Music of Latin America
“¡Viva México!”
In This Unit, We Will…
 Explore the geography of areas with Latin American music
 Explore the instruments used in Latin American music
 Listen to music from different Latin American cultures,
populations, and religious groups
 Sing songs from Mexico and other Latino regions
“What Will I Be Doing?”
You will be doing three different things…
#1: Creating connections between content areas – Geography,
History, Art, Technology, and Music
#2: Listening to new music that you may never have heard
before
#3: Learning melodies, harmonies, and rhythms from different
cultures
Geography
 Latin America includes…
 South America and those parts of the Americas
colonized by the Spanish and the Portuguese
 Mexico
 Central America
 The Caribbean
 Brazil
 Argentina
 Chile
Languages Spoken
 Spanish is the “principal language”
 Portuguese
 Native American
languages
 European
languages
Over 420 languages!
Religions
 Roman Catholic
Christianity is the majority
 Protestant
 “Indigenous Rituals”
 Argentina = Jews, Muslims
Characteristics of
Latin American Music
European influences
Indigenous People
Of Bolivia
African influences
Characteristics of
Latin American Music
 HARMONY: Took folk melodies and popular music and
adopted European harmonies, like guitar strumming
 Parallel Thirds: Singers and instrumentalists added a
second melody two scale steps away
 Distinct Dance Rhythms: Music they can dance to!
Left – Tango
Right – Rumba
Harmony
 Took folk melodies and popular music and adopted European
harmonies, like guitar strumming
 Lots of ORNIMATION (extra little decorative notes)
 Instrumentalists alternate between chords and rhythmic
phrases (example: strum, strum, pick, pick, pick, strum,
strum)
 Spoke of their culture in their songs (folk)
“Sisquistrí”
 Solo harp, six-course Spanish guitar, lead singer and chorus
 TRANSLATION:
“All the little flowers with the captivating faces,
We dedicate this beautiful verse to you
From these poor singers.
I have a nice wish to tell you the truth…
Because when I see you, you turn your head away
If you do it because I am ugly, complain to my
mother!
No woman is ugly when she dresses and she
dances and the dance platform sways this way in
our land!”
Parallel Thirds
 Singers and instrumentalists add a second melody two scale
steps away
 “Escualo”
 Solo violin,
cello strumming
the parallel third,
light percussion
Distinct Dance Rhythms
 Music they can dance to!
 African drumming had a BIG influence on Latin
American culture
 Dances were used in everyday life in Africa and mixed
well with their celebratory use in South American
culture
 Tango Dancing Competion
 Adele "Someone Like You" Rumba Dance Competition
Other Types of Music
Samba –Originated from the “Brazilian Carnival,”
translates to mean “dance circle.”
Carmen Miranda – Famous Brazilian actress
Bossa Nova – Derived from the Samba, more harmonic
and less percussive
Latin American Instruments
 INDIGENOUS INSTRUMENTS: Wooden flutes,
drums, and rattles
 EUROPEAN INSTRUMENTS: Chordophone (guitar),
harp, trumpet, clarinet, accordion, and saxophone
 AFRICAN INSTRUMENTS: Idiophone (bells), many
types of drums (conga, bongos, claves, timbales), and the
marimba
Indigenous Instruments
 Wooden flutes, drums, and rattles
 South American Tribal Flute
 South American Street Performers
European Instruments
 Chordophone (guitar), harp, trumpet, clarinet, accordion, and
saxophone
African Instruments
 The Marimba
 Super Mario Bros Theme
 Hedwig's Theme
A Short Presentation
 Anthony Ybarra
Presentation at the University of California Santa Barbara
African American Rhythms in Latin American Music
(26.34 minutes)