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Merengue music

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Merengue
Stylistic originsPossibly Haitian méringue, Spanish contradanza, Spanish decima and African plena, or at Talanquera
Typical instrumentsBass guitar, Diatonic accordion, Guira, Guitar, Saxophone, Trumpet, sometimes Trombone
Subgenres
Merengue cibaeño - Merengue estilo yanqui - Merengue rodondo - Merenrap - Pambiche - Pri-prí
Fusion genres
Merenhouse - Merenrap
Regional scenes
Colombia - Puerto Rico - UK - Venezuelan
Other topics
Fusilamiento - El maco Orqestre tipica - La Voz Dominicana

Merengue is a type of lively, joyful music and dance that comes from the Dominican Republic. Merengue means whipped egg whites and sugar in Spanish, similar to the French word meringue. It is unclear as to why this name became the name of the music of the Dominican Republic. This style of music was created by Ñico Lora 1920's however it was promoted by Rafael Trujillo, the president in the 1930s, and became the country’s national music and dance style. World famous Merengue singers include Miriam Cruz & Las Chicas Del Can, Juan Luis Guerra, Wilfrido Vargas, Sergio Vargas, Johnny Ventura, Kinito Mendez, Ravel, Josie Esteban y la Patrulla 15, Pochy y su Cocoband, Fernando Villalona,Cuco Valoy, The Freddie Kenton Orquestra and Conjunto Quisqueya. Other artists popular in the Dominican Republic as of 2006 include Julian, Toño Rosario, Aguakate and Amarfis.

Musicology

Meter: 2/4, tempo: fast.

The traditional instrumentation for an orquestra típica (traditional band), the usual performing group of folk merrengue, is a diatonic accordion, a two sided drum held on the lap called a tambora, a bass resonator of some kind, and a güira. A güira (Gwee-ra) is a percussion instrument that sounds like a maraca but in fact is a sheet of metal-- in practice, often from a five gallon oil can-- evenly perforated with a nail, shaped into a cylinder, and played with a stiff brush. The guira is brushed steadily on the downbeat with a "and-a" thrown in at certain points, or played in more complex patterns that generally mark the time. The double headed drum is played on one side with a stick (one and two and with a strong syncopation) and with the downbeat marked on the other side with the palm of the hand.

In more urban settings, merengue is played with all manner of instrumentation, but the drum beat and the guira are signatures. A saxophone is a popular replacement or addition to the accordion, along with electric bass guitar and guitar. A proof of the great adaptability of the music can be found in the Dominican National Symphony's presentation in 2003 of a concert series entitled "Symphonic Merengue" in which the Symphonic Orchestra consisting of woodwinds, brass, strings, and the like played popular tunes.

See also

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