Cumbia

Cumbia is a very popular music genre throughout Latin America. Cumbria was a courtship dance practiced among the african population, it was later incorporated with Amerindian steps, european, and Africans instruments. It originated in the Colombians Caribbean coastal region and Panama. It was a culture fusion from the native Colombians and Panamanians. Slaves brought it from Africa, in the late 17th century and it came from the word cumbre which means dance. Cumbia was born of a cultural mix of black and indigenous backgrounds. The music got very popular in the 1950′s and 1960′s in Colombia.

One of greatest artist of cumbia is that do Cumbia include, Margarita "la diosa de la Cumbia". Margarita Maria de Santa Teresita Vargas is originally from Medellín, Columbia. She was born on October 3, 1960 and she was the second daughter of five. Her parents were Felix Vargas and Marina Garbiria. Her father was her first influence when she started to play music. In an early age she was taken to live in Barranquilla with the rest of her family. Her father died when she was 14 years old, so he left the famiy responsibilities to her, having three other sisters and one brother, Claudia, Luz Helena, y Luz Maria, y Juan Darío. At that time, she started to work very hard to maintain the family until she was 18. She started to sing at friend's birthdays or hotels, and events that would help her gain money. That's when her dream of being a singer started, she wanted to be up on stage and loved to hear the audience cheering her on. Margarita went on to becoming a very famous and successful cumbia singer.

By Julia G

Chanson Music

     The chanson style of music is any lyric-driven French song, usually polyphonic and secular. Singers specializing in chanson are known as either a "chanteur" (male) or "chanteuse"(female).  The earliest chansons were the epic poems, and usually recounted the famous deeds of heroes from the past.
     Chanson takes many forms: chanson de geste, chanson cortoise, Burgundian chanson, Parisian chanson, modern chanson, and nouvelle chanson. This style of music dates back to the Renaissance and is still used in modern day. Some artists who sing in this style are Juliette Greco, Barbaro, Jacques Brel, Charles Aznavour, Georges Brassens, and Jean Ferret.
     In general, this music has a very smooth and organized sound. It is when the rhythm of music follows that of the text. Chanson is a basic style, and most French singers and songwriters use it. Chanson songs are often like poems. In the 1950s, singers use to write songs in an assumed literary approach.
     Two of the greatest chanson artists are Edith Piaf and Maurice Chevalier. They were both international stars. Edith was an international diva and was a French cabaret. She often sang about the love and sorrow aspects of her life. Maurice was a cabaret singer and entertainer. He is known for always wearing a boater hat and a tuxedo. Maurice is from Paris and is perhaps best known for his signature song, "Louise." These are both fantastic artists that have left an impressive mark in chanson music history.

Reggaeton

         Reggaeton is a music genre that comes from Latin and Caribbean music. The origin of the word reggaeton comes from combining the English term reggae with the suffix -ón, used in the Spanish language to describe something big. The most popular artists for example, Daddy Yankee, Don Omar, and Tito El Bambino, come from Puerto Rico.
         Reggaeton mixes musical influences of Jamaican dancehall and Trinidadian soca with those of Latin America, such as salsa, bomba, Latin American hip hop, and electronica. Vocals typically consist of rapping and singing, usually in Spanish. Lyrics tend to contain hip hop themes like urban or ghetto life and stories. Reggaeton has its own beat and rhythm. Before reggaeton was called reggaeton it was known as "Spanish Reggae". Reggaeton includes a lot of violence and gang associations with the music, which often gave a negative attention to the music. The artist from this genre, like to add gang related lyrics because most of them express what their life if like through this art form.
        Reggae arrived in Panama and Puerto Rico where it later turned into their own kind of music known as Reggaeton. Panama was the first country to introduce Reggae in Spanish. The music made its way to Central America and continued getting better, later making its way to Puerto Rico where it turned into Reggaeton. It started as an adaptation of Jamaican Reggae to the Spanish language and culture in Panama and Puerto Rico. People in Central and South America listen to Reggaeton more than any other type of music.
       It is a great genre of music that expresses a lot. Reggaeton is very similar to rap in Spanish. Not only does it included many different artist from the Latin American but it is spread throughout those countries making it very popular. If one is to listen to this kind of music, they have to be sure that they are not expecting it to be concervitive.

Flamenco

Flamenco is a type of Spanish folk music and dance from the region Andalusia in southern Spain. Flamenco includes singing, dancing, guitar playing, and handclaps. It is often associated with the Romani people of Spain. A large number of famous flamenco artist are from this ethnicity.  The Gipsy Kings, Paco de Lucia, and Estrella Morente, are some famous Flamenco artist. In the past couple of  years flamenco has become popular all over the world. It's taught in many countries. For example, in Japan there are more flamenco schools than there are in Spain. Flamenco occurs in four main settings: juerge is informal, tablaos are establishments, the professional concert is the most formal, and the theatrical presentation.

Flamenco is so much more than just the music. It's an art form that also includes dance / guitar playing. Also the dance isn't just one type is dancing not one type of guitar playing. The music isn’t just the voice thats important the guitar is equally important. There are vig ferati of Flamenco artist that do all different things. Flamenco music has its own Harmony called ‘Flamenco Harmony.’ In addition to the major and minor scales commonly used in modern western music, not just Flamenco. The Flamenco dance is the most important part of the Flamenco art form. Certains dances were performed for example weddings and celebrations in Spain was considered the most "authentic" form of flamenco. 

Tango

Tango is one of Buenos Aires's and Argentina's greatest aspects of tradition. Tango has a system of dance that contributes to the music, meaning that it's tune goes with a special dance. The biggest contributors to the music are the singer/songwriters and dancers. Tango originated in the European immigrant populations of Argentina and Uruguay. Tango music, is almost always instrumental, but sometimes singing is incorporated. In the instrumental part of the music, there are multiple different instruments used, to make the unique sounds of the songs. In Argentina, tango is a huge part of life for the people. The music was printed as early as 1823 in Havana, Cuba. The "Golden Age" for Tango music in the United States was between 1935-1952. In this age Tango was performed by many orchestras or big groups of people playing instruments.

Carlos Gardel is by far one of the most famous tango musicians, his voice within his songs became one of the most popular sounds of tango. He was the main voice of Argentina when he was alive, but sadly passed away in 1935. Astor Piazolla was one of the artists who changed tango in his own way. He helped introduce tango to the American crowd by adding his jazz music into it. Azucena Maizana was one of the most influential and known women in the tango industry. She sang her music introducing it to the world by traveling the world to as far as New York City. Many other musicians showed their interpretations of tango around the world, like Horacio Ferrer, Carlos Saura, and many others.

The dancing of Tango is some of the most important part of the music. The dance was also originated in South America, and was first just performed by women. But once it was spread to Argentina the dance adapted into being performed by usually by a man and a woman, and within their movements they show romance and intimacy. The purpose of the dance is to find a connection with the music and to move your body of the flow of the rhythm.

Ye Ye Music

Yé-Yé music is a genre of music popular in the 1960s in France, Italy and
Spain. The term "Yé Yé" means "Yeah! Yeah!" Which was inspired by the
Beatles who were very popular at this time. This type of music was
inspired by American "rock and roll" yet it has a French twist on it.
The yé-yé music movement had its origins on "Salut Les Copains", a
popular radio show during that time. This radio show was known as the
"starting point" for most Yé-Yé singers.
Yé-Yé music mostly always featured a "Yé-Yé girl" who usually were young
female singers. A few popular female Yé-Yé singers are France Galle,
only 16 when she released her first album, 17 when she won the
Eurovision song contest , Sylvie Vartan, Annie Philippe and Clothilde.
The Yé-Yé music movement was known for girl groups. A few popular male
artists are Johnny Hallyday and Richard Anthony.
In Spain, yé-yé music was at first considered to be against Catholicism.
However, this did not stop the yé-yé culture from spreading, although a
bit later than in the rest of Europe.
Originally, it had started off as teenager girls singing French translations of
American songs, and a new girl got her 10 minutes of fame every week.
However, there was something special about Ye-Ye music. This kind of highly produced pop music was more catchy, fun and alluring which attracted English speaking people.
In the end many of the Ye-Ye’s ended up being one-hit wonders. The impact
they had on music scene was so influential, people  are still talking
about them to this day. This trend in music was not known much outside
of Europe, until recent films by Quentin Tarantino, Wes Anderson, and
the popular American TV show Mad Men have  featured Ye-Ye songs and a new interest struck up in the sound. The
 sound that this group of young French girls was made so influential
that it changed french pop from being “campy” to more rebellious which

influenced future female singers.



Listen here to a few classic Ye-Ye artists and songs: http://8tracks.com/explore/yeye

Mariachi Music

Mariachi is a type of Mexican folk music. It is a popular genre of music all around Mexico and the United States. When one refers to mariachi, it can mean the type of music or the musicians. Mariachis often perform at birthday parties, weddings or bars. They are also often hired to serenade a man or woman. The mariachi often play in groups consisting of a guitar player, violinist, a guitarrón mexicano player, someone who plays the guitarra de golpe, and a trumpet player. There are sometimes women who play in these bands, but is it a mostly male-dominated genre of music. When women are in the mariachi band, they often are the lead singer, but you will occasionally find a woman who plays an instrument. The bands wear matching charro outfits. The mariachi play only requested songs but tend to know hundreds. Most of Mariachi music is about love, death, betrayal, politics and revolutionary heroes.

Mariachi music started as a regional folk style called "Son Jaliscience" from the province of Jalisco, in the center west in Mexico. Son Jaliscience musicians only played string instruments. When people started to immigrate from rural towns to cities like Mexico City and Guadalajara, the Son Jaliscience musicians started adding brass instruments into the bands and made a change in their name from Son Jaliscience to Mariachi.

One popular mariachi band is Mariachi Vargas de Tecaitlán. The band formed in 1897 and has since changed every single member many times over. A popular mariachi singer is Vicente Fernandez, son of Alejandro Fernandez. One of my favorite songs by him is called "Estos Celos." The song is literally translated into "This Jealousy." It is about how he cannot bear to see this woman with another man. In the chorus, he says "ay ay amor, ay ay que dolor", translating to "ay love, ay what a pain", showing that it hurts him to see her with someone else. This is a good example of what type of songs are incorporated in the style of music. Another good example is a song called "Un Rinconcito en el Cielo." This means "A little corner of the sky." The song is about how he is trying to find a little corner of the sky for him and this girl to hide and to be united together forever. Mariachi is a really cool genre of music and I recommend it to anyone who loves Spanish music!

Mariachi has had a huge influence on Mexican music since its beginning. Although mariachi is typically played in groups, many famous mexican singers have branched off to just sing solo, but have kept mariachi in the background. Today, mariachi music has influenced many amazing artists.

 

Mariachi Instruments

The instruments played in the Mariachi bands are super cool! One instrument that is confusing to people is the “guitarra de golpe.” This is a stringed instrument from Mexico. It has five nylon strings. During the 20th century, there was discussion on whether to use the guitarra de golpe and it was eventually replaced by the classical guitar. However, the guitarra de golpe is still very important in the mariachi music. Another confusing instrument is the guitarron. This is a large, deep-bodied six string acoustic bass that is the principal rhythm instrument in mariachi groups.

Noche De Paz

               Fifth Harmony is an American girl group created on the second season of The X Factor. The group is made up of 5 members: Ally Brooke Hernandez, Normani Hamilton, Dinah Jane Hansen, Camila Cabello, and Lauren Jauregui. After The X Factor they signed a joint deal with Syco Music which is owned by Simon Cowell. They don't just sing in English they also sing in Spanish. Here is the song Noche De Paz, which is a spanish Chirstmas song. It's a beautiful uplifting and magical song that brings joy to the holidays. Happy Holidays Everyone!