History[edit]

David Pealosa states: "... the history of rumba is filled with so many unknowns,
contradictions, conjectures and myths which have, over time been taken as fact,
that any definitive history of the genre is probably impossible to reconstruct.
Even elders who were present at historic junctures in rumba s development will oft
en disagree over the critical details of its history."[7]
The Africans brought over to be slaves had a history and culture that later merg
ed with the other cultures they had been pushed into. The African origins of rum
ba can be traced to two secular dances of the Bantu origin: the yuka and makuta .[8
] There are also other African influences in rumba. Rumba combines music, dance,
and vocals, where all three elements interact with rhythmic improvisation.[9]
By most accounts, rumba first emerged in Cuba during the 1880s, at the time when
slavery was finally abolished on the island. We know that the Congolese-based p
rogenitors of rumba existed in the slave barracones ( barracks ) during the early ni
neteenth century. It is therefore highly probable that various types of proto-ru
mbas were danced prior to the first rumba references made by contemporary chroni
clers. Initially the musical instruments of rumba consisted of regular household
items: the side of a cabinet functioned in the role of the present-day tumba or
salidor (the primary supportive drum), while an overturned drawer served as the
quinto (the lead drum) and a pair of spoons played the cscara part on whatever w
as available.[10]
Several types of rumba emerged, some of which have been lost to time, or are ext
remely rare today. These include the taona,[11] papalote,[12] tonada,[13] jiribi
lla and resed.[14]
The great Matanzas rumbero Chach Vega states: I was born in the neighborhood calle
d Simpson. You had rumba for lunch and rumba for dinner . . . so, you had to lea
rn rumba . . . Young and old, with great respect, and consideration. It was a wh
ole way of life. [In other words, we re born with the rumba] and we will die with
the rumba. [15] As an energetic Afro-Cuban dance, rumba was often suppressed and r
estricted because it was viewed as dangerous and lewd. Because of this, when it
first emerged it was done in private. This includes a smooth combination of musi
c, dance and poetry to produce a unique sound and dance [8] While the syncopated
rhythms, and call-and-response singing are clearly of African origin, the song
framework is largely based in the music traditions of Spain. The various styles
of rumba songs derive their melodies, patterns and instrumentation from seguidil
las, copla, peteneras, jotas, soleares, malagueas, isas, folas and their related d
ances. A Cuban rumba song often begins with the soloist singing meaningless syll
ables called the diana. The male dancer and singer then may proceed to improvise
lyrics stating the reason for holding the present rumba ('decimar'; span.: to m
ake ten-line stanzas), or instead tunes into a more or less fixed song such as:
"Ave Maria Morena" (Annimo), "Llora Como Llor" (S. Ramirez), "Cuba Linda, Cuba Her
mosa" (R.Deza), "China de Oro (Laye Laye)", and "Malanga."
Guaguanc, yamb, columbia[edit]
The three main forms of rumba today are yamb, guaguanc, and Columbia. The differen
ces between them are in the choreography and the pace.
Guaguanc is a couple dance of sexual competition between the male and female. The
female seductively moves her upper and lower body in contrary motion, and holdi
ng the ends of her skirt, opens and closes it in rhythm with the music. The male tri
es to distract her with fancy (often counter-metric) steps, accented by the quin
to, until he is in position to surprise her with a single thrust of his pelvis.
This erotic movement is called the vacunao ( vaccination or injection ), a gesture der
ived from yuka and makuta, symbolizing sexual penetration. The vacunao can also
be expressed with a sudden gesture of the hand or foot. The quinto often accents
the vacunao, usually as the resolution to a phrase spanning more than one cycle

of clave. The female reacts to the vacunao by quickly turning away, bringing th
e ends of her skirts together, or covering her groin area with her hand (botao),
symbolically blocking the injection. A male dancer rarely succeeds in surprising
his partner. The dance is performed with good-natured humor.[16]
The term guaguanc originally referred to a narrative song style (coros de guaguan
c) which emerged from the coros de claves of the late 19th and early 20th centuri
es. Rogelio Martnez Fur states: [The] old folks contend that strictly speaking, the
guaguanc is the narrative."[17]
Yamb is a couple dance like guaguanc but much slower. Vacunao is not used; the phr
ase en el yamb no se vacuna, "in yamb there is no vaccination", is commonly heard
during yamb performances.
Columbia is a fast and highly acrobatic solo male dance.[8]
Rumba is now most commonly performed at informal fiestas. The musical ensemble i
s made up of percussions and vocal sections.[8] This African derived rumba dance
and music also inspires poets who in turn inspire the dance and chants. Some po
ets, including Carmen Cordero and Maya Santos Febres, have said that a poetic por
trayal of dance maintains its meaning as a vehicle of resistance. This could be t
aken as pushing for change and acceptance [18] These ideas go well with the expr
ession associated with the rumba when it first emerged and when it became more w
idely accepted by all Cubans.
Carlos Vidal Bolado (better known simply as Carlos Vidal) was one of the first t
o commercially record authentic folkloric rumba (Ritmo Afro-Cubano SMC 2519-A an
d 2520-B, circa 1948).[19] Guaguanc can be heard in salsa songs such as "Quimbara
" by Celia Cruz.
See also[edit]
Conga line
References[edit]
Jump up ^ Blatter, Alfred (2007). Revisiting music theory: a guide to the practi
ce, p.28. ISBN 0-415-97440-2.
Jump up ^ Orovio, Helio 2004. Cuban music from A to Z. Revised by Sue Steward. I
SBN 0-8223-3186-1 A biographical dictionary of Cuban music, artists, composers,
groups and terms. Duke University, Durham NC; Tumi, Bath. p191
Jump up ^ Pealosa, David (2011: 183) Rumba Quinto Bembe Books. ISBN 1-4537-1313-1
.
Jump up ^ Aln Rodrguez, Olavo (2010: 3) A History of the Congas AfroCubaWeb. http:
//afrocubaweb.com/cidmuc.htm.
Jump up ^ Pealosa, David (2011: xxii) Rumba Quinto. Redway, CA: Bembe Books. ISBN
1-4537-1313-1
Jump up ^ Pealosa, David (2009: 185-187). The Clave Matrix; Afro-Cuban Rhythm: It
s Principles and African Origins. Redway, CA: Bembe Inc. ISBN 1-886502-80-3.
Jump up ^ Pealosa, David (2011: 184) Rumba Quinto. Redway, CA: Bembe Books. ISBN
1-4537-1313-1
^ Jump up to: a b c d Crook, Larry. A Musical Analysis of the Cuban Rumba. Latin A
merican Music Review (1982): 92-123.
Jump up ^ Knauer, Lisa M. The Politics of Afrocuban Cultural Expression in New Y
ork City. Journal of Ethnic & Migration Studies (2008): 1257-1281, 25.