Have you ever wondered where salsa music comes from?
Well this podcast will explain the origins of salsa music to you in Spanish so you can improve your Spanish as you listen. Below this podcast, you will find some videos with examples to learn about different types of music, not only salsa. One of two episodes. Click here for the second episode.
If you have read my “About” section, you already know that I am a music lover. Music was essential to me for learning English as a child because music is basic to my life. If this happens to you, maybe you can share this passion with me. Therefore, it would be a good thing for you to contemplate the idea of using music to help you learn Spanish. Learn with songs! I think one of the benefits of learning through music is that you will memorize much better a word that is accompanied by rhythm than one that you simply read in a text.
I listen to almost everything, and I have danced to different kinds of music. However, salsa and chachacha are my favorites. This podcast is a tribute to the beautiful and, perhaps, tough history of salsa. At the end of this first part, and at the end of the second part of these two episodes, you will have different styles of music if you want to use them to dance, learn vocabulary, or to play them in the background while cleaning your house, why not?
Spanish transcription and English translation
Introducción (00:46)
Introduction (00:46)
Aunque no vivas en un país de habla hispana, probablemente has escuchado alguna salsa a lo largo de1 tu vida, quizás de Marc Anthony, quizás de Celia Cruz.
Even if you do not live in a Spanish-speaking country, you’ve probably heard some salsa throughout your life, maybe from Marc Anthony, maybe Celia Cruz.
Salsa is considered a musical genre that has become popular among Spanish-speaking countries, of course, but it has also been exported to other countries in the world.
What you may not know is the life lesson so beautiful that African slaves who lived in the 16th and 17th centuries left forever hidden in the percussion of these songs.
Este podcast es un homenaje6 a ellos. ¿Quieres saber por qué? Bueno, tienes que tener un poco de paciencia porque el tema no es nada sencillo de explicar.
This podcast is a tribute to them. You want to know why? Well, you have to have a little patience because the subject is not easy to explain.
Un tema complicado (01:43)
A complicated topic (01:43)
Where and how salsa started, that is, the place and manner of the birth of salsa, is controversial and this controversy has to do with its origin and subsequent evolution.
De hecho, la controversia empieza incluso con la forma en la que explicamos este tema tan complejo9, por lo tanto en este podcast intentaré ser lo más objetiva posible para ti, que eres estudiante de español, basándome en datos reales, pues entrar en demasiados detalles ya ocasiona10 o causa polémicas11 y ¡hasta enfados! (polémicas es un sinónimo de controversias).
In fact, the controversy begins even with how we explain this very complex topic. Therefore, in this podcast I will try to be as objective as possible for you, since you are a Spanish student, because to go into too many details already caused or causes controversy and even anger! Hahaha (polemics is a synonym for controversies).
Y es que la música, al fin y al cabo12, es pasión, y la pasión es subjetiva y despierta muchas emociones en los humanos.
And the thing is that music, after all, is passion, and passion is subjective and awakens many emotions in humans.
Intentaré no entrar mucho en detalles, lo cual ya es un poco difícil tratándose de este tema, ya que, como dice un famoso refrán, quien mucho abarca poco aprieta13, ¿conoces este refrán?
I will try not to go into much detail, which is a bit difficult when it comes to this topic, since, as a famous saying goes, Quien mucho abarca poco aprieta, or You shouldn’t bite off more than you can chew. Do you know this saying?
Con él queremos decir que quien intenta ocuparse de demasiadas cosas a la vez, quien quiere hacer demasiadas cosas al mismo tiempo, al final no obtiene buenos resultados, es mejor centrarse en una o dos cosas cada vez.
With it we mean that one who tries to deal with too many things at once, who wants to do too many things at the same time, in the end does not get good results. It is better to focus on one or two things at a time.
Primero, empezaré por un breve resumen14 entre dos opiniones distintas.
First, I will begin with a brief overview between the two different opinions.
Pero antes quiero hacer una aclaración: Si somos estrictos con el término salsa, es decir, como término oficial para definir a un género musical, este término se usó oficial y abiertamente por primera vez en los años 60 y 70 del siglo pasado, del siglo XX, para designar15 a un género musical que se daba en una nueva generación de músicos mayoritariamente latinos en Nueva York.
However, before I want to make an important clarification: If we are strict with the term salsa, that is, as an official term to define a musical genre, this term was used officially and openly for the first time in the 60s and 70s of the last century, of the twentieth century to designate a musical genre that occurred in a new generation of mainly Latin musicians in New York.
Ahora bien, ¿cuáles son las dos opiniones diferentes sobre esto?
Now, what are the two different opinions about this?
Dos posturas diferentes (04:06)
Two different opinions (04:06)
Según la primera opinión, se habla de salsa para referirse a este famoso boom que tiene lugar en Nueva York en esa época16, sí, esto no se suele discutir.
According to the first opinion, salsa is used to refer to this famous boom that takes place in New York in that period. Yes, this is not usually discussed.
Sin embargo, para ellos este género no era nuevo, puesto que dicen que la base de este ritmo es el son cubano.
However, for them this genre was not new since they say that the basis of this rhythm is the Cuban Son.
Podríamos decir que para ellos la salsa es un son cubano que, como todo en la vida, evolucionó17, se transformó al mezclarse con otros ritmos, formando así lo que después se llamó oficialmente en Nueva York salsa.
We could say that for them salsa is a Cuban Son that, like everything else in life, evolved. It was transformed by mixing with other rhythms, forming what was later officially called salsa in New York.
Estas personas defienden la “nacionalidad cubana” de la salsa ya que, para ellos, no hay una diferencia tan grande como para que sean dos géneros distintos.
These people defend the “Cuban nationality” of Salsa since for them there is not a big enough difference for them to be two different genres.
En el otro lado tenemos la otra postura o visión, la de las personas para las que el género musical salsa nació exclusivamente cuando oficialmente se empezó a usar en Nueva York, allá por los años 60-70, y nada de lo que existió antes debería llamarse salsa.
On the other side we have the other position or vision; that of the people for whom the Salsa musical genre was born exclusively when salsa began to be used officially in New York around the 60s and 70s.
De esta manera18, para ellos es un nuevo género que surgió o nació como fusión entre los diferentes géneros musicales que influenciaron a los músicos, mayoritariamente puertorriqueños, criados en Nueva York, o ya nacidos en Nueva York de padres puertorriqueños, los llamados newyorricans.
And nothing that existed before should be called salsa. So, for them it is a new genre that emerged or was born as a fusion between the different musical genres that influenced the mostly Puerto Rican musicians raised in New York, or already born in New York of Puerto Rican parents, the so-called Nuyoricans.
Para ellos pues, lo que existía antes de la llamada salsa era lo suficientemente distinto como para no ser la misma cosa y es por ello que esta nueva mezcla o fusión recibió un nuevo nombre.
For them, what existed before the so-called Salsa was different enough not to be the same thing and that is why this new mixture or fusion was given a new name.
Es decir, para los primeros, la salsa es cubana porque es simplemente son cubano mezclado con otros ritmos, sí, pero su base ya existía en el son, salsa y son no pueden ser cosas tan diferentes, simplemente lo que nació en Nueva York es un estilo distinto aunque dentro de un mismo género musical; y para los segundos, el son cubano es sólo la raíz19 de la salsa, no identifican la salsa como algo cubano, sino más bien como algo newyorrican.
That is to say, for the first group, salsa is Cuban, because it is simply Cuban Son that is mixed with other rhythms, yes, but its base already existed in the Cuban Son, salsa and Son cannot be such different things. Simply what was born in New York is a different style although it’s within the same musical genre; and for the latter, the Son Cubano is just the root of salsa, they do not identify salsa as something Cuban, but rather as something Nuyorican.
Entrar a valorar quién tiene razón es complicado y pienso que, además, no vale de nada20.
Trying to assess who is right is complicated and I think, it is worthless.
No valer de nada es una expresión típica del español que es igual que decir que no sirve para nada o que es una pérdida de tiempo.
No valer de nada or not worth anything is a typical Spanish expression, which is the same as saying that it is useless or that it is a waste of time.
Por esto yo simplemente empezaré por el principio y terminaré por el final y cada uno que elija la opinión y el estilo que prefiera.
For this, I will simply start at the beginning and end at the end. Everyone can choose the opinion and style they prefer.
O no, tal vez no hay que elegir nada, tal vez podemos quedarnos con todos los estilos ya que al ser humano no siempre le apetece lo mismo y, posiblemente, cada estilo tiene su momento para ser disfrutado, escuchándolo y/o bailándolo.
Or maybe we do not have to choose anything. Maybe we can accept all the styles since the human being does not always want the same thing and, possibly, each style has its moment to be enjoyed, listening to it and/or dancing it.
Sea cual sea la opinión, hay una realidad histórica que es real y gracias a la cual existe esta música a día de hoy.
Whatever the opinion, there is a historical reality that is real and thanks to it, this music exists today.
Así que voy a contártela a continuación.
So I’m going to keep telling the story.
La importancia de la música africana (07:49)
The importance of African music (07:49)
Durante la colonización americana por parte de los españoles, los españoles comenzaron a llevar esclavos africanos en el siglo XVI a las islas del Caribe, Cuba, Puerto Rico y República Dominicana.
During the American colonization by the Spanish, the Spaniards began to take African slaves in the sixteenth century to the Caribbean islands, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic.
Es bien sabido la importancia que la música cantada y bailada ha tenido en muchas tribus21 africanas a través de los siglos, en especial la percusión.
Everyone knows the importance song and dance had in many African tribes through the centuries, especially percussion.
Estos esclavos continuaron con sus cánticos y ritmos en Cuba, y es durante la época de la abolición de la esclavitud22 y la posterior independencia de Cuba con respecto a España, cuando, de una manera más libre, ritmos africanos como el guaguancó, se pudieron escuchar por toda la isla.
These slaves continued with their chants and rhythms in Cuba. It was during the era of the abolition of slavery and the subsequent independence of Cuba from Spain, when African rhythms like the guaguancó, could be heard in a freer way by all the island.
La música es algo vivo que surge del corazón y, por tanto, es difícil ponerle fechas a cuándo se mezcló con este u otro tipo de música, o quién lo hizo, o cómo exactamente ocurrió, o a qué hora y en qué ciudad o pueblo.
Music is something alive that comes from the heart and, therefore, it is difficult to put dates on when it was mixed with this or that type of music, who did it, how it happened exactly, or at what time and in what city or town.
No hay documentos donde se pueda comprobar todo. Sin embargo, se dice que el son cubano es una mezcla de ese guaguancó africano y los sonidos musicales que los españoles llevaron a Cuba.
There are no documents where you can check everything. However, it is said that the Cuban Son is a mixture of that African guaguancó and the musical sounds that the Spaniards brought to Cuba.
Y a esta amalgama23 de estilos del continente africano y el europeo que se mezclaron en el continente americano, se dice que habría que sumarle la influencia de otros ritmos como los de Haití, en la cercana isla La Española, país que fue colonizado por los franceses.
This became a melting pot of styles from the African and European continent, mixed in the American continent. Then we add the influence of other rhythms like those of Haiti, on the nearby island of Hispaniola, a country colonized by the French.
La cuestión es que de todas estas raíces surge el llamado son cubano que se populariza fuera de Cuba a partir de los años 30 del siglo XX.
The point is that from all these roots come the so-called Cuban Son that has been popularized outside of Cuba since the 1930s.
En este podcast me encantaría poder tener ejemplos de esta música, sin embargo, no puedo incluirlos mientras hablo por los famosos derechos de autor.
In this podcast, I would love to have examples of this music. However, I cannot include them here because of the famous copyright.
If committed, this infraction would cost a uno ojo de la cara, have you ever heard this typical phrase? If something costs you an “eye of the face” it means that you pay too much for that. In English you might say “an arm and a leg”. Another similar expression is if I committed this crime, it would cost me un riñón or a kidney.
Por ello, al final de este podcast podrás ver enlaces de canciones que servirán a mis explicaciones, en el caso de que tengas la curiosidad de querer escucharlas.
So, at the end of this podcast you can see links to songs that will serve my explanations, in case you are curious and want to listen to them.
El son cubano no es el único ritmo que surge en Cuba de esa base de percusiones africanas, otros ritmos importantes son el chachachá, el danzón, el mambo o la conga.
The Cuban Son is not the only rhythm that emerges in Cuba from a base of African percussion, other important rhythms are the chachachá, the danzón, the mambo or the conga.
Todos estos ritmos se exportaron a Latinoamérica donde su influencia originó a su vez otros ritmos que siguen vivos a día de hoy.
All these rhythms with an African origin, were exported to Latin America where their influence initiated other rhythms that are still alive today.
But they were also exported to Spain (where people like my father bought these records and where, many years later, when I was a child, I listened to them in the living room of our house on our record player for vinyl records).
Y claro, igualmente31se exportaron a Estados Unidos, donde la población latina crecía y, de entre todas las ciudades, hubo una en especial donde se popularizaron: la ciudad de Nueva York.
And, of course, they were also exported to the United States, where the Latin American population of the United States grew and, among all the cities, there was one in particular where it was popularized: the city of New York.
¿Quieres saber qué pasó allí en esa época? Te lo cuento todo en la segunda parte de este podcast.
Do you want to know what happened there at that time? I will tell you all in the second part of this podcast.
Vocabulary and useful phrases
This vocabulary list gives the meaning of each word or phrase in the specific context of this podcast. Some of these words/phrases have other meanings too that are not mentioned here.
- A lo largo de = throughout [return]
- Desde luego = of course [return]
- Esclavos = slaves [return]
- Siglos = centuries [return]
- Oculta/o = hidden [return]
- Homenaje = homage, tribute [return]
- Tener que ver con = it has to do with [return]
- Posterior = subsequent [return]
- Complejo/a = complex, complicated [return]
- Ocasionar = to cause [return]
- Polémica (as a noun) = controversy, argument [return]
- Al fin y al cabo = in the end, after all [return]
- Quien mucho abarca poco aprieta = you’ve got too many irons in the fire [return]
- Breve resumen = brief overview [return]
- Designar = describe, express [return]
- Época = era, age, period [return]
- Evolucionar = Develop, evolve [return]
- De esta manera = so, therefore [return]
- Raíz = root [return]
- No vale de nada = no sirve para nada = es una pérdida de tiempo = it is strictly for the birds [return]
- Tribu = tribe [return]
- Esclavitud = slavery [return]
- Amalgama = melting-pot [return]
- Cometer = to commit [return]
- Costarle a uno un ojo de la cara = costarle a uno un riñón = it will cost one an arm and a leg [return]
- Tocadiscos = record player [return]
- Discos de vinilo = vinyl records [return]
- Igualmente = also, too [return]
Ejemplos de diferentes estilos musicales
Son cubano
Son cubano
Guaguancó