Search results
Feb 27, 2018 · Music of the Middle Ages (A Brief History) Happy 2023! 😃I'll be releasing some new videos this year, so be sure to subscribe to the channel for updates! I also host monthly teaching...
- 11 min
- 118.2K
- pianoTV
May 21, 2020 · Mr. Henry and Mr. Fite take a wild journey to learn all about the instruments from Latin America! They start off looking for instruments in Mr. Henry’s old attic, but then come across a ...
- 23 min
- 9.2K
- The Music Podcast for Kids!
- Overview
- Pre-Columbian patterns
Latin American music, musical traditions of Mexico, Central America, and the portions of South America and the Caribbean colonized by the Spanish and the Portuguese. These traditions reflect the distinctive mixtures of Native American, African, and European influences that have shifted throughout the region over time.
This article surveys religious, folk, and art (informally, classical) music through time and over the hemisphere. After a brief discussion of the uses of music in preconquest cultures (for further treatment, see Native American music), the narrative turns to how Europeans introduced Iberian church music and began the hybridization of musical practices in both the religious and the folk realms. At the same time, imported art music practices became part of the colonial cultures and were in turn infused with local and regional flavours. By the 21st century various national musical characteristics had asserted themselves in all types of musical practice, while international trends flowed into the regional musical stream as well.
At the time of Christopher Columbus’s first encounter of the “New World” in 1492, numerous indigenous cultures were spread from the northern Mexican mountains to the southern tip of South America and on the Caribbean islands. These cultures ranged from isolated and technologically primitive peoples to highly organized societies with advanced technological knowledge. Little is known about the musical activities or systems of these precolonial civilizations, but available sources do afford glimpses into the roles of music in the most-advanced cultures. These sources include surviving musical instruments, dictionaries of Indian languages compiled by early European missionaries, chronicles written by Europeans of the 16th century, and, for Mesoamerica, a substantial number of pre-Columbian Mexican codices. (A codex is a manuscript in book form.) Some scholars have studied the musical cultures of isolated indigenous communities of the 20th century as a means to understanding the past; although such an approach may be somewhat useful, it is not wise to assume that traditions are continuous and uninfluenced over centuries.
The type of ancient Mesoamerican music that is best-documented is the ritual music of the courts (primarily Aztec and Mayan). Music performance (often allied with dance) is depicted as a large-ensemble activity, in which numerous participants variously play instruments, sing, or dance. The 8th-century murals of the Bonampak temple, for example, show a procession with trumpets, drums, and rattles.
To an extent that is remarkable in light of their numerous differences in other artistic and cultural realms, the different cultures from at least the 8th century to the early 16th century used similar instruments. Drums and wind instruments, primarily flutes, are commonly described in texts and found in artifacts. The teponaztli, a two-key slit drum played with a mallet, and the huehuetl, a single-headed cylindrical upright drum played with bare hands, occupied a special position in Aztec rituals and were considered sacred instruments. Many of the archaeological examples of these drums carry elaborate carvings with glyphs and drawings that reveal symbolically their ritual uses and functions. Comparable instruments served essential functions for the Maya.
Exclusive academic rate for students! Save 67% on Britannica Premium.
Learn More
Many flutes from Mesoamerican cultures survive. Among the Aztec they were known generically as tlapizalli. An especially intriguing type of flute found near the Gulf of Mexico coast consists of two, three, or four tubes sounded from a single mouthpiece. Such instruments prove the existence of harmonic possibilities, up to four notes simultaneously, but it is not known how they were used. Ancient Mesoamericans did not develop musical notation, and the Spanish did not transcribe music they heard. Surviving instruments provide some indication of sound quality and pitch but not any precise way of determining scales or melodies.
- Gerard Béhague
The music of Latin America refers to music originating from Latin America, namely the Spanish and Portuguese-speaking regions of the Americas south of the United States. [1] Latin American music also incorporate the indigenous music of Latin America. [2]
Jul 10, 2022 · The term “Latin music” originated in the United States of America in the 1950s because of the large Latino population in New York City. However, this blanket term does not entirely consider how complex and radically different the various sub-genres can be.
It was presented as part of the 1st International Conference on Colonial Music: Music and Arts of ...more. This performance originally took place on March 6, 2020 at "The Wertheim" (Wertheim ...
- 76 min
- 1242
- FIU Wertheim School of Music & Performing Arts
People also ask
What is Latin American music?
What is classic Hispanic music?
What languages are used in Latin music?
Why is Latin American music and dance important?
What is the current Hispanic popular music & dance?
Who is the king of Latin music?
Aug 24, 2021 · Classic Hispanic music brings rhythm, passionate lyrics, and unique sounds to any occasion. Hispanic bands, solo artists, and composers are famous for creating some of the best latin songs of all time. Their contribution honors Hispanic legacy and the melting pot of cultures from Latin America.
