''Canción'' ("song") is a popular genre of
Latin American music
The music of Latin America refers to music originating from Latin America, namely the Romance-speaking regions of the Americas south of the United States. Latin American music also incorporates African music from enslaved African people who were ...
, particularly in
Cuba, where many of the compositions originate.
[Orovio, Helio 2004. ''Cuban music from A to Z''. p42] Its roots lie in Spanish popular song forms, including tiranas,
polos and
boleros; also in Italian light
operetta
Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs, and dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, length of the work, and at face value, subject matter. Apart from its s ...
, French
romanza
''Romanza'' is the first compilation album by Italian singer Andrea Bocelli, released internationally in 1997.
Although a compilation, ''Romanza'' is considered Bocelli's breakthrough album and remains his most commercially successful to date, ...
, and the slow waltz. Initially, even when written by the creole population of Cuba, who opposed the ruling hierarchy, the music retained its European style of "intricate melodies, and dark, enigmatic and elaborate lyrics".
Later, in the latter part of the nineteenth century, the canción came under the influence of the
trova
''Trova'' is a style of Cuban popular music originating in the 19th century. Trova was created by itinerant musicians known as ''trovadores'' who travelled around Cuba's Oriente province, especially Santiago de Cuba, and earned their living by s ...
dor movement. This resulted in the lyrical expression of the feelings and aspirations of the population. The accompaniment of the guitar followed naturally, and the canción gradually fused with other forms of Cuban (and therefore Latin American) music such as the bolero.
[Leon, Argeliers 1964. ''Musica folklorica cubana''. Biblioteca Nacional Jose Marti, La Habana. p185] As a distinguishing mark, though, the canción never has the full-blooded Afro-Cuban percussion which marks so much Cuban popular music.
"Canción" means ''
song'' in
Spanish. In the
Renaissance, the term was often used interchangeably with
cantiga,
cantar, canson, and sometimes
villancico; it was related to the
chanson of the Franco-Flemish school. Canción was the least specific term to cover all the popular, secular styles of vocal music of Spain at the time. In Spanish-language concerts and recordings, when the title of a particular song does not belong to a danceable genre (such as
son
A son is a male offspring; a boy or a man in relation to his parents. The female counterpart is a daughter. From a biological perspective, a son constitutes a first degree relative.
Social issues
In pre-industrial societies and some current c ...
in
Cuba, or
chacarera
The Chacarera is a dance and music that originated in Santiago del Estero, Argentina. It is a genre of folk music that, for many Argentines, serves as a rural counterpart to the cosmopolitan imagery of the Tango. A dance form played by contemporar ...
in
Argentina, its genre is mentioned as "canción".
See also
*
Music of Cuba
*
Nueva canción
Nueva canción (European , ; 'new song') is a left-wing social movement and musical genre in Latin America and the Iberian peninsula, characterized by folk-inspired styles and socially committed lyrics. ''Nueva canción'' is widely recognized to ...
("new song"), a
Latin American movement of the 1960s
References
19th-century music genres
Latin American styles of music
Cuban styles of music
Song forms
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