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Our Music
Of all the rhythms that have enriched
our cultural heritage, the merengue is,
par excellence, the collective expression
of our people’s very soul. As a popular
musical form, it is very dynamic and
varies from one generation to the next.
Generally sung in our vernacular, we love
to move to the thump and beat of this
music which, according to the lyrics of a
carnival song, pulsates in our every being
the urge to: “...dance in the street by day,
dance in the street by night.” Merengue
is the sum total of the harmonious
interplay of güira, the tambora (small
drum), and the accordion.
Just as in the 19th century, Lanner
and Strauss took the waltz from local
taverns to the great dance halls and the
imperial Austrian theaters, the Dominican
merengue has been interpreted by
national and foreigndance bands and
symphonic orchestras, thanks to the
works of important Dominican composers
of yesterday and today: Julio Alberto
Hernández, Juan Francisco García, José
Dolores Cerón, Luis Alberti, Rafael Solano
y Bienvenido Bustamante, among others,
who have also cultivated the traditional
musical forms. Others are: Enrique de
Marchena, Luis Mena, Francisco Ignacio,
Ramón Díaz, Manuel Simó, Juan Luis
Guerra, Michael Camilo y José Antonio
Molina.
Dominicans love to dance. Father Labat,
a French monk who arrived in the capital
city in 1795 when Spain ceded the
island to France by the Treaty of Basle,
made the following profound observation:
“Dance is, in Santo Domingo, the favorite
passion, and I don’t believe that there is
anywhere in the world where a people
are more drawn to musical vibrations.”
Labat’s observation is very apt. Singing
is probably the only phenomenon
which can rival dancing as food for the
Dominican’s soul.
To this day, it is customary to sing
lullabies to infants before they fall asleep.
The child grows up amidst singing
games, and the practice of singing
before work continues well past this age.
Adolescents in the countryside sing tunes
and “cantos de hacha” (axe songs) in
the “conuco” (small farm). He chants
his prayers and expresses his love in
cadence rhythms. No wonder serenading
is so popular! And, when a child dies in
rural areas, mourners sing dirges called
the “baquini”.
The bachata, a musical genre whose
sounds remind us of the Cuban sonboleros
and of Puerto Rican dance, has
firmly introduced itself into the taste and
idiosyncrasy of the Dominican people.
Also known as the “music of anguish and
love scorned”, this genre enjoys huge
Interested in listening to CDs of these Creole masters? Contact Fundación Sinfonía (the
Symphony Foundation) � 809-535-8587
Dominican Republic
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