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Guaracha
The guaracha (Spanish pronunciation: [ɡwaˈɾatʃa]) is a genre of music that originated in Cuba, of rapid tempo and comic or picaresque lyrics. The word has been used in this sense at least since the late 18th and early 19th century. Guarachas were played and sung in musical theatres and in working-class dance salons. They became an integral part of bufo comic theatre in the mid-19th century. During the later 19th and the early 20th century the guaracha was a favourite musical form in the brothels of Havana. The guaracha survives today in the repertoires of some trova musicians, conjuntos and Cuban-style big bands.
The accompaniment of Guaracha was done with the guitar and the tres, sung by traditional Cuban folk singers of songs such as boleros. Guaracha has a more upbeat air to it and a rhythm that is akin to that of tango. For this reason, Guaracha was seen as a more picaresque or satirical expression while the song, on the contrary, as lyrical expression, though it can definitely be defined as song. This means that it does not possess a rhythm of its own and follows the same guidelines of tango. Modern Guaracha starts with an initial lyrical development and then continues with a more traditional formula of an inspirational chorus. The development of this formula, which occurred with Cuban Son as well, brought it closer to Cuban music.
Though the word may be historically of Spanish origin, its use in this context pertains strictly to the scope of Cuban music. These are excerpts from reference sources, in date order: A Latin American carol "Convidando está la noche" dates from at least the mid 17th century and both mentions and is a guaracha. It was composed or collected by Juan Garcia de Cespedes (1620–1678) in Puebla, Mexico. This is a typical Spanish guaracha, a musical style that was popular in Caribbean colonies. The lyrics say: "Happily celebrating, some lovely shepherds sing the new style of juguetes for a guaracha. In this guaracha we celebrate while the baby boy is lost in dreams. Play and dance because we have fire in the ice and ice in the fire."
The Gazeta de Barcelona has a number of advertisements for music that mention the guaracha. The earliest mention in this source is #64, dated 11 August 1789, where there is an entry that reads "...otra del Sr. Brito, Portugues: el fandango, la guaracha y seis contradanzas, todo en cifra para guitarra...". A later entry #83, 15 October 1796, refers to a "...guaracha intitulada Tarántula...".
All of these comments make reference to the genre of Guaracha music, but whether they are of the same type is not quite clear. The usage of the word guaracha is rather vast, implying on occasion "to have a good time". A different sense of the word includes "joke" or "to have fun". Other definitions include:
On January 20, 1801, Buenaventura Pascual Ferrer published a note in a newspaper called "El Regañón de La Habana", in which he refers to certain chants that "run outside there through vulgar voices". Between them he mentioned a "guaracha" named "La Guabina", about which he says: "in the voice of those that sings it, tastes like any thing dirty, indecent or disgusting that you can think about…" At a later time, in an undetermined date, "La Guabina" appears published among the first musical scores printed in Havana at the beginning of the 19th century.
According to the commentaries published in "El Regañón de La Habana", we can conclude that those "guarachas" were very popular within the Havana population at that time, because in the same previously mentioned article the author says: "…but most importantly, what bothers me most is the liberty with which a number of chants are sung throughout the streets and town homes, where innocence is insulted and morals offended… by many individuals, not just of the lowest class, but also by some people that are supposed to be called well educated…". Therefore, we can say that those "guarachas" of a very audacious content, were apparently already sung within a wide social sector of the Havana population.
Buenaventura Pascual Ferrer mentions also that at the beginning of the 19th century up to fifty dance parties were held in Havana every day, where the famous "Guaracha" was sung and danced among other popular pieces.
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Guaracha
The guaracha (Spanish pronunciation: [ɡwaˈɾatʃa]) is a genre of music that originated in Cuba, of rapid tempo and comic or picaresque lyrics. The word has been used in this sense at least since the late 18th and early 19th century. Guarachas were played and sung in musical theatres and in working-class dance salons. They became an integral part of bufo comic theatre in the mid-19th century. During the later 19th and the early 20th century the guaracha was a favourite musical form in the brothels of Havana. The guaracha survives today in the repertoires of some trova musicians, conjuntos and Cuban-style big bands.
The accompaniment of Guaracha was done with the guitar and the tres, sung by traditional Cuban folk singers of songs such as boleros. Guaracha has a more upbeat air to it and a rhythm that is akin to that of tango. For this reason, Guaracha was seen as a more picaresque or satirical expression while the song, on the contrary, as lyrical expression, though it can definitely be defined as song. This means that it does not possess a rhythm of its own and follows the same guidelines of tango. Modern Guaracha starts with an initial lyrical development and then continues with a more traditional formula of an inspirational chorus. The development of this formula, which occurred with Cuban Son as well, brought it closer to Cuban music.
Though the word may be historically of Spanish origin, its use in this context pertains strictly to the scope of Cuban music. These are excerpts from reference sources, in date order: A Latin American carol "Convidando está la noche" dates from at least the mid 17th century and both mentions and is a guaracha. It was composed or collected by Juan Garcia de Cespedes (1620–1678) in Puebla, Mexico. This is a typical Spanish guaracha, a musical style that was popular in Caribbean colonies. The lyrics say: "Happily celebrating, some lovely shepherds sing the new style of juguetes for a guaracha. In this guaracha we celebrate while the baby boy is lost in dreams. Play and dance because we have fire in the ice and ice in the fire."
The Gazeta de Barcelona has a number of advertisements for music that mention the guaracha. The earliest mention in this source is #64, dated 11 August 1789, where there is an entry that reads "...otra del Sr. Brito, Portugues: el fandango, la guaracha y seis contradanzas, todo en cifra para guitarra...". A later entry #83, 15 October 1796, refers to a "...guaracha intitulada Tarántula...".
All of these comments make reference to the genre of Guaracha music, but whether they are of the same type is not quite clear. The usage of the word guaracha is rather vast, implying on occasion "to have a good time". A different sense of the word includes "joke" or "to have fun". Other definitions include:
On January 20, 1801, Buenaventura Pascual Ferrer published a note in a newspaper called "El Regañón de La Habana", in which he refers to certain chants that "run outside there through vulgar voices". Between them he mentioned a "guaracha" named "La Guabina", about which he says: "in the voice of those that sings it, tastes like any thing dirty, indecent or disgusting that you can think about…" At a later time, in an undetermined date, "La Guabina" appears published among the first musical scores printed in Havana at the beginning of the 19th century.
According to the commentaries published in "El Regañón de La Habana", we can conclude that those "guarachas" were very popular within the Havana population at that time, because in the same previously mentioned article the author says: "…but most importantly, what bothers me most is the liberty with which a number of chants are sung throughout the streets and town homes, where innocence is insulted and morals offended… by many individuals, not just of the lowest class, but also by some people that are supposed to be called well educated…". Therefore, we can say that those "guarachas" of a very audacious content, were apparently already sung within a wide social sector of the Havana population.
Buenaventura Pascual Ferrer mentions also that at the beginning of the 19th century up to fifty dance parties were held in Havana every day, where the famous "Guaracha" was sung and danced among other popular pieces.