Museum of Puerto Rican Music
Encyclopedia
The Museo de la Música Puertorriqueña (English: Museum of Puerto Rican Music) is a museum in Ponce, Puerto Rico
that showcases the development of Puerto Rican music, with displays of Taíno
, Spanish
, and African musical instruments that were played in the romantic danza
genre, the favorite music of 19th-century Puerto Rican society, as well as the more African-inspired bomba
and plena
styles. Also on view are memorabilia of composers and performers. The Museum traces the rich musical history of the Puerto Rico through memorabilia of famous musicians and displays of the musical instruments associated with the three genres of music that originated in this Caribbean island.
named Juan Bertoli Calderoni
, who also built many other buildings throughout Puerto Rico. It was designed in the neo-classic architectural style. The house was built as the residence of the Serrallés-Nevárez family. Felix Juan Serralles, who married Francisca Nevarez, was a prominent local industrialist, and himself the grandson of prominent businessman Juan Serrallés
, the founder of the Destileria Serralles rum company. In the mid-1950s the building became the first location of the Museo de Arte de Ponce. Prior to occupying its current location at the southeast corner of Isabel and Salud streets, the Museum of Puerto Rican Music was originally based at 70 Cristina
Street.
with the goal of paying tribute to the works of Puerto Rican musicians in the most honorable way possible. The building is easily spotted as it is housed in a pastel-colored villa
, intentionally meant to attract visitors. The museum exhibitions are presented in both Spanish and English. The museum building is located at the southeast corner of Isabel and Salud streets.
The museum is "designed to produce the necessary visual and auditory impact on the audience so as to maximize the potential to draw the actual value of the unique Puerto Rican music". The distinctive Puerto Rican music is often export
ed to other islands in the Caribbean
. It is also widely played throughout other parts of the world, especially in the United States
. The displays show how Puerto Rican music started and how it has developed over the years. Some of the instruments displayed are the güicharo or güiro
, which is a gourd
that has been hollowed out, and variants of the original six-string Spanish guitar-like instruments the requinto
and bordonua
.
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...
that showcases the development of Puerto Rican music, with displays of Taíno
Taíno people
The Taínos were pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. It is thought that the seafaring Taínos are relatives of the Arawak people of South America...
, Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, and African musical instruments that were played in the romantic 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...
genre, the favorite music of 19th-century Puerto Rican society, as well as the more African-inspired bomba
Bomba
Bomba is one of the traditional musical styles of Puerto Rico. it is a largely African-derived music. The rhythm and beat are played by a set of floor drums, cuá and a maraca. Dance is an integral part of the music: the dancers move their bodies to every beat of the drum, making bomba a very...
and plena
Plena
Plena is a folkloric genre native to Puerto Rico. Its creation was influenced by African and Spanish music.-History:The music is generally folkloric. The music's beat and rhythm are usually played using hand drums called panderetas, but also known as panderos or pleneras. The music is accompanied...
styles. Also on view are memorabilia of composers and performers. The Museum traces the rich musical history of the Puerto Rico through memorabilia of famous musicians and displays of the musical instruments associated with the three genres of music that originated in this Caribbean island.
History
The pastel villa building was built by a well known architectArchitect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
named Juan Bertoli Calderoni
Juan Bertoli Calderoni
Juan Bertoli Calderoni was a nineteenth-century Puerto Rican architect from Ponce, Puerto Rico. He designed Teatro La Perla, Museo de la Música Puertorriqueña and the building currently housing the Centro Cultural de Ponce among various other historic structures.-Legacy:Among Bertoli's most...
, who also built many other buildings throughout Puerto Rico. It was designed in the neo-classic architectural style. The house was built as the residence of the Serrallés-Nevárez family. Felix Juan Serralles, who married Francisca Nevarez, was a prominent local industrialist, and himself the grandson of prominent businessman Juan Serrallés
Juan Serralles
Juan Serrallés Colón was the founder of Hacienda Mercedita in Ponce, Puerto Rico and what was to become Destileria Serralles, producers of "Don Q", a world renowned brand of Puerto Rican rum.-Early years:...
, the founder of the Destileria Serralles rum company. In the mid-1950s the building became the first location of the Museo de Arte de Ponce. Prior to occupying its current location at the southeast corner of Isabel and Salud streets, the Museum of Puerto Rican Music was originally based at 70 Cristina
Centro Cultural de Ponce Carmen Solá de Pereira
Centro Cultural de Ponce Carmen Solá de Pereira is the cultural center of the city of Ponce, and is located at 70 Cristina street in the Ponce Historic Zone, in Barrio Tercero, Ponce, Puerto Rico...
Street.
Museum
The building was restored in 1990 by the Institute of Puerto Rican CultureInstitute of Puerto Rican Culture
The Institute of Puerto Rican Culture , or ICP, for short, is an institution of the Government of Puerto Rico responsible for the establishment of the cultural policies required in order to study, preserve, promote, enrich, and diffuse the cultural values of Puerto Rico...
with the goal of paying tribute to the works of Puerto Rican musicians in the most honorable way possible. The building is easily spotted as it is housed in a pastel-colored villa
Villa
A villa was originally an ancient Roman upper-class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became small farming compounds, which were increasingly fortified in Late Antiquity,...
, intentionally meant to attract visitors. The museum exhibitions are presented in both Spanish and English. The museum building is located at the southeast corner of Isabel and Salud streets.
The museum is "designed to produce the necessary visual and auditory impact on the audience so as to maximize the potential to draw the actual value of the unique Puerto Rican music". The distinctive Puerto Rican music is often export
Export
The term export is derived from the conceptual meaning as to ship the goods and services out of the port of a country. The seller of such goods and services is referred to as an "exporter" who is based in the country of export whereas the overseas based buyer is referred to as an "importer"...
ed to other islands in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
. It is also widely played throughout other parts of the world, especially in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The displays show how Puerto Rican music started and how it has developed over the years. Some of the instruments displayed are the güicharo or 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...
, which is a gourd
Gourd
A gourd is a plant of the family Cucurbitaceae. Gourd is occasionally used to describe crops like cucumbers, squash, luffas, and melons. The term 'gourd' however, can more specifically, refer to the plants of the two Cucurbitaceae genera Lagenaria and Cucurbita or also to their hollow dried out shell...
that has been hollowed out, and variants of the original six-string Spanish guitar-like instruments the requinto
Requinto
The term requinto is used in both Spanish and Portuguese to mean a smaller, higher-pitched version of another instrument. Thus, there are requinto guitars, drums, and several wind instruments.-Wind instruments:...
and bordonua
Bordonua
The Bordonua is a large, deep body bass guitar which is native to Puerto Rico. They are made using several different shapes and sizes....
.