Explanation of Son

[peachexploration]

Son, one of the earliest Cuban music forms.

Most music historians agree that the Cuban son is the backbone for contemporary salsa and was probably the most popular dance music genre to emerge from Cuba during the early 20th century. Son developed in the late 1800’s in the mountainous Oriente province, located in the eastern regions of Cuba. Son began as an Afro-Cuban popular dance of the rural working classes and was performed with percussion alone. Son is believed to be the first musical genre to use drums played with bare hands. Music historian Vernon Boggs notes that Son possesses numerous African musical influences including syncopated rhythms and melodic line that had no connection to the underlying percussion.

You can hear a wonderful example of the slow country style of son in the song “Chan Chan”, a recent composition of Cuban music legend, Compay Segundo. The song explores the enduring love and passion of a Cuban peasant couple.

Son, the dance, starts with a very formal, closed embrace of the man and woman. The couple maintains a very upright frame, with quick flirtatious side to side movements of the shoulders, torso and hips accenting the underlying six count rhythm of the feet . Since son is danced off the beat (a.k.a “contratempo”) the couple moves on the half beat before one. So leader moves left and holds on the “and-one” beat , moves right on the “two” beat and left on the “three” beat. This results in a slow-quick-quick, slow-quick-quick rhythmic pattern. Salsa dancers will recognize that this style is the exact opposite of the quick-quick-slow rhythmic pattern work of modern day salsa.

Sources:
Rebecca Mauleon, The Salsa Guidebook
F. Figueroa, Encyclopedia of Latin American Music
Vernon Boggs, Salsiology
P. Manuel, Popular Music of the Non-Western World

[peachexploration]

Any other musical artist come to mind?

[peachexploration]

This is a great video clip for dance and music as it relates to Son. Enjoy!
Demonstration of Son (http://www.salsaroots.com/videos/SON2.MOV)

[la celia]

Thanks for the video Peach!!! ;)

The most important cuban group,that played Son are "El Sexteto Habanero" and " Del Septeto Nacional de Ignacio Piñeiro" with "Échale salsita".
Another big artist is Arsenio Rodríguez and his Orchestra!!!! :D

[hopelessly_addicted]

This is a great video clip for dance and music as it relates to Son. Enjoy!
Demonstration of Son (http://www.salsaroots.com/videos/SON2.MOV)

Thanks so much Peache! I've been wondering about Son, the music and the dance for a while - so much easier to have a feel of it when you can see and listen!! I've just had a dance the way they do in the clip and it was so much fun! :D The song in the clip is often played by our local bands here but the flavour seems quite different..

Btw, the excessive movement in the shoulder, is that a cuban thing? There's this cuban guy that I dance quite often and he dance exactly the way they do in the clip with the same patterns!

[peachexploration]

....Btw, the excessive movement in the shoulder, is that a cuban thing? There's this cuban guy that I dance quite often and he dance exactly the way they do in the clip with the same patterns!

Hmm, I'm not really sure. I think it's more of the nature of the dance. I haven't see it so much in the other styles from Cuba. Anyone no for sure? :)

[Guarachero]

Peach-

I think that we can adjust the record. Eloy Cepero, musicologist, said in an interview that the first signs of Son appeared in 1582, by a Quartet made of Pedro Almanza, Pascual de Ochóa and the sisters Teodora and Micaela de la Mateodora. Bein La Mateodora the earliest known Son in Cuba. It's inferable that there was Son Montuno before Son, if we must accept that by that time there were not much cities.

[peachexploration]

Peach-

I think that we can adjust the record. Eloy Cepero, musicologist, said in an interview that the first signs of Son appeared in 1582, by a Quartet made of Pedro Almanza, Pascual de Ochóa and the sisters Teodora and Micaela de la Mateodora. Bein La Mateodora the earliest known Son in Cuba. It's inferable that there was Son Montuno before Son, if we must accept that by that time there were not much cities.

The earliest form of Son (1500s) was called Changui which is a rapid form of Son, according to many, many Cuban Musical Historians. Son Montuno did not development until around 1930 by Arsenio Rodriguez particularly because is was responsible for changing the basic instrumentation. He added piano and conga and the idea of instrumental solos in Son. Hence, the montuno section.

[Guarachero]

Well, Peach, those Cubans are fooling you real bad. I'm sorry, my friend. And I am also ashamed that other Cubans may not want you to have a correct information :oops: Changüí is a more recent rhythm than Son. It's probably from 30s and heard till late 50s.

I, too, read articles in the web by many people who become authority on Salsa as soon as they learn to do some footwork :?

If the Son of "La Mateodora" was by and with the Mateodora sisters, :) and they were of the late 1500s, it's only logical for me to accept that information. :lol:

Peach, you can accept what you feel, but that information you got from those Cubans is not true. Invite them to go and do that story in front of an educated Cuban group.

[peachexploration]

Peach, you can accept what you feel, but that information you got from those Cubans is not true. Invite them to go and do that story in front of an educated Cuban group.

Sorry, they ARE an educated group. :? They have been studying music all their lives. And since they ARE an authority, I will take their word for it. If you feel ashamed, I'm sorry to hear that. In this case, the Educated Majority outweighs the Minority view.

It's obvious that we disagree on this subject, lets move on.

Back to original question:
Any other musical artist come to mind as it relates to Son?

[Guarachero]

Peach, you can accept what you feel, but that information you got from those Cubans is not true. Invite them to go and do that story in front of an educated Cuban group.

Sorry, they ARE an educated group. :? They have been studying music all their lives. And since they ARE an authority, I will take their word for it. If you feel ashamed, I'm sorry to hear that. In this case, the Educated Majority outweighs the Minority view.

It's obvious that we disagree on this subject, lets move on.

Back to original question:
Any other musical artist come to mind as it relates to Son?

Yes, Peach, we'll move on. But that is a misinformation, and so far the only accurate information about Cuban music is produced in Cuba, not at the University of Miami, Michigan or what have you.

[peachexploration]

...Yes, Peach, we'll move on. But that is a misinformation, and so far the only accurate information about Cuban music is produced in Cuba, not at the University of Miami, Michigan or what have you.It is best that you not make assumptions or attacks by any means in regards to ANYONE's background. Education or otherwise. :?

Again, back to original question:
Any other musical artist come to mind as it relates to Son?

[jhb]

...Yes, Peach, we'll move on. But that is a misinformation, and so far the only accurate information about Cuban music is produced in Cuba, not at the University of Miami, Michigan or what have you.It is best that you not make assumptions or attacks by any means in regards to ANYONE's background. Education or otherwise. :?

Again, back to original question:
Any other musical artist come to mind as it relates to Son?

Peach, you are totally correct. Changui is an early form of son, and your description of the son montuno's arrival is bang on.

Guillermo Potables, Ibrahim Ferrer, the Septeto Habanero and Septeto Nacional are some other ones to keep a lookout for.

[Fred]

Music doesn't know what it is until it's dead :cry:

[Hugo Leite]

Hello everybody!

I have a doubt related to Són Cubano.
With the development of the Són also emerge similar forms of this genre of music.

Are this forms of Són Cubano accurate or am I saying something wrong?

El Son Montuno
La Guaracha Son
El Ñongo
El Changüí
El Son Guaguanco
La Guajira Son

Thank you for your help.

Another thing!

Could you show me a photo of this instruments: Botija and Marímbula.

Thank very much! ;)

[peachexploration]

...Are this forms of Són Cubano accurate or am I saying something wrong?

El Son Montuno
La Guaracha Son
El Ñongo
El Changüí
El Son Guaguanco
La Guajira Son
.....
Yes, this is correct. For further reference, check the following sites:

mipais.cuba.cu/ingles/cultura.php?subcat=28
baratbuenavista.com/babv05/bv_fun/bv_music%201.htm

.....Could you show me a photo of this instruments: Botija and Marímbula.

Thank very much! ;)
Marimbula
http://worldmusiccentral.org/staticpages/images/Kotz-Marimbula-wmp.jpg

Botija
http://www.musica.cult.cu/instrumentos/instrumentos/aero/tim.jpg

[Hugo Leite]

Thank you very much for your help Peachexploration!

:D

[looyenyeo]

Try the music of the late Eligio Revé. I understand his son Eligio Revé Jr. is carrying on the tradition.

[peachexploration]

Hi Loo! So wonderful to "see" you! :D

[DeeplyDippy]

I was really enjoying my Son lessons ...

until the teacher went and slept with one of the students :oops:

His wife wasn't best pleased and he's banned from our city :(

[sarita1011]

Oh my!

[peachexploration]

I was really enjoying my Son lessons ...(

DD, any artist's music that you studied while at your lessons? How long did you take lessons?

[sarita1011]

hopelessly_addicted wrote:
....Btw, the excessive movement in the shoulder, is that a cuban thing? There's this cuban guy that I dance quite often and he dance exactly the way they do in the clip with the same patterns!

hopelessly_addicted, I do believe that the shoulder movement is a Cuban thing. When I was in Cuba earlier this year, I went to party. A guy that I danced with told me that I should move my shoulders more. A female Cuban friend of mine told me the same thing during my first trip.

Here's a demonstration clip of casino: http://www.corsidisalsa.com/salsadancedemo.wmv