Honors 240: American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music
An Exploration into a Culture and the Evolution of its Music
After my cultural immersion during the Honors in Rome study abroad program in Italy, I wanted to continue exploring other cultures, or at least aspects of other cultures. This course on Latin music and the evolution of Latin (and American) music, taught by Professor Marisol Berríos-Miranda, was the perfect class as it contained both culture and music.
The evolution of Latin (and American) music and resulting diverse genres of Latin (and American) music was possible through the contributions of Latino artists. Learning about the personal lives of these musicians allowed me to gain a better understanding of Latin culture. One thing that particularly stood out to me is the cultural emphasis on community, something that doesn't exist in our individualistic society.
One aspect of the course was studying the evolution of Latin music in different time periods of the 20th century in different places of the United States. The most interesting Latin music genres were Latin rock and salsa. Latin rock was developed during the rock 'n' craze of the 1960s primarily in east Los Angeles by Chicano musicians who were influenced by the music of two worlds: traditional Latin music and the innovative "American" rock 'n' roll. One of the most famous single of the genre is La Bamba by Ritchie Valens (interestingly enough, Valens took the traditional Veracruz La Bamba and added some guitar riffs to give the song its modern sound but the similarities between the two versions of the song is remarkable; also, Valen's La Bamba would go on to influence the Beatle's Twist and Shout, just listen to the opening guitar chords in both songs). Salsa was developed during around the 1970s primarily in New York by Nuoryicans (Puerto Ricans born in New York) and was heavily influenced by previous Latin music styles, such as the cha cha cha.
Another aspect of the class was listening to Latin music, which was a throughly enjoyable experience. Below are some of my favorite singles that I heard from the class:
La Bamba by Ritchie Valens
Quimbara by Celia Cruz
Conga by Gloria Estefan
Conmiga by Eddie Palmieri
On a somewhat related note, I would recommend listening to Beethoven in Havanna (YouTube video below). It combines Beethoven's 7th Symphony with salsa and the song (traditional Cuban music genre).
The evolution of Latin (and American) music and resulting diverse genres of Latin (and American) music was possible through the contributions of Latino artists. Learning about the personal lives of these musicians allowed me to gain a better understanding of Latin culture. One thing that particularly stood out to me is the cultural emphasis on community, something that doesn't exist in our individualistic society.
One aspect of the course was studying the evolution of Latin music in different time periods of the 20th century in different places of the United States. The most interesting Latin music genres were Latin rock and salsa. Latin rock was developed during the rock 'n' craze of the 1960s primarily in east Los Angeles by Chicano musicians who were influenced by the music of two worlds: traditional Latin music and the innovative "American" rock 'n' roll. One of the most famous single of the genre is La Bamba by Ritchie Valens (interestingly enough, Valens took the traditional Veracruz La Bamba and added some guitar riffs to give the song its modern sound but the similarities between the two versions of the song is remarkable; also, Valen's La Bamba would go on to influence the Beatle's Twist and Shout, just listen to the opening guitar chords in both songs). Salsa was developed during around the 1970s primarily in New York by Nuoryicans (Puerto Ricans born in New York) and was heavily influenced by previous Latin music styles, such as the cha cha cha.
Another aspect of the class was listening to Latin music, which was a throughly enjoyable experience. Below are some of my favorite singles that I heard from the class:
La Bamba by Ritchie Valens
Quimbara by Celia Cruz
Conga by Gloria Estefan
Conmiga by Eddie Palmieri
On a somewhat related note, I would recommend listening to Beethoven in Havanna (YouTube video below). It combines Beethoven's 7th Symphony with salsa and the song (traditional Cuban music genre).