Creolization in Caribbean Music - Spanish

     There are lots of Spanish music styles that exemplify the theme of creolization. The one I'll 

be discussing is the plena. Plena is an African influenced genre that can be found in Puerto 

Rico as well as in the Dominican Republic. The Puerto Rican plena is known as "el periodico 

cantado" or "the sung newspaper" (Maynard, 1998) because it is a short song thar described 

events or critiqued society, similar to calypso in Trinidad and Tobago. For this reason, plena 

was popular among the working class, forcing the city to try to ban this music because 

persons from the upper class in Puerto Rico complained about it being indecent and 

distasteful (MasterClass, 2021). As mentioned before, plenas have African roots but also 

influences from native Taino and European. It is a blend of African rhythms with other Puerto 

Rican styles like bomba. Plenas consist of alternatives of stanzas and refrains and there is a 

definitive striking of a tambourine on the beat in binary meter. Other instruments that you can 

find in plenas are guitars, accordions, but also some more traditional instruments like güiros, 

maracas and panderetas. Below are photos of said instruments.


Photo of pandereta taken from https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_602452

Photo of güiro take from https://elcolmadito.com/ProductosbasicoDetail.asp?OrderNumber=254

    Here is a video plena music being played by a band in Puerto Rico. I chose this video 

because it shows exactly how the guiro and pandereta is to be played. I also liked how 

passionate and expressive the lead singer was while he was sining his solo part, because 

although I have no idea what the song is about, it makes me feel as though it is something he 

really cares about. I liked how this song in particular had only two instruments so it was easy 

for me to listen to the sounds they make and appreciate them.


    Another Spanish music genre that is an example of creolization is comparsa. Comparsa is 

also known as "la conga" is an Afro-Cuban genre that developed around the 20th century 

from slaves and free blacks that weren't able to take part in Carnival. Conga is a street style 

music, meaning musicians line the streets playing homemade percussion instruments such as 

drums or bells. Trumpets can also be heard playing as well as persons singing. The rhythm of 

conga is quick. Between the polyrhythm of the various drums and the melody of the trumpets, 

something is bound to make you feel like shaking your hips. In conga, there are different 

groups with different costumes and dances, similar to junkanoo here in The Bahamas. Conga 

music is very carefree and doesn't necessarily have any specific "rules" to it and so it goes 

perfectly with the dancing you often see with it. Below is a photo of a group of dancers in 

their costumes.

Photo of conga dancers in Cuba taken from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/comparsa-or-conga-danc--545076361141938826/

    Here is a video of the street parade. I chose this video because it reminded me so much of 

junkanoo. Seeing the persons rush down the street in their colorful costumes and instruments 

in hand was so refreshing. You could see how some of the persons that came out to watch 

couldn't help but dance and this made me smile because if I was on those streets in Cuba, I'd 

be doing the exact thing. I like how anybody can join the line, whether in a costume or not.



    As we know, creolization doesn't only take place in music but dance as well. The Puerto 

Rican dance "la bomba" was known as a dance of slaves (Lee et al., 2006). African slaves that 

worked on sugar plantations along the coast of Puerto Rico brought along the tradition. This 

is an improv style of dance. 

Photo of bomba dancers taken from https://www.prfdance.org/bomba.htm


Often times, the dancers are wearing long flowy skirts to which they sway around, just as the 

slaves did in the 17th century. The typical instrumentation found at bomba dances are barriles, 

a type of Puerto Rican drum made from rum barrels covered with goatskin, maracas, cuá, and 

another high pitched drum called the subidor (MasterClass, 2021a). Below is a video of la 

bomba. I chose this video because you get to see how fiery the dance can be. As I said earlier, 

the dance is improvised, so dancers are able to freely express themselves whether happy, sad 

or mad. In bomba the dancers control everything and the drummers follow, creating a 

dialogue between the two. I really liked how informative this video was which influenced me 

to choose it. I also liked how happy and proud the dancers were to talk about and show off 

their moves. I found it really admirable that there was a whole community group dedicated to 

passing down the tradition to ensure that it stays alive. Everyone in the video took pride in 

themselves and that aspect of their culture.





References

Béhague, G., & Moore, R. (2001). Cuba, Republic of. Oxford University Press EBooks. https://doi.org/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.06926

CONGA LOS HOYOS Official Channel. (2020, April 7). CONGA LOS HOYOS - 500 aniversario de La Habana. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHZz10PRRdk

Guiro Grande de Puerto Rico Puerto Rico. (n.d.). https://elcolmadito.com/ProductosbasicoDetail.asp?OrderNumber=254

KQED Arts. (2020, June 9). Puerto Rico’s Bomba, A Dance of The African Diaspora | If Cities Could Dance [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0vzkGKEWX4

Lee, D., Won, I., & Rivera, A. (2006, December 14). Caribbean Music and Dance. Bomba. http://websites.umich.edu/~ac213/student_projects06/dorir/bomba.html

Maria, A. (2017, May 4). Cuban Decor. Pinterest. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/comparsa-or-conga-danc--545076361141938826/

MasterClass. (2021a, September 17). Bomba Dance Guide: 4 Characteristics of Bomba Dance - 2023 - MasterClass. https://www.masterclass.com/articles/bomba-dance-guide

MasterClass. (2021b, September 21). Plena: Definition, History, and Instruments - 2023 - MasterClass. https://www.masterclass.com/articles/plena-music-guide

Maynard, T. (1998). Plena. Puerto Rican Cultural Center. https://www.prfdance.org/plena.htm

Pandereta. (n.d.). National Museum of American History. https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_602452

Plena Brava. (2015, February 3). Los de La Isla  - Los Pleneros de La Cresta #LaPlena #PuertRico #folk #live #video #cultura [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPljZ7SvMVU

Thompson, D. L. (2001). Puerto Rico. Oxford University Press EBooks. https://doi.org/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.41092

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