Punto

Cuba · 1700s

Dancing Happy Sentimental Romantic Chill

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Description

Punto (often called punto cubano or punto guajiro) is a rural Cuban song tradition centered on improvised poetry sung to string accompaniment.

It features the décima espinela poetic form, where singers (repentistas) craft ten-line stanzas in real time, often in friendly duels called controversias.

Musically, it blends Iberian song practices with Cuban campesino aesthetics: bright strummed strings (notably the laúd cubano, guitar, and tres), steady danceable grooves, and a vocal delivery that can be both declamatory and lyrical.

Variants such as punto fijo and punto libre describe how tightly the accompaniment locks to a pulse, and regional styles (e.g., vueltabajero, camagüeyano) reflect local performance nuances.

The result is a living folk-poetic practice that is convivial, witty, and deeply tied to rural social life.

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Influenced by

Spanish Folk Music

Spanish folk music is the umbrella term for the traditional, regionally rooted musics of Spain, encompassing dance-songs, narrative ballads, ritual chants, and instrumental dance forms. It spans the Iberian Peninsula’s diverse cultures—Galician, Asturian, Castilian, Basque, Catalan, Aragonese, Valencian, Balearic, Andalusian, and others—each with its own instruments, rhythms, and vocal styles. Typical sounds range from northwestern bagpipe-led ensembles (gaita, tamboril) and Basque trikitixa (diatonic accordion) to Catalan cobla bands for sardana, Castilian dulzaina (shawm) bands, and Andalusian string and percussion traditions related to fandangos and sevillanas. Modal melodies, drones, additive and hemiola-inflected meters, and call-and-response refrains are common. Songs often accompany social dances, agricultural cycles, pilgrimages, and community festivities, with lyrics that alternate between humorous, devotional, and romantic or nostalgic themes.

Andalusian Folk Music

Andalusian folk music refers to the traditional song and dance repertories of Andalusia (southern Spain), including sevillanas, verdiales, fandangos de Huelva, and related copla-andaluza song forms. It blends medieval Andalusí (Arab-Andalusian) modal color and poetic strophic forms with Iberian dance-song traditions, creating music that is both festive and lyrical. Typical features include melismatic vocals, the Andalusian cadence (iv–III–II–I in the Phrygian area), palmas (handclapping), castanets, and guitars—alongside regional ensembles like the verdiales pandas (with violin, guitars, pandero/tambourine, cymbals, and bandurria/lute).

Seguidilla

Seguidilla is a lively Spanish song-dance from Castile characterized by quick triple meter, agile steps, and light, witty strophic texts. Its poetic stanza typically alternates 7- and 5-syllable lines with assonant rhyme on the even lines, giving the form a crisp, aphoristic feel. Musically it favors brisk 3/4 with frequent hemiolas (the feeling of 2 against 3) and simple diatonic harmony, often articulated by guitar, bandurria, and palmas, with castanets accenting the dance figures. Regional variants arose across Spain; the Andalusian branch led to the popular sevillanas, while composers adapted seguidillas for the art-music stage and salon.

Fandango

Fandango is a lively Iberian song-and-dance form in fast triple meter, traditionally accompanied by guitars, hand claps (palmas), and castanets. It features a characteristic hemiola (the alternation or superposition of 3/4 and 6/8 feels), call-and-response between voice and accompaniment, and strophic verses (coplas) suited to improvised dance. Originating in Spain in the 18th century, the fandango quickly became a pan-Iberian craze and entered art music through Baroque and early Classical composers. In Andalusia it crystallized into several regional types (e.g., fandangos de Huelva, malagueñas), many of which later became core palos of flamenco. The word “fandango” also traveled across the Atlantic; in Mexico and Brazil it names community dance gatherings linked to related repertories, even when the music itself diverges from the Spanish model.

Copla

Copla (often called copla andaluza or canción española) is a dramatic Spanish popular song style characterized by narrative lyrics, big emotions, and theatrical performance. It typically tells compact, melodramatic stories of love, jealousy, honor, betrayal, social stigma, or fate, delivered by a solo singer with highly expressive phrasing. Musically, copla favors clear tonal harmony (often minor-key), memorable melodies, and accompaniment that ranges from guitar or piano to full orchestra or band. Rhythms frequently draw on pasodoble and bolero feels, with touches of flamenco color and the Andalusian cadence that imbue the songs with a distinctly Iberian character. Historically linked to stage and cinema, copla thrives on performance: commanding vocals, precise diction, and emotional acting are as central as the music itself.

Romance

Romance is a sentimental, typically strophic song genre that flourished in late-18th- and early-19th‑century France and then spread across Europe. It favors a clear, singable melody, simple diatonic harmony, and direct, heartfelt texts about love, longing, and memory. Originally cultivated in salons and domestic music-making, the romance was commonly performed by a solo voice with guitar or piano accompaniment. Its intimate scale, accessible poetry, and elegant melodic lines made it a bridge between popular song and more formal art song traditions, influencing later French mélodie and the broader European salon-song repertoire. Although the word “romance” can refer to many things (e.g., Romantic-era music or Romance-language cultures), in this context it denotes a specific historical song type known for its lyrical simplicity and tender affect.

Malagueña Venezolana

Malagueña venezolana is a traditional song form from eastern Venezuela (especially the states of Nueva Esparta, Sucre, and Anzoátegui) that descends from Iberian malagueñas and related Canarian song repertories. It is typically slow, expressive, and minor-key, with a waltz-like feel in 3/4 (often shading into sesquialtera against 6/8). Verses are commonly cast in décima espinela stanzas, inviting ornate vocal melismas and poetic imagery of love, longing, the sea, and daily life. Accompaniment usually features cuatro, guitar, bandola oriental, mandolin, and soft maracas. Strummed rasgueado patterns, brief instrumental falsetas, and Andalusian-cadence turns (i–VII–VI–V) are characteristic. The style is heard in serenades, community gatherings, and some devotional contexts, carrying a bittersweet, nostalgic tone.

Has influenced

Trova

Trova is a Cuban singer‑songwriter tradition that emerged in the late 19th century, centered on itinerant guitar‑accompanied vocalists who composed and performed their own songs. Characterized by intimate, lyrical delivery and refined guitar accompaniment, trova blends Spanish poetic songcraft with Cuban rhythmic sensibilities (notably the habanera pulse). Themes commonly include love, longing, social observation, and patriotic sentiment, often presented in strophic forms suitable for serenades or small gatherings. The tradition laid the groundwork for Cuban bolero and later songwriter movements, preserving a focus on melody, poetic text, and expressive, ornamented vocal lines.

Nueva Canción

Nueva canción is a Latin American song movement that emerged in the 1960s, blending traditional folk forms with contemporary, socially engaged songwriting. It foregrounds poetic, politically conscious lyrics that address social justice, labor, indigenous rights, anti-imperialism, and everyday dignity. Musically, it draws on Andean and Southern Cone folk idioms—such as cueca, zamba, and chacarera—alongside pan-Latin ballad traditions. Typical instrumentation includes nylon-string guitar, charango, quena and zampoña (panpipes), bombo legüero, and rich vocal harmonies, often arranged for ensembles. The style’s melodic language favors modal inflections and singable, anthemic choruses designed for communal participation. While it became a continent-wide phenomenon, Chilean artists were especially pivotal in shaping its aesthetics and political ethos, with the movement later radiating into Argentina, Uruguay, and Spain.

Nueva Canción Latinoamericana

Nueva canción latinoamericana is a socially engaged song movement that revitalized Latin American folk traditions to address contemporary political and cultural realities. It blends rural and indigenous folk rhythms with modern, singer‑songwriter poetry, using acoustic instruments such as guitar, charango, quena, and bombo legüero. Lyrics foreground social justice, anti‑imperialism, labor struggle, indigenous rights, and national identity, often delivered in clear, declamatory melodies that invite communal singing. The result is music that is both rooted in local traditions and explicitly modern in its political consciousness.

Guajira

Guajira is a Cuban rural song-and-dance style that evokes the life and landscape of the countryside (the world of the guajiro, or peasant). It typically features gentle, lyrical melodies in major keys, a relaxed but swaying groove, and strophic verses often set to poetic décimas. Instrumentally, guajira draws on Spanish guitar traditions alongside Cuban string instruments like the tres, and it often incorporates light Afro-Cuban percussion (claves, bongó, maracas) and call-and-response coros. In the 20th century it fused with son practices to create the widely known guajira-son, whose guajeo patterns and montuno sections made the style more dance-oriented. The best-known example associated with the style is Guantanamera, popularized in the mid‑20th century and later adopted by international folk singers. While there is also a separate flamenco "guajira" in Spain, the Cuban guajira is the original rural genre that inspired ida y vuelta exchanges across the Atlantic.

Guaracha

Guaracha is a fast‑paced Cuban song–dance genre known for witty, satirical, and often picaresque lyrics delivered over a driving Afro‑Cuban groove. It typically uses the son clave (in 2–3 or 3–2 orientation), call‑and‑response coros, and a lively montuno section that invites dance and audience participation. Originally tied to popular and comic theater, guaracha later became a staple of Cuban conjuntos and charangas, and it survives in the salsa repertoire as a label for brisk, upbeat numbers. Instrumentation commonly includes voice(s), guitar or tres, bass, bongó, maracas, claves, and often trumpets or charanga flute/violins. Harmonies are straightforward and bright (major keys, I–IV–V with frequent secondary dominants), while the rhythmic feel is relentlessly syncopated and festive. The term should not be confused with modern "guaracha edm" (a separate, contemporary club style); historical Cuban guaracha is a distinct traditional genre with roots in 19th‑century Havana and theatrical culture.

Changüí

Changüí is a rural Afro-Cuban genre that emerged in the eastern province of Guantánamo. It is a lively, dance-driven music that predates and directly informs son cubano. Typical ensembles feature the Cuban tres (providing guajeos/montunos), marímbula (a plucked lamellophone acting as the bass), bongó de monte (a rustic bongo with driving martillo patterns), and the guayo (a metal scraper whose steady, sparkling texture locks the groove). Vocals are organized around call-and-response between an improvising lead singer (pregón) and a chorus (coro), often using witty, topical, or improvised verses. Rhythmically, changüí leans on syncopations related to the tresillo and cinquillo, creating a forward-leaning, propulsive feel in duple meter. Harmonically it favors simple, vamp-like I–V or I–IV–V loops in major or mixolydian modalities, leaving space for percussive interplay and vocal improvisation. The overall effect is raw, communal, and celebratory, with strong ties to agricultural dances and local festivities.

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