Coro-pregón (or coro-guía, coro-inspiración) in
Afro-Cuban
Afro-Cubans or Black Cubans are Cubans of West African ancestry. The term ''Afro-Cuban'' can also refer to historical or cultural elements in Cuba thought to emanate from this community and the combining of native African and other cultural el ...
music and other
Afro-Latin Latin music
Latin music ( Portuguese and es, música latina) is a term used by the music industry as a catch-all category for various styles of music from Ibero-America (including Spain and Portugal) and the Latino United States inspired by Latin Amer ...
(mainly from the
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...
), most of all
salsa
Salsa most often refers to:
* Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments
* Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music
* Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music
Salsa or SALSA may also refer to:
...
, but also in some non-Cuban genres like
merengue and
bachata, refers to a
call and response
Call and response is a form of interaction between a speaker and an audience in which the speaker's statements ("calls") are punctuated by responses from the listeners. This form is also used in music, where it falls under the general category of ...
section between the lead singer and the ''coro'' (chorus). It is found in most Cuban genres, for example
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 ...
and
son montuno
Son montuno is a subgenre of son cubano developed by Arsenio Rodríguez in the 1940s. Although ''son montuno'' ("mountain sound") had previously referred to the ''sones'' played in the mountains of eastern Cuba, Arsenio repurposed the term to de ...
,
rumba
The term rumba may refer to a variety of unrelated music styles. Originally, "rumba" was used as a synonym for "party" in northern Cuba, and by the late 19th century it was used to denote the complex of secular music styles known as Cuban rumba. ...
,
cha-cha-chá,
timba
Timba is a Cuban genre of music based on Cuban ''son'' with ''salsa'', American
Funk/R&B and the strong influence of Afro-Cuban folkloric music. Timba rhythm sections differ from their salsa counterparts, because timba emphasizes the bass dru ...
, and many more.
Origins
The practice of call and response singing probably stems from traditional
African music and was brought to
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
by slaves. It can still be found in its ancient form in Cuban religious music.
Vocal improvisations are also based on market vendors' chants, called pregón.
Pregón
The lead singer usually
improvise
Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...
s both melody and lyrics (although most singers have some standard lines which they use quite frequently). This is called guía or pregón. The term pregón also refers to a vocal improvisation without coro, and a genre in which such vocal improvisation is very important.
The main language for guías is Spanish, but other languages like
Bantú,
Dahome,
Lukumí and
Congolese are sometimes featured as well, either for complete guías or as single words within a Spanish guía. In timba music, English and
Spanglish
Spanglish (a portmanteau of the words "Spanish" and "English") is any language variety (such as a contact dialect, hybrid language, pidgin, or creole language) that results from conversationally combining Spanish and English. The term is mos ...
are sometimes used as a special effect.
Many singers have a special word or phrase that they insert into their improvisation as a trademark. The most famous example is
Celia Cruz's "¡Azúcar!" ("Sugar!") or another being
Antony Santos
Antony Santos a.k.a. El Mayimbe, now Anthony Santos, (born 5 May 1967) is a Dominican musician and singer. He is one of the top-selling Bachata artists of all time. He is known as one of the pioneers of modern Bachata in the early 1990s with ...
' "¡El Mayimbe Otra Vez!".
In timba and other more recent styles, the pregón is sometimes replaced by a
rap
Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
section.
Coro
The coro has fixed melody and lyrics. These can change during a piece, though, and are often made up on-the-fly, but within one section, they are repeated unchanged. Coros are usually
homophonic
In music, homophony (;, Greek: ὁμόφωνος, ''homóphōnos'', from ὁμός, ''homós'', "same" and φωνή, ''phōnē'', "sound, tone") is a texture in which a primary part is supported by one or more additional strands that flesh ...
, but not necessarily in
unison
In music, unison is two or more musical parts that sound either the same pitch or pitches separated by intervals of one or more octaves, usually at the same time. ''Rhythmic unison'' is another term for homorhythm.
Definition
Unison or per ...
. Most coros feature two or three parts, rarely more, moving in parallel lines. The parts may or may not be doubled, according to the artist's preference and possibilities. Some genres like rumba prefer a more massive coro sound and double parts whenever possible, while other genres like
salsa dura Salsa dura, also known as salsa brava or salsa gorda, is a style of salsa music developed in the 1970s with an emphasis on the instrumental part of the music (piano, bass, horns, percussion, etc.) over the lead vocals. The genre originated in New Yo ...
prefer the clean sound of a small coro.
The lyrics are generally based on the theme of the song (called the son); frequently the coro resolves the tension built up in the theme, or gives a new twist to it. The coro can also be based on the main idea of the theme, or a part of the theme's lyrics.
Singing coro requires great accuracy, both rhythmically and harmonically. The coro singer's function in a band is more like an instrumentalist's than a singer's.
Function
Coro-pregón forms the framework of the
montuno
Montuno has several meanings pertaining to Cuban music and its derivatives. Literally, ''montuno'' means 'comes from the mountain', and so ''son montuno'' may refer to the older type of son played in the mountainous rural areas of Oriente. Anot ...
section in most of the genres using it. It alternates with
mambo
Mambo most often refers to:
* Mambo (music), a Cuban musical form
*Mambo (dance), a dance corresponding to mambo music
Mambo may also refer to:
Music
* Mambo section, a section in arrangements of some types of Afro-Caribbean music, particul ...
(also known as
moña) sections, instrumental solos,
percussion break
In popular music, a break is an instrumental or percussion section during a song derived from or related to stop-time – being a "break" from the main parts of the song or piece. A break is usually interpolated between sections of a song, to ...
s and, depending on genre, other sections. In traditional genres, changing the coro requires changing the mambo, and vv. A coro-pregón section traditionally starts and ends with a coro, although certain situations may require an exception. There are several ways of introducing the first coro-pregón section:
*Start directly from the theme. Often, the coro is the last line of the theme, and will introduce itself.
*Instrumental
estribillo or
break
Break or Breaks or The Break may refer to:
Time off from duties
* Recess (break), time in which a group of people is temporarily dismissed from its duties
* Break (work), time off during a shift/recess
** Coffee break, a short mid-morning res ...
. The theme ends with a short instrumental break or estribillo, which introduces the coro.
*Solo-coro. Instead of the lead singer, an instrumentalist (typically a
trumpet
The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...
ist) takes a few solos to get the montuno going. After that, the guías are enforced by adding the
campana
Campana (Italian and Spanish for "bell") may refer to:
Places
* Campana Partido, Argentina, a ''partido'' (administrative subdivision) in Buenos Aires Province
** Campana, Buenos Aires Province, a city in Campana Partido
* Campana Island, Capit ...
bell.
Some songs do not have a (vocal) theme but rather contain only coro-pregón. This form is often found in genres like
montuno
Montuno has several meanings pertaining to Cuban music and its derivatives. Literally, ''montuno'' means 'comes from the mountain', and so ''son montuno'' may refer to the older type of son played in the mountainous rural areas of Oriente. Anot ...
and
descarga
A descarga (literally ''discharge'' in Spanish) is an improvised jam session consisting of variations on Cuban music themes, primarily son montuno, but also guajira, bolero, guaracha and rumba. The genre is strongly influenced by jazz and it wa ...
. Similarly, the
danzón-chá (derived from
danzón
Danzón is the official musical genre and dance of Cuba.Urfé, Odilio 1965. ''El danzón''. La Habana. It is also an active musical form in Mexico and Puerto Rico.
Written in time, the danzón is a slow, formal partner dance, requiring se ...
often features an instrumental theme (the danzón), followed by a montuno section (the chá or
cha-cha-chá) with coro-pregón.
Timba
Timba is a Cuban genre of music based on Cuban ''son'' with ''salsa'', American
Funk/R&B and the strong influence of Afro-Cuban folkloric music. Timba rhythm sections differ from their salsa counterparts, because timba emphasizes the bass dru ...
music and other related genres also employ a breakdown of the
rhythm section while the Coro-pregón and the
piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...
continue. This effect is also called
timba
Timba is a Cuban genre of music based on Cuban ''son'' with ''salsa'', American
Funk/R&B and the strong influence of Afro-Cuban folkloric music. Timba rhythm sections differ from their salsa counterparts, because timba emphasizes the bass dru ...
, sometimes "presión".
References
*
Rebeca Mauleón (1993). ''Salsa Guidebook For Piano and Ensemble''. Petaluma: Sher Music Co.
*
Fernando Ortiz (1950). ''La africanía de la música folklórica cubana''. La Habana, Cuba.
*Fernando Ortiz (1974). ''La música afrocubana''. La Habana, Cuba: Ediciones Júcar.
External links
Glossary of latin music on ''descarga.com''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coro-pregon
Musical techniques