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 The popular music in Cuba has
very specific features that differentiate it from the rest of
the Latin-American countries regarding its great rhythmic
diversity and sonorous wealth. These features are related with
the formation process of this music that begins when the
musical elements coming from Europe -mainly from Spain-
started to get mixed with the ones from the different African
cultures that converged in the Island.
(…)
Today what we consider as Cuban music has
its origin in two essential musical sources: one from Europe
and another from Africa. For centuries, and from the fact that
thousand of Africans began to come to Cuba –as slaves-, these
two different music began to relate each other, to merge in a
long process of transculturation that would finish with the
creation of a new music, nor European or African, but
genuinely Cuban.
During the XVIII century an important increase of the slave
traffic took place, rising the presence of the black in the
island and as a consequence it was also increased their
musical instruments, rhythms, singings and dances in the whole
country, which next to men and women were imported from the
distant continent.
The Africans were grouped in town councils that were
associations integrated by people of the same nation or
region. In these places they met together and celebrated
feasts and ceremonies, keeping alive many of the elements from
their culture of origin; the music is one of them.
(…)
In the XIX century and specifically on the second half, all
the necessary elements that allows the creation of a Cuban
nationality were gathered, which had its highest proof in the
patriotic feelings of the native population that brought about
the independent wars of that moment. At that point this
process of fusions and transformations between the two types
of music –though it had not finished- began to yield results.
An example of it is the Cuban contradance that appeared from
the French contradance but that had different musical
features, completely Cuban. Composer Manuel Saumell is
considered not only the father of our contradance but also the
pioneer of the Cuban music nationalism.
Since the period of Saumell´s
contradances and the creation of the composition La
Bayamesa by Céspedes, Fornaris and Castillo, in the
middle of the XIX century and up to now, it has taken place
throughout history musical rhythms and genres with a great
popular rooting and international reception.
This is corroborated by the cha cha chá,son, mambo, bolero,
danzón
and the beautiful pages the Cuban
trova has conferred to our songs.
The Cuban
popular music is a combination of rhythms, forms and
sonorities that have been appearing along many years and that
belongs to the patrimony of a people with an extraordinary
harmony and creative talent.
Just few countries can show to the world so much musical
wealth; we are proud of it.
Article by Adolfo Costales Vega. Prestigious Cuban
musician and producer.
Read the whole article in La Bijirita
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The most emblematic of
the Cuban trios was created in 1947 in Havana and has devoted
its artistic career to promote diverse genres of the popular
music of its country, putting special emphasis on the 
