Cultural Institutions

From The Peopling of NYC

Cuba has been influential to the development of many musical styles in the 19th and 20th centuries. The roots of most Cuban musical forms all lead back to the Cabildos, which was a form of a “social club” brought to the island by African slaves. Cabildos were intended to preserve the African cultural traditions, even after the Emancipation in 1886 forced them to unite with the Roman Catholic Church. Around the same time, a new religion, Santeria, was developing and spreading throughout Cuba, Haiti, and other nearby islands. Santeria played a role in changing Cuba’s music because percussion was an inherent part of the religion. Santeria music was associated with colors, emotions, and drum patterns. By the 20th century Santeria influences in music began to appear in popular folk songs. One of the more popular types of Cuban music today is called the rumba, which came in the 16th century with the slaves from Africa. The term rumba was derived from the verb rumbear, which means to have a good time. The Cuban rumba is improvised, spontaneous, and lively and was created by the dockworkers of Havana and Matanzas. The percussion of the rumba consists of drums and sticks and the vocals include a solo singer followed by a chorus. The most important part of the rumba is its rhythm, since the rumba is made for dancing.