Essay Example on Latino and Hispanic Americans: A Diverse Group in America

Introduction

Latino Americans and Hispanic Americans are some of the diverse groups in America who descended from Latin America and Spain respectively. They generally belong to the American groups who speak the Spanish language natively. These Americans are associated with a specific form of culture, which has attracted the attention of many people hence currently studied in the literature. They constitute a significant portion of the racial group in Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico occurs as an unincorporated territory of the United States and a Caribbean island. According to Abadia-Rexach (32), the diversity of the races in the region occurred because of the war between America and Spain when it was later declared an American protectorate with limited independence. The culture of the Latino manifests in a number of ways one of which is through their music. There is associated with an era, which traces back beyond the salsa industry. This paper examines the cultural perspectives of the group and applying the framework and ideas, which significantly feature their unique music as expressed in New York.

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Puerto Rican Music

The twentieth century has seen cultural identity among the Latino of Puerto Rico growing to a significant issue of concern-raising considerable controversy. Their music has led to considerable linguistic and ethical homogeneity, which has further provoked some substantial changes in the political consciousness in Puerto Rico as well as New York (Padilla 36). Music has been one of the most aspects of the identity of the group. This was made possible when Puerto Rico gains independence and began to promote the issues of nationalism in which artists showed interests in coming up with music as significant literary work. Music has ever remained their dominant cultural identity especially in the form of literature. However much Spain tried to suppress their culture; they insisted on it as a way of establishing and ensuring cultural identity.

Classical Music in Puerto Rico

The development of music in Spain and America has been a long journey to achieve the current situation among the Latino and the Hispanics in Puerto Rico. The original form of music in these regions was religious and chants which existed when the Americans were experiencing conversion to Christianity. A significant change occurred when a good number of Puerto Ricans emerged and showed interest in the development of the other cultural aspects of music. This worked better when the residents of Puerto applied more effort by nurturing their children to develop the skills of the cultural songs in them (Abadia-Rexach 38). This was achieved by identifying children who exhibited talents in the same and were sent to Spain where they would learn better and return on a later date to promote the activity in the region. These children would grow in great musicians who could compose songs. This helped to influence and inspires others, and the ultimate situation was a considerable spread of the aspects of the related music in Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico became a significant figure in the teaching about the song in the region and the place around. The artists from this part of the world developed a form of music known as the Danza, which was considerably appealing to lovers of music at the time, and a good number of people adopted it. However, the form of the dance had not developed much (Rivera-Rideau 35) Nevertheless, the Latino and the Hispanics in the region were well determined to learn more and come up with other related innovations. After some years, the given form of the dance into an advanced style in which considerable rhythms are incorporated, and this reflects the current situation in Puerto Rico.

The ability of the Latino and the Hispanics of Puerto Rico led to the emergence of other forms of traditions, which had significance in their society beyond. Besides, further developments in the cultural perspectives were meant to show their focus on compliance with the existing ethical contains of the community. An essential cultural art in this context was in the form of storytelling which was to ensure the continuity of the moral lessons. A specialist would compose and record an ethical story-telling session, which would later be referred to communicate the whole society.

Salsa

The use of music enabled them to gain cultural prominence primarily through the practice of salsa related music sound and moves. Salsa music has remained a favorite genre of dance music whose initial rise was in the 1960s in the New York and later adopted by the Latino of Puerto Rico who have made it a significant part of their unique cultural identity in the United States. Salsa emerged as a product of the convergence of the musical genres of the Cuban and the Puerto Rican culture (Ramirez-Sanchez 41). Besides, it also appeared because of the Jazz music whose elements were of significant impact to the development of the given form of music among the Latino/Hispanics of Puerto Rico. Using these concepts, advanced piano guajeos, arrangers, and the instrumental soloists have been increasingly incorporated in salsa music.

Their music has led to considerable linguistic and ethical homogeneity, which has further provoked some significant changes in the political consciousness in Puerto Rico as well as New York. Music has been one of the most aspects of the identity of the group. This was made possible when Puerto Rico gained independence and began to promote the issues of nationalism in which artists showed interests in coming up with music as significant literary work. Music has ever remained their dominant cultural identity especially in the form of literature. However much Spain tried to suppress their culture; they insisted on it as a way of establishing and ensuring cultural identity.

The use of music enabled them to gain cultural prominence primarily through the practice of salsa related music sound and moves. Salsa music has remained a favorite genre of dance music whose initial rise was in the 1960s in the New York and later adopted by the Latino of Puerto Rico who have made it a significant part of their unique cultural identity in the United States. The impact of the emergence and growth of the practice of salsa in the Puerto Rican region is still felt in modern America in which the Hispanics and the Latino practice it (Abadia-Rexach 38). Besides, it has also led to the emergence of other current approaches to music and dances which has of late made Puerto Rico be characterized by uplifting music.

It is also important to note that Puerto Rico is one of the few regions in which the first aspects of Salsa were practiced as a dominant form of music at the beginning of the twentieth century. The expression in America is also traced back to this time in History when the practice of the related music moved to New York. This further explains why the music eventually advanced and spread to most areas in America even though New York was the region, which showed the most significant interest in the associated genre. The culture of the Puerto Rican Latino has developed and managed the global domain since the whole world has begun to follows the unique perspectives involved. Other countries as well have their artists trying to adopt the music styles in this given region. It has been possible since the form of music has been considered an internal phenomenon.

Puerto Rican Folk Music

The Puerto Rican folk music evolved as a series of traditional cultural arts based on the romantic ballads during the 18th century -and 19th-century in Spain especially during the colonial period of America. The eventual phenomenon was the fusion of the aspects of the music of the new world of the Hispanics and those imported from other parts of the world ( Singer & Robert 7). The given form of music has long been used to address the critical issues of life and death and other daily events. Dealing with life, death, and everyday activities in which it has promoted the advancement, which finally enabled the achievement of the Agrarian society.

The music has a significant form of collector referred to as the Don Felo, which was composed in the 19-century based on the melodic traditions of Spain and the other Spanish speaking Puerto Ricans like the Hispanics. Further advancements were achieved in the 20th century when Narciso Figueroa played a role in the tradition through the collection of folk songs. This was also very important in re-orchestrating them for the chamber orchestras. The process involved unique and advanced, and it included the support from the great instates from the Puerto Rican organizations.

The current situation of the folk song music in Puerto Rico presents a significant advancement. In the contemporary Puerto Rican society, music is one of the most widely applauded types. Besides, it is the most enjoyed type of song in the region. The artists achieved this level of development in the folk songs by having special instruments, which were designed to produce quality music. Such devices have a full array of strings and percussion features, and they serve to provide significant lyrical performances whose recorded or live versions have gained popularity. Subsequently, they are of importance in guaranteeing celebration moods on occasions like weddings in Puerto Rico. They have managed to be some of the best inland songs in spite of the appeals presented by others like salsa.

Bomba y Plena

Bomba and Plena are two different forms of music even though they are typically grouped. They have related uses as they are applicable in the couple dance which justifies why they categorized together. The Latino adopted bomba and the Hispanic however, the origin has attached to the African who existed as slaves in the America and Spain. It occurs as rhythmic music accomplished through the use of barrel-shaped drums, which are covered with a tightly stretched animal skin and is played by the hand. The production of the music requires a set up of two drums; a larger one and a smaller one known as the subidor. The play of the drums is accomplished by another beating, and this occurs when the drummers bang the drums in a given form of pattern.

Bomba is just a rhythmic dialogue between the drummer and the dancer. It manifests as if there is a contest in which the mission of the drummer is to challenge the dancer in the event of a rhythmic duel. There is no correct or standard length of the song; this implies that it can go any long provided the dancer still has the willingness and energy to continue playing their role. While Bomba has some traces of other cultural practices in Africa, plena, on the other hand, is considerably associated with the extensive cultural backgrounds of the Puerto Ricans (Padilla 27). It managed to be the tradition and coquetry of the Spanish Culture. This further had a significant influence in Puerto Rico in which the Latino and the Hispanics have long since developed in having it as a way of expressing their identity.

Conclusion

Puerto has, for many years, existed as a point of cultural practices and is mostly promoted by the Latino and the Hispanics. The most important form of cultural practices is the unique music which they play and which has attracted the attention of a significant population of the world. The cultural perspectives emerged from different regions and developed various forms of art; as a result o the cultural convergence. The significance of their songs are still felt in today's society and has some level of presentation in New York and the outside world. The region has, therefore, gained a proper cultural significance, which is fast spreading to almost the whole world.

Works Cited

Abadia-Rexach, Barbara I. "The New Puerto Rican Bomba Movement". African And Black Diaspora: An International Journal, vol 9, no. 1, 2015, pp. 32-43. Informa UK Li...