of her skirts together, or covering

her groin area with her hand (botao), symbolically blocking the “injection.” A male dancer rarely succeeds

in surprising his partner. The dance is performed with good-natured humor.[16]

The term guaguancó originally referred to a narrative song style (coros de guaguancó) which emerged from

the coros de claves of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Rogelio Martínez Furé states: “[The] old folks

contend that strictly speaking, the guaguancó is the narrative."[17]

Yambú is a couple dance like guaguancó but much slower. Vacunao is not used; the phrase en el yambú no

se vacuna, "in yambú there is no vaccination", is commonly heard during yambú performances.

Columbia is a fast and highly acrobatic solo male dance.[8]

Rumba is now most commonly performed at informal fiestas. The musical ensemble is made up of

percussions and vocal sections.[8] This African derived rumba dance and music also inspires poets who in

turn inspire the dance and chants. Some poets, including Carmen Cordero and Maya Santos Febres, have

said that a “poetic portrayal of dance maintains its meaning as a vehicle of resistance.” This could be taken

as pushing for change and acceptance [18] These ideas go well with the expression associated with the rumba

when it first emerged and when it became more widely accepted by all Cubans.

Carlos Vidal Bolado (better known simply as Carlos Vidal) was one of the first to commercially record

authentic folkloric rumba ( Ritmo Afro-Cubano SMC 2519-A and 2520-B, circa 1948).[19] Guaguancó can be

heard in salsa songs such as "Quimbara" by Celia Cruz.

See also


4 16/01/2015 15:18



Conga line

References

^ Blatter, Alfred (2007). Revisiting music theory: a guide to the practice, p.28. ISBN 0-415-97440-2.1.

^ Orovio, Helio 2004. Cuban music from A to Z . Revised by Sue Steward. ISBN 0-8223-3186-1 A biographical

dictionary of Cuban music, artists, composers, groups and terms. Duke University, Durham NC; Tumi, Bath.

p191

2.

^ Peñalosa, David (2011: 183) Rumba Quinto Bembe Books. ISBN 1-4537-1313-1.3.

^ Alén Rodríguez, Olavo (2010: 3) A History of the Congas AfroCubaWeb. http://afrocubaweb.com/cidmuc.htm.4.

^ Peñalosa, David (2011: xxii) Rumba Quinto. Redway, CA: Bembe Books. ISBN 1-4537-1313-15.

^ Peñalosa, David (2009: 185-187). The Clave Matrix; Afro-Cuban Rhythm: Its Principles and African Origins.

Redway, CA: Bembe Inc. ISBN 1-886502-80-3.

6.

^ Peñalosa, David (2011: 184) Rumba Quinto. Redway, CA: Bembe Books. ISBN 1-4537-1313-17.

^ a b c d Crook, Larry. “A Musical Analysis of the Cuban Rumba.” Latin American Music Review (1982): 92-123.8.

^ Knauer, Lisa M. The Politics of Afrocuban Cultural Expression in New York City. Journal of Ethnic &

Migration Studies (2008): 1257-1281, 25.

9.

^ Peñalosa, David (2011: xiii) Rumba Quinto. Redway, CA: Bembe Books. ISBN 1-4537-1313-110.

^ Courlander, Harold (1942: 238) 1942 “Musical Instruments of Cuba,” The Musical Quarterly, v. 28, n. 2.11.

^ Sublette, Ned (2004: 258) Cuba and its Music: From the First Drums to the Mambo. Chicago: Chicago Review

Press.

12.

^ Sacred Rhythms (Regino Jimenez and Ilu Aña) Bembe CD 2027-2 (2001).13.

^ Alén Rodríguez, Olavo (2010: 3) "A History of the Congas" AfroCubaWeb.14.

^ Esteban Vega Bacallao “Chachá," from Roots of Rhythm DVD [n.d.]15.^ Peñalosa Rumba Quinto (2010: xiii, xvi)"16.

^ Martínez Furé, Rogelio (1963) Conjunto Folklórico Nacional de Cuba. Catalogue.17.

^ Morris, Andrea E. Performing Dance/Writing Dance: Embodiment and the Question of Female Agency in

Afro-Antillean Poetry and Culture. Revista de Estudios Hispanicos (2008): 391-414, 24.

18.

^ http://www.zeno-okeanos.com/rumba-1947.html Earliest Known Audio Documentation of Folkloric Rumba19.

External links

Basic Steps of Rumba Dance (http://learnballroomdancing.org/rumba-dance-steps/)

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rumba&oldid=636348486"

Categories: Dance in Cuba

This page was last modified on 2 December 2014, at 18:40.

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may

apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registeredtrademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.


4 16/01/2015 15 18

Documents

Rumba - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia