Creolization in Caribbean Music- Spanish Spanish

 

 This will be my final blog as the end of the school semester approaches. It was a lot of fun creating these blogs. But for now, let's concentrate on the positives! In this blog, I will concentrate on Spanish-speaking Caribbean Countries. 

Puerto Rico is an island paradise known for its sun-kissed Caribbean climate, rich history and culture, exceptional food, pristine beaches, majestic mountains, relaxation, and adventure. Puerto Rico is a place where tradition and innovation coexist. With that said, the Creolized music genre I'll focus on from this island is Plena music. A Puerto Rican Plena is a short narrative song that satirizes or criticizes a person or event. Plena's music combines African and Latin American influences, with its distinctive use of African rhythms, vocals, and dance. The Plena features the soloist and chorus alternating stanzas and refrains. In Puerto Rico and abroad, many Plena's are known as classics of traditional music.

Image taken from: https://www.carnegiehall.org/-/media/CarnegieHall/Images/Education/Musical-Explorers/Juan-and-Julia/2018-2019/Lesson-2/Bomba-and-Plena-Instruments.png?la=en&hash=1B33DC4FA545FA82BBAB07281A38BDFD

Now, let's listen to a group called Plena Libre perform one of their hit songs

Video taken from: https://youtu.be/paEKMqBoKB4?si=XIzghJBSrDsdz4f-

While conducting research, I was drawn to this group for a variety of reasons. To begin, their music combines Plena and Bomba while also incorporating elements of other Afro-Cuban styles. That being said, I chose this song and the group because I love how they executed the Plena genre. For starters, the song is very energetic, with heavy percussion. Furthermore, throughout the song, they make extensive use of call-and-response and polyrhythms to emphasize the song's groove. Continuing, when you listen closely, you can hear a hint of mambo and salsa style, which enhances the song. 

Only a moment! Things are becoming better! Creolization has a significant impact on a variety of factors other than culture. This time, we'll look at religion. In a previous blog, we discussed Cuban music styles; now it's time to discuss a creolized religion found on one of Spain's Caribbean islands. The creolized religion of Cuba is known as the Cuban Santeria or the Regla de Ocha. Santeria's roots can be traced back to the Lucumi religion. However, when slaves were imported to Cuba in the seventeenth century, they were forbidden from practicing their religious traditions. As a result, they disguised their Gods as Catholic figures and worshipped them. 

Below is an image of Cuban Santeria 

Photo taken from: https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.1c274314f64f241a409110dadb72ef7d?rik=ZSE3nxSlNj6dBw&pid=ImgRaw&r=0

References 

Howard, K. (2019). Puerto Rican Plena: The Power of a Song. General Music Today, 32(2), 36–39. "https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1048371318809971?journalCode=gmtb" 

Murphy, J. M. (2023, February 2). Santería. Encyclopedia Britannica. "https://www.britannica.com/topic/Santeria"

Bascom, W. R. (1950). The Focus of Cuban Santeria. Southwestern Journal of Anthropology, 6(1), 64–68. "http://www.jstor.org/stable/3628691"