Danzón
Encyclopedia
Danzón is the official dance of Cuba
. It is also an active musical form in Mexico
and is still beloved in Puerto Rico where Verdeluz, a modern danzón by Puerto Rican composer Antonio Cabán Vale ("El Topo") is considered the unofficial national anthem. Like the habanera
, the danzón evolved from the contradanza
.
Originally, the contradanza was of English origin and was most likely introduced to Cuba in the late-1700s by English visitors, Spanish colonists, and French colonists (who were fleeing the Haitian Revolution
in the 1790s).
In Cuba, these dances were influenced by African rhythmic and dance styles and so became a genuine fusion of European and African influences.
, and the habanera
, which are creolized Cuban dance forms. The danzón was developed, according to one's point of view, either by Manuel Saumell
or by Miguel Faílde
in Matanzas
.
, the danza
and the habanera
were sequence dance
s, in which all danced together a set of figures. The first use of the term danzón, which dates from the 1850s, is for just such a dance. Havana's daily paper, El Triunfo, gave a description of this earlier
danzón. It was a co-ordinated dance of figures performed by groups of Matanzas blacks. The dancers held the ends of colored ribbons, and carried flower-covered arches. The group twisted and entwined the ribbons to make pleasing patterns. This account can be corroborated by other references, for example, a traveler in Cuba noted in 1854 that black Cubans "do a kind of wreath dance, in which the whole company took part, amid innumerable artistic entanglements and disentanglements". This style of danzón was performed at carnival comparsa
s by black groups: it is described that way before the late 1870s.
The interesting thing is that Faílde's first danzóns were created for just such sequence dances. Faílde himself said "In Matanzas at this time there was a kind of square dance for twenty couples who carried arches and flowers. It was really a dance of figures (sequence dance), and its moves were adapted to the tempo of the habanera, which we took over for the danzón."
Early danzón was played by groups called orquestas típicas
, which were based on wind instruments. They had several brass instruments (cornet
, valve trombone
, ophicleide
), a clarinet
or two, a violin
or two and tympani (kettle drums). At the beginning of the 20th century, the lighter and somewhat more elegant sound of the charanga
emerged (see Early Cuban bands
). Initially, they were small orchestra of 2 violin
s, a cello
, flute
, timbales
, güiro
, and doublebass. Charanga and típicas competed with each other for years, but after 1930 it was clear that the days of the típica were over.
In 1898 a piano was included in a charanga for the first time. In Antonio María Romeu
's hands a piano became standard. Its musical flexibility, its ability to influence both melody and rhythm, made it invaluable. In 1926, in his arrangement of Tres lindas cubanas, Romeu incorporated a piano solo for the first time. His was the Cuba's top charanga for many years.
in Havana devoted a whole chapter to the iniquities of dancing, and the danzón in particular. Articles in newspapers and periodicals took up the theme:
Apparently, the danzón, which later became an insipid dance for older couples, was at first danced with "obscene movements" of the hips by young couples in close embrace, with bodies touching, and by couples who might come from different races...
So, behind the concern about music and dance were concerns about sexual licence, and about miscegenation
, the mixing of races. As with other similar cases, the criticism was to no avail. The danzón became hugely popular, and was the dominant popular music in Cuba until the advent of the son in the 1920s. At length the Cuban government made Faílde the official inventor of the danzón – but not until 1960, by which time the danzón had become a relic, and its 'child', the chachachá, had taken over.
added a montuno
as a final part of his El Bombín de Barretto. This was a swinging section, consisting of a repeated musical phrase, which introduced something of the son
into the danzón (a tactic which was to recur again in the future). Because of the popularity of the son in the 1920s and 1930s, Aniceto Diaz in Rompiendo la rutina in 1929, added a vocal part, thereby creating a new genre called the danzonete.
Later development led to more synchopation, which eventually led to the danzón-chá, nuevo ritmo, cha-cha-chá
, pachanga
and mambo. In the 1940s, 50s and 60s the danzón and its derivatives were highly popular in Cuba, with several truly fine charangas playing most days of the week. Orquesta Aragón
kept up an exceptionally high standard for many years, but the danzón itself gradually dropped out, and is now a relic dance.
Danzón has never ceased to influence Cuban musicians, and it is reflected in many popular Cuban music genres, in Cuban latin jazz
, salsa
, songo
and timba
, the latter building upon the charanga orchestration. Groups like Los Van Van
and Orquesta Revé developed from charangas. Their make-up and orchestration (by Juan Formell
) has been so greatly altered that it is difficult to identify traces of danzón, indeed, their present styles owe more to the son than to the danzón. The addition of brass instruments such as trombones and trumpets, and conga drums signalled a wider range of music.
, Mexico, because of the strong Cuban influence in the region. Later on danzón developed in Mexico City
, specially in the famous Salón México; in fact, it has survived as a dance longer there than in Cuba. Danzón also flourished in the city of Oaxaca, and many famous danzones were composed by Oaxacan musicians such as the famous Nereidas and Telefono de larga distancia, both works of Amador Perez Dimas, from the town of Zaachila, near Oaxaca city.
Today, people are still dancing the danzón in Mexico, particularly in the main plazas of Veracruz, Oaxaca and Mexico City, and in yearly festivals across Mexico. The dance had a second revival in the 1990s, especially amongst Mexico's senior citizens. Owing to the popularity of the piece Danzón no. 2
by Arturo Márquez
(b.1950) it has been called the second national anthem by some.
A danzón has the following typical structure:
The classic form is thus ABAC or ABACA.
A danzón-chá or danzón-mambo
typically add another part (D), a syncopated open vamp in which soloists may sometimes improvise, creating an ABACD or, more common, ABACAD.
, who added synchopated motifs taken from the son, together with improvised flute variations. He called this type of danzón ritmo nuevo (new rhythm). Orestes' danzón Mambo was the start of a trend continued by Arcaño y sus Maravillas.
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. It is also an active musical form in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and is still beloved in Puerto Rico where Verdeluz, a modern danzón by Puerto Rican composer Antonio Cabán Vale ("El Topo") is considered the unofficial national anthem. Like the habanera
Habanera (music)
The habanera is a genre of Cuban popular dance music of the 19th century. It is a creolized form which developed from the contradanza. It has a characteristic "Habanera rhythm", and is performed with sung lyrics...
, the danzón evolved from the contradanza
Contradanza
The Cuban contradanza was a popular dance music genre of the 19th century.- Origins and Early Development:...
.
Originally, the contradanza was of English origin and was most likely introduced to Cuba in the late-1700s by English visitors, Spanish colonists, and French colonists (who were fleeing the Haitian Revolution
Haitian Revolution
The Haitian Revolution was a period of conflict in the French colony of Saint-Domingue, which culminated in the elimination of slavery there and the founding of the Haitian republic...
in the 1790s).
In Cuba, these dances were influenced by African rhythmic and dance styles and so became a genuine fusion of European and African influences.
History
The danzón developed in the second half of the 19th century, and has been an important root for Cuban music up to the present day. The precursors of danzón are the contradanzaContradanza
The Cuban contradanza was a popular dance music genre of the 19th century.- Origins and Early Development:...
, and the habanera
Habanera
Habanera may refer to:*"Habanera" , an aria from Bizet's Carmen*Habanera , a 1984 Cuban film*La Habanera , a 1937 German movie...
, which are creolized Cuban dance forms. The danzón was developed, according to one's point of view, either by Manuel Saumell
Manuel Saumell
Manuel Saumell Robredo , was a Cuban composer of the highest importance for his invention and development of genuinely creolized forms of music...
or by Miguel Faílde
Miguel Faílde
Miguel Faílde Pérez , was a Cuban musician and bandleader. He was the official originator of the danzón, and the founder of the Orquesta Faílde....
in Matanzas
Matanzas
Matanzas is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas. It is famed for its poets, culture, and Afro-Cuban folklore.It is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas , east of the capital Havana and west of the resort town of Varadero.Matanzas is called the...
.
The danzón, first stage
The contradanzaContradanza
The Cuban contradanza was a popular dance music genre of the 19th century.- Origins and Early Development:...
, the danza
Danza
Danza is a musical genre that originated in Ponce, a city in southern Puerto Rico. It is a popular turn-of-the-twentieth-century ballroom dance genre slightly similar to the waltz. Both the danza and its cousin the contradanza are sequence dances, performed to a pattern, usually of squares, to...
and the habanera
Habanera (music)
The habanera is a genre of Cuban popular dance music of the 19th century. It is a creolized form which developed from the contradanza. It has a characteristic "Habanera rhythm", and is performed with sung lyrics...
were sequence dance
Sequence dance
Sequence dancing is a form of dance in which a preset pattern of movements is followed, usually to music which is also predetermined. Sequence dancing may include dances of many different styles. The term may include ballroom dances which move round the floor as well as line, square and circle...
s, in which all danced together a set of figures. The first use of the term danzón, which dates from the 1850s, is for just such a dance. Havana's daily paper, El Triunfo, gave a description of this earlier
danzón. It was a co-ordinated dance of figures performed by groups of Matanzas blacks. The dancers held the ends of colored ribbons, and carried flower-covered arches. The group twisted and entwined the ribbons to make pleasing patterns. This account can be corroborated by other references, for example, a traveler in Cuba noted in 1854 that black Cubans "do a kind of wreath dance, in which the whole company took part, amid innumerable artistic entanglements and disentanglements". This style of danzón was performed at carnival comparsa
Comparsa
A comparsa is the band which plays a conga during a Latin American Carnival celebration. It consists of a large group of dancers dancing and traveling on the streets, followed by a Carrosa where the musicians play...
s by black groups: it is described that way before the late 1870s.
The interesting thing is that Faílde's first danzóns were created for just such sequence dances. Faílde himself said "In Matanzas at this time there was a kind of square dance for twenty couples who carried arches and flowers. It was really a dance of figures (sequence dance), and its moves were adapted to the tempo of the habanera, which we took over for the danzón."
The danzón, second stage
The form of danzón created by Miguel Faílde in 1879 (Las alturas de Simpson), begins with an introduction (four bars) and paseo (four bars), which are repeated and followed by a 16-bar melody. The introduction and paseo again repeat before a second melody is played. The dancers do not dance during these sections: they choose partners, stroll onto the dance floor, and begin to dance at precisely the same moment: the fourth beat of bar four of the paseo, which has a distinctive percussion pattern that's hard to miss. When the introduction is repeated the dancers stop, chat, flirt, greet their friends, and start again, right on time as the paseo finishes.Orquesta típica
Orquesta típica, or simply a típica, is a Latin-American term for a band which plays popular music. The details vary from country to country. The term tends to be used for groups of medium size in some well-defined instrumental set-up.- Argentina :In Argentina, a típica is a tango orchestra...
, which were based on wind instruments. They had several brass instruments (cornet
Cornet
The cornet is a brass instrument very similar to the trumpet, distinguished by its conical bore, compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. It is not related to the renaissance and early baroque cornett or cornetto.-History:The cornet was...
, valve trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
, ophicleide
Ophicleide
The ophicleide is a family of conical bore, brass keyed-bugles. It has a similar shape to the sudrophone.- History :The ophicleide was invented in 1817 and patented in 1821 by French instrument maker Jean Hilaire Asté as an extension to the keyed bugle or Royal Kent bugle family...
), a clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
or two, a violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
or two and tympani (kettle drums). At the beginning of the 20th century, the lighter and somewhat more elegant sound of the charanga
Charanga
Charanga is a term given to traditional ensembles of Cuban dance music. They made Cuban dance music popular in the 1940s and their music consisted of heavily son-influenced material, performed on European instruments such as violin and flute by a Charanga orchestra....
emerged (see Early Cuban bands
Early Cuban bands
Early Cuban bands played popular music for dances and theatres during the period 1780–1930. During this period Cuban music became creolized, and its European and African origins gradually changed to become genuinely Cuban. Instrumentation and music continually developed during this period...
). Initially, they were small orchestra of 2 violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
s, a cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
, flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, timbales
Timbales
Timbales are shallow single-headed drums with metal casing, invented in Cuba. They are shallower in shape than single-headed tom-toms, and usually much higher tuned...
, güiro
Güiro
The güiro is a Latin-American percussion instrument consisting of an open-ended, hollow gourd with parallel notches cut in one side. It is played by rubbing a stick or tines along the notches to produce a ratchet-like sound. The güiro is commonly used in Latin-American music, and plays a key role...
, and doublebass. Charanga and típicas competed with each other for years, but after 1930 it was clear that the days of the típica were over.
In 1898 a piano was included in a charanga for the first time. In Antonio María Romeu
Antonio María Romeu
Antonio María Romeu Marrero was a Cuban pianist, composer and bandleader. His orchestra was Cuba's leading charanga for over thirty years, specializing in the danzón.- Life & work :...
's hands a piano became standard. Its musical flexibility, its ability to influence both melody and rhythm, made it invaluable. In 1926, in his arrangement of Tres lindas cubanas, Romeu incorporated a piano solo for the first time. His was the Cuba's top charanga for many years.
Danzón as scandal
Similar to other dances in the Caribbean and Latin America, the danzón was initially regarded as scandalous, especially when it began to be danced by all classes of the society. The slower rhythm of the danzón led to couples dancing closer, with sinuous movements of the hips and a lower centre of gravity. The author of a survey of prostitutionProstitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
in Havana devoted a whole chapter to the iniquities of dancing, and the danzón in particular. Articles in newspapers and periodicals took up the theme:
- "Because I love my country, it hurts me to see danzón at gatherings of decent people."
- "We recommend banning the danza and danzón because they are vestiges of Africa and should be replaced by essentially European dances such as the quadrille and rigadoon."
Apparently, the danzón, which later became an insipid dance for older couples, was at first danced with "obscene movements" of the hips by young couples in close embrace, with bodies touching, and by couples who might come from different races...
- "First we had the danza, then came the danzón... next it will be the rumba, and finally we'll all end up dancing ñáñigo!"
So, behind the concern about music and dance were concerns about sexual licence, and about miscegenation
Miscegenation
Miscegenation is the mixing of different racial groups through marriage, cohabitation, sexual relations, and procreation....
, the mixing of races. As with other similar cases, the criticism was to no avail. The danzón became hugely popular, and was the dominant popular music in Cuba until the advent of the son in the 1920s. At length the Cuban government made Faílde the official inventor of the danzón – but not until 1960, by which time the danzón had become a relic, and its 'child', the chachachá, had taken over.
Influence of the son
In 1910, some thirty years after Faílde's early days, José UrféJosé Urfé
José Urfé González was a Cuban clarinetist and composer. He introduced a new musical element from the son into the danzón in 1910....
added a montuno
Montuno
Montuno has several meanings pertaining to Cuban music and its derivatives. Literally, montuno means 'comes from the mountain', and so Son montuno may refer to the older type of son played in the mountainous rural areas of Oriente...
as a final part of his El Bombín de Barretto. This was a swinging section, consisting of a repeated musical phrase, which introduced something of the son
Son (music)
The Son cubano is a style of music that originated in Cuba and gained worldwide popularity in the 1930s. Son combines the structure and elements of Spanish canción and the Spanish guitar with African rhythms and percussion instruments of Bantu and Arará origin...
into the danzón (a tactic which was to recur again in the future). Because of the popularity of the son in the 1920s and 1930s, Aniceto Diaz in Rompiendo la rutina in 1929, added a vocal part, thereby creating a new genre called the danzonete.
Cha-cha-cha (music)
The Cha-cha-chá is a style of Cuban music. It is popular dance music which developed from the danzón in the early 1950s.- Origin :As a dance music genre, cha-cha-chá is unusual in that its creation can be attributed to a single composer, Enrique Jorrín, then violinist and songwriter with the...
, pachanga
Pachanga
- Music :In Cuba in 1955, Los Papines fused the violin-based music of charangas and the trumpet-based music of conjuntos Eduardo Davidson's La Pachanga , recorded by Orquesta Sublime, introduced Cuba to a Colombian dance...
and mambo. In the 1940s, 50s and 60s the danzón and its derivatives were highly popular in Cuba, with several truly fine charangas playing most days of the week. Orquesta Aragón
Orquesta Aragón
Orquesta Aragón was formed on 30 September 1939, by Orestes Aragón Cantero in Cienfuegos, Cuba. The band originally had the name Ritmica 39, then Ritmica Aragón before settling on its final form. Though they did not create the Cha-cha-cha, they were arguably the best charanga in Cuba during 1950s...
kept up an exceptionally high standard for many years, but the danzón itself gradually dropped out, and is now a relic dance.
Danzón has never ceased to influence Cuban musicians, and it is reflected in many popular Cuban music genres, in Cuban latin jazz
Latin jazz
Latin jazz is the general term given to jazz with Latin American rhythms.The three main categories of Latin Jazz are Brazilian, Cuban and Puerto Rican:# Brazilian Latin Jazz includes bossa nova...
, salsa
Salsa music
Salsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...
, songo
Songo
Songo may refer to:* Songo music, a type of contemporary Cuban music originating in Havana* Songo people, of northern Angola* Songo-salsa, a style of music that blends Spanish rapping and hip hop beats with salsa music and songo- Places :...
and timba
Timba
Timba is a Cuban genre of music sometimes referred as salsa cubana . However, the historical development of timba has been quite independent of the development of salsa in the United States and Puerto Rico and the music has its own trademark aspects due to the Cuban embargo and strong Afro-Cuban...
, the latter building upon the charanga orchestration. Groups like Los Van Van
Los Van Van
Los Van Van is a Cuban band led by bassist Juan Formell, it is one of the most recognized post-revolution Cuban bands, while Juan Formell has arguably become the most important figure in contemporary Cuban music....
and Orquesta Revé developed from charangas. Their make-up and orchestration (by Juan Formell
Juan Formell
Juan Formell is a Cuban musician, bassist, composer, and arranger, best known as the director of Los Van Van Orchestra. He is a creator of popular danceable music and credited with bringing electronic instrumentation into the Cuban musical form.His professional activity started in 1957 as musician...
) has been so greatly altered that it is difficult to identify traces of danzón, indeed, their present styles owe more to the son than to the danzón. The addition of brass instruments such as trombones and trumpets, and conga drums signalled a wider range of music.
In Mexico
Danzón was also very popular in the Gulf Coast state of VeracruzVeracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
, Mexico, because of the strong Cuban influence in the region. Later on danzón developed in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, specially in the famous Salón México; in fact, it has survived as a dance longer there than in Cuba. Danzón also flourished in the city of Oaxaca, and many famous danzones were composed by Oaxacan musicians such as the famous Nereidas and Telefono de larga distancia, both works of Amador Perez Dimas, from the town of Zaachila, near Oaxaca city.
Today, people are still dancing the danzón in Mexico, particularly in the main plazas of Veracruz, Oaxaca and Mexico City, and in yearly festivals across Mexico. The dance had a second revival in the 1990s, especially amongst Mexico's senior citizens. Owing to the popularity of the piece Danzón no. 2
Danzon no. 2
Danzón No. 2 for orchestra is a composition by prominent Mexican composer Arturo Márquez. It is, along with José Pablo Moncayo's Huapango, Carlos Chávez's Sinfonia India and Silvestre Revueltas' Sensemaya, one of the most popular and significant frequently performed Mexican contemporary classical...
by Arturo Márquez
Arturo Márquez
Arturo Márquez is a renowned Mexican composer of orchestra music who is well known for using musical forms and styles of his native Mexico and incorporating them into his compositions.-Life:...
(b.1950) it has been called the second national anthem by some.
- Danzón: a 1991 film directed by María Novaro. Plot: Julia (María Rojo) is a phone operator in Mexico City who lives for her job, her daughter and the danzón. Every Wednesday Julia does the danzón with Carmelo (Daniel Rergis) in the Salón Colonia. They've danced for years without becoming close. One night Carmelo disappears without a trace. Lonely and sad, Julia takes a train to Veracruz, where she knows Carmelo has a brother. That trip changes Julia's life.
Style and structure
Danzón is elegant and virtuoso music, with dance. A danzón, in its original form, was not sung, and did not feature any improvisations, unlike some other Cuban genres.A danzón has the following typical structure:
- An introduction or paseo (A), usually 16 bars.
- The theme or principal melody (B), featuring the flute, thus often referred to as parte de (la) flauta.
- A repeat of the introduction.
- The trio (C), featuring the strings, thus also called parte del violín.
- Ending. This could either be a cliché ending (there are a few standard danzón endings), another repeat of the introduction, or a combination of both.
The classic form is thus ABAC or ABACA.
A danzón-chá or danzón-mambo
Danzón-mambo
The danzón-mambo is a sub-genre of Cuban dance music that represents, among other things, a transition from the classical danzόn to the cha-cha-chá...
typically add another part (D), a syncopated open vamp in which soloists may sometimes improvise, creating an ABACD or, more common, ABACAD.
Mambo section
In danzón, the mambo section is the final section of an arrangement. It was first devised by Orestes LópezOrestes López
Orestes López was a Cuban musician and bandleader, often credited with popularizing the musical form Mambo, together with his brother Israel "Cachao" Lopez....
, who added synchopated motifs taken from the son, together with improvised flute variations. He called this type of danzón ritmo nuevo (new rhythm). Orestes' danzón Mambo was the start of a trend continued by Arcaño y sus Maravillas.