Timbre, Medium, and Dominican Republic

Timbre (color)

a musical term used to describe the quality of sound also known as aural color.

Adjectives or Analogies describing Timbre

Nasal, dark, mellow, rough, soothing, etc…

Soloist

Musician or performer who performs a piece of music or a part of a performance alone, without any accompaniment or other performers

Ensemble

• Refers to a group of individuals or objects that come together to form a unified whole

• Could be a small group (trio or duet)

• Could be a large group (choir, band, or orchestra)

Aerophones

• Generates sound through a vibrating column of air , which may be blown directly into the instrument or through a reed or mouthpiece

• Conch shell, accordion (free-reed), trumpet, flute, etc.

Idiophones

• Produces sound when plucked, shaken or struck

• We hear the sound thanks to the resonance of the instrument itself

• Gourd rattles, such as the caxixi or chekere, cowbell, marímbula

Chordophone

• Involves a string stretched over a support

• When the string is plucked, bowed, or strummed, it vibrates and generates sound

• Piano, double bass, violin, guitar, tres cubano, berimbau

Membranophone

• Produces sound through a membrane stretched over a support, which is then struck

• Animal skins traditionally served as membranes but nowadays synthetic materials are used

  • Drums like congas, bongos, and tamboras

Electrophone

* Synthesizers, electric guitars, and other instruments that generate sound via electronics

Corpophone

* Sounds that are generated by the human body (finger snapping, hand clapping, etc...)

Dominican Republic

One Island, Different Worlds

Hispaniola

• Columbus’s landed here in 1492

• Consisted of Carib (for whom the Caribbean Sea is named) and Taino people

• They “discovered” the high cultures and treasures of Mexico and Peru

  • Left Hispaniola to languish

Why did Spain leave Hispaniola?

• They allowed France to gain foothold in the island

  • 1697 treaty ceded to France the western third of Hispaniola

What happened when Spain left Hispaniola?

• They achieved independence from France after years of conflict (Haitian Revolution 1791-1804)

How did Haiti achieve independence?

• Fought for their independence from Spain in 1821 however, Haiti conquered the whole island in 1822

• In 1844, Dominican Republic won their independence (once more) from Haiti

How did Dominican Republic achieve independence?

Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina (1930-1961)

• Encouraged anti-Haitian prejudice among Dominicans

  • Fear of anything Haitian like the practice of Vodou

  • The massacre of thousands of Haitian citizens in 1937

Merengue

• It is a fast-paced rhythm and dance

• Original instruments are:

  • Güira

  • Tambora

  • Accordion and/or saxophone

Hispanic

A person who identifies with or has ancestry from Spanish-speaking countries, particularly those in Latin America or Spain. It is an ethnic term that encompasses various cultures, languages, and nationalities.

Güira

• Part of the mother-duo that gave birth to the merengue. It is made of a metal sheet and played with a stiff brush.

• Not to be confused with the güiro similar but different timbre

Tambora

• Small barrel made with two thick leather faces and is held in the lap.

• Deep tones are produced by playing one face with a stick, while striking the other face with the hand creates slapping sounds.

• The “bursts” typical of the instrument are played with the stick and are followed by hand-slap punctuation.

Melodic and Harmonic Instruments

• Accordion

• Saxophone

Congas (Conga Drums)

• Used in many Afro-Cuban musical genres, are taller than bongos and have a lower range.

• Compare the low-pitched sound, produced by striking the drum the palm of the hand, to the higher pitched, accented “slap”

Merengue Structure

• Paseo (Introduction)

• Merengue (Verse)

• Jaleo (Chorus or refrain)

Paseo (Introduction, Walking Section)

• Emphasizes the melodic instruments and often begins at a slower tempo (sometimes free in rhythm)

Merengue (verse)

• This section is established by the mother-duo güira-tambora rhythms. Vocalists sing different verses that are followed by the Jaleo (Chorus or Refrain)

Origins and Development of the Merengue

• The origins of this rhythm and its associated dance is not entirely agreed upon, but many believe that the dance is a combination of West African circle dances and European salon dances.

• Generally categorized as either folk or ballroom.

  • Ballroom follows the structured pattern (paseo-merengue-jaleo) and has little improvisational freedom. Strongly promoted during the Trujillo years and now remains the most popular music in the country.

  • Folk features the güira-tambora instruments improvising throughout

Creole

• Derived from the Portuguese word for a black person crioulo.

• A language that forms as the blend of two or more languages

  • Develop when people who speak different languages live in the same area.

Pidgin (or trade) language

• Based in the need of communication for commercials needs.

• Uses words from two languages.

• Not a native language.

• Creole is a native language that has more extensive vocabularies and complex grammatical structures than this language.

Creole History

• Any person of European or African descent born in the West Indies (native of the colonies). It carries no racial designation.

• Generally excluded from high office in both church and state, although legally Spaniards/French and this group were equals.

• In some countries, this word describes a certain spirited way of life.

  • Such as the abilities to speak wittily and persuasively on a wide range of topics, to turn a situation to one’s advantage, to be masculine (macho), to exhibit national pride, and to participate in fiestas and other sociable activities with a certain gusto;

  • a person exhibiting those characteristics is described as muy criollo (“very creole”).

What did the adjective Creole mean in different countries?

Pambiche Origins

• It is believe this rhythm was created in Puerto Plata during the first American military occupation (1916–1924) as an imitation of the unsuccessful attempts of the American soldiers to dance the fast-paced traditional merengue.

• The name of this rhythm could be a corruption of the English term “palm beach.” It is also associated with the clothing American soldiers would wear, known as the “palm beach suit.”

Pambiche Dance

• Slower than merengue

• Movements are softer are more fluid so the couple can add steps and figures characteristic of a ballroom dance

• Bachata evolved from its rural origins in the Dominican Republic, influenced by guitar-based styles and rural migrants to Santo Domingo.

• Over time, it transitioned from melodramatic love songs to songs with more explicit themes, eventually merging with urban music styles like R&B and hip-hop to become the internationally recognized genre of urban bachata.

Talk about the evolution of bachata from its origins to its contemporary prominence.

• The initial reception of bachata in Dominican society was negative, as it was perceived as crude and vulgar by the mainstream media and upper-class audiences.

• The term "bachata" was used derogatorily to associate the music with lower social status.

• However, as bachata artists like Juan Luis Guerra and Aventura gained popularity and diversified the genre, its social status began to change, and it gained wider acceptance, especially among younger generations and the Dominican diaspora.

How was the initial reception of bachata in Dominican society? Has it changed over time?