MOLA Unit 2 Test

Creolization

The blending of cultural influences from colonizers and indigenous populations to create new cultural forms, especially evident in music, cuisine, language, and religion, leading to hybrid identities.

Nationalism

A political ideology focusing on a nation's interests and culture, often opposing foreign influence, influencing unique musical styles and intersecting with other ideologies, affecting Class Dynamics and Creolization.

Class Dynamics

The social hierarchy and interactions among different social classes within a society. Historically, class dynamics have been influenced by factors such as economic status, ethnicity, and power, shaping societal structures through various periods and events, including colonization, industrialization, and globalization.

Bata

A type of Afro-Cuban drum associated with religious music and ceremonies, typically played alongside other instruments such as the bell and the shekere.

Marimba

A percussion instrument consisting of wooden bars struck with mallets, originating from African musical traditions, commonly accompanied by drums and sometimes accompanied by a bass guitar.

Liberation Theology

A movement in Christian theology that emphasizes social justice and the liberation of the oppressed.

Son Clave

A fundamental rhythmic pattern used in Afro-Cuban music, particularly in genres like son, salsa, and rumba.

Rumba

A secular music genre that originated in Afro-Cuban communities, characterized by its complex rhythms and call-response patterns, usually featuring instruments like quintos, tumbadora, and cata.

Salsa

A Latin music genre that combines elements of Cuban son with influences from jazz and other Latin American music styles, typically including instruments such as trumpets, trombones, piano, congas, and clave.

Joropo

Sub-genre of Musica Llanera. Promoted by gov’t. A musical genre and dance form from Venezuela that incorporates elements of African, Indigenous, and Spanish cultures, often featuring the harp, cuatro, and maracas.

Cuban Sones

A musical genre from Cuba that blends Spanish and African musical elements, often accompanied by claves, tres (like guitar), and traditional percussion like the bongo.

Merengue

A Dominican musical genre characterized by its fast tempo and instrumentation, often associated with dance, typically using instruments such as the accordion, saxophone/trumpets (modern), and percussion instruments like the tambora.

Bossa Nova

A Brazilian music genre that combines samba rhythms with jazz influences, characterized by its smooth style and commonly using nylon-string guitars, piano, and soft percussion.

Samba

A Brazilian music and dance genre known for its rhythmic and lively character, stemming from African roots, typically incorporating instruments such as the surdo, tamborim, and agogo.

Música Llanera

Music from the plains of Venezuela, notable for its joropo genre, characterized by vocal and instrumental improvisation, commonly using instruments like the arpa llanera, cuatro, and maracas.

Beny Moré

A renowned Cuban singer and bandleader, known for his contributions to son cubano and other genres.

Arsenio Rodríguez

A Cuban musician and composer credited with developing the son montuno style, foundational to modern salsa.

Maya Cultures

• Indigenous civilizations in Mesoamerica known for advanced architecture, astronomy, and music.

• Traditional music includes marimba and ceremonial percussion.

Marimba (de tecomates, sencilla, doble)

• Marimba de tecomates: Early form using gourds for resonators.

• Marimba sencilla: A single-row wooden-key instrument.

• Marimba doble: A chromatic, two-row version with metal resonators.

Garifunas

• Afro-Indigenous group in Central America, particularly in Honduras, Belize, and Guatemala.

• Known for punta music, featuring call-and-response vocals and lively drumming.

Punta

• A dance and music style of the Garifuna people.

• Features fast-paced drumming and syncopated rhythms.

Sandinistas

• A leftist political movement in Nicaragua that overthrew the Somoza dictatorship.

• Music linked to revolutionary folk songs

Llanos/Llanero

• Llanos: The plains region of Venezuela and Colombia.

• Llanero: The cowboy culture, associated with joropo music.

Afro-Venezuelan Music

Music with African influence, including drumming traditions like tambores de Barlovento. Ex: Gaita

El Sistema

• A Venezuelan youth orchestra program founded by José Antonio Abreu.

• Helps underprivileged children through music education.

Gustavo Dudamel

• Venezuelan conductor who emerged from El Sistema.

• Became the music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Colonial History of the Caribbean

European colonization of the Caribbean led to the fusion of African, Indigenous, and European cultures.

Orishas

• Deities in Santería, derived from Yoruba religious traditions.

• Examples include Elegguá (trickster deity) and Oggún (warrior god).

Santería/Regla de Ocha

• Afro-Cuban religion blending Yoruba beliefs with Catholicism.

• Features drumming rituals and spiritual possession

Montuno

A repeating, syncopated piano or guitar pattern in Cuban son and salsa.

Fania Records

• The record label that popularized salsa music in the 1970s.

• Home to artists like Celia Cruz and Willie Colón.

Timbales

• A type of shallow, tuned drum used in salsa and Cuban music.

• Played with sticks and often accompanied by cowbells.

Celia Cruz

The "Queen of Salsa," a Cuban-American singer known for hits like Ritmo en el Corazon.

Ray Barretto

• A Puerto Rican-American salsa percussionist.

• Known for Acid and Ritmo en el Corazón.

Bumba-meu-boi

A Brazilian folkloric performance blending Indigenous, African, and Portuguese traditions.

Forró

• A dance and music style from Northeastern Brazil.

• Uses accordion, zabumba, and triangle.

Música Sertaneja/Nordestina

Brazilian country music, often featuring acoustic guitar and vocal harmonies.

Candomblé

Afro-Brazilian religion similar to Santería, involving drumming and spirit possession.

Capoeira

• A martial art combining dance, acrobatics, and music.

• Uses the berimbau, a single-string percussion instrument.

Berimbau

• A bow-like instrument used in capoeira.

• Produces different tones depending on how it is struck.

Choro

• A Brazilian instrumental genre with fast melodies and syncopation.

• Features flute, cavaquinho, and guitar.

MPB (Música Popular Brasileira)

• An umbrella genre that fuses many Brazilian genres into one

  • Samba, Bossa Nova, Choro, Forro, Axe

• Deeply poetic and political lyrics

• Rich instrumentation (guitars, percussion, horns)

• Smooth yet experimental sound

• Essentially the “indie alternative” genre of Brazilian music

• Artists include Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil.

Samba Reggae

• A fusion of samba with Afro-Caribbean influences.

• Originated in Salvador, Bahia.

Axé Music

• A high-energy, percussion-driven genre from Bahia (Samba).

• Popularized by artists like Daniela Mercury.

Gaita

A traditional Afro-Venezuelan music genre characterized by its unique rhythms and use of instruments like the furro, cuatro, and maracas, commonly associated with the Christmas season.