Music, in the history of Puerto Rico, has played a role of great significance as a means of cultural expression. The five centuries of musical activity shows that Puerto Ricans have created, developed and promoted a variety of genres ranging from folk music, concert music and new genres. The Puerto Rican music and native musicians have shaped and enriched the identity of the Puerto Rican people and their roots.
Puerto Rican music was the ultimate expression of the “Areito” (indigenous artistic traditions) combined in a unitary fashion, oral narrative, dance and music. By the end of the fifteenth century, the Taino Indians had already developed musical instruments used in their ceremonies, religious rituals and daily life. Some of the instruments used during the “Areito” was the “Güiro” and “Maracas” which are still in use as part of the musical traditions. It is unclear whether the Puerto Rican folk music contains elements of ‘Taino’ language or their musical forms. Upon arrival, the Spanish colonists began a chain of events that re-routed the course of the Puerto Rican music. Both the Church and the army brokering change: Catholicism imported instruments and stablished what today are called ‘Local Festivals’, while the militia established small bands.
Since the early sixteenth century, the Island music scene was greatly influenced by the Spanish presence, which included a variety of European extraction with instruments including drums, harp, bells, the guitar and harpsichord, among others. Religious ceremonies introduced for the decade of 1670 an organist and choirmaster, which were part of religious services of the ‘Cathedral of San Juan.’
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With the introduction of slavery in Puerto Rico, joined the contributi...
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...ds, ‘Boleros’, Dominican merengue and more recently, modern genres favored by youth, such as Rap and Reggaeton. This last one, originated in Puerto Rico and rapidly became popular worldwide. Puerto Rican music has had and still has a projection with internationally renowned artists, while still developing through educational institutions and programs that promote it.
Works Cited
Caso, Fernando H.. . San Juan: Library of Congress, 1972. Print. Olivieri, Luis A.. The music of the Protestant hymnals used in Puerto Rico . San Juan:
Latinoamericanitas, 1976. Print. Vélez, Germám. Phone Interview. February 10th, 2011. Waterman, Richard Alan. Folk music of Puerto Rico . Washington: Library of Congress,
Division of Music, Recording Laboratory, 1947. Print. When Bomba Becomes The National Music of the Puerto Rico Nation.. . San Juan:
Latinoamericanistas, 20050415. Print.
The Hinário Para o Culto Cristão (HCC) is one of the most well-known collection of sacred hymns adopted by several traditional Baptists churches in Brazil currently. One could affirm that church music is always in a process of development as observed in the history of the church. According to the history of church music, religious music always had the power to influence a local community, and among the Baptists in Brazil, it was not different. Researchers support the idea that the growth of the Pentecostalism in Brazil during the late eighties could be one of the reasons for the reformulation of the main Brazilian Baptist hymnal known as Cantor Cristão. The purpose of this essay is to demonstrate that the HCC worked as a tool
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Peña, Manuel H. "Ritual Structure in a Chicano Dance." University of Texas Press: Latin American Music Review Spring- Summer 1980 1.1 (1980): 47-73. Print.
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