Cumbia 461637 225337067 2008-07-13T04:17:37Z Zero Gravity 701363 rv {{unreferenced|date=August 2007}} [[Image:Monumento a la cumbia.JPG|thumb|Monument to the dance and music of [[cumbia]] in [[El Banco]].]] {{Infobox Music genre |name=Cumbia |bgcolor=aquamarine |color=black |stylistic_origins=African music, possibly Guinean [[cumbe]] |cultural_origins=African and Amerindian slaves in Colombia and Panama. |instruments=[[percussion instrument|Percussion]] and [[woodwind]]; [[drum]]s, [[claves]], [[güiro]], [[flute]]s and [[maraca]]s. Other: [[Saxophone]], [[Trumpet]]s, [[Keyboard instrument|Keyboards]], [[Trombone]], [[guitar]], [[accordion]], [[Timbales]] with [[cowbell]]. |popularity=Beginning in the 1950s, across Latin America, originated during the Spanish colonial times in [[Colombia]], with the modern version spreading into other countries after it became very popular in Colombia in the 1920's and 1930's; [[El Salvador]], [[Peru]], [[Argentina]] and [[Mexico]] |derivatives= |subgenrelist=List of Cumbia genres |subgenres=[[Cumbia villera]], [[Mexican cumbia]], [[Peruvian cumbia]], [[Tecnocumbia]] |fusiongenres=[[Cumbia rap]] |regional_scenes= Colombia - [[Argentine cumbia|Argentina]] - [[Mexican cumbia|Mexico]] - [[Salvadoran Cumbia|El Salvador]] - [[Bolivian cumbia|Bolivia]] - [[Peruvian cumbia|Peru]] - [[Chilean cumbia|Chile]] }} '''Cumbia''' is originally a [[Colombia]]n [[folk dance]] and [[dance music]] and is [[Colombia]]'s representative national dance and music along with [[vallenato]]. The '''Cumbia''' is an autochthonous dance and music from the Caribbean Coast of Colombia, with variants of equally folk in [[Panama]]. It is a popular music and dance in different Latin-American countries, where it has followed different variants as the [[Mexican]], [[Argentine]], [[Peruvian]], and others. Modern cumbia includes instrumental mixing; [[guitar]]s, [[accordion]]s, [[bass guitar]], modern [[flute]]s and modern deep-toned [[drums]] and other [[percussion instrument|percussion]]s. The basic [[rhythm]] structure is 4/4. Cumbia is the net intersection of two cultures that settled in the region of what is now northern Colombia at different times; the [[Amerindian]]s and [[Africa]]n [[Slavery|slave]]s. Cumbia began as a [[courtship]] dance practiced among the slave population that was later mixed with the [[Europe]]an instruments and influence. ==Origins== Cumbia is a variant of the African [[Guinea]]n ''cumbe'' music. Cumbia started in the northern region of Colombia, mainly in or around [[Cartagena, Colombia|Cartagena]] during the period of [[Spanish colonization of the Americas|Spanish colonization]]. Spain used its ports to import African slaves, who tried to preserve their musical traditions and also turned the drums and dances into a courtship ritual. Cumbia was mainly interpreted with just drums and [[claves]]. The slaves were later influenced by the sounds of Amerindian instruments from the [[Koguis]] and [[Kuna (people)|Kuna]] tribes settled between the [[Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta]] and the [[Montes de María]]; like the millo flutes, gaita flutes, and güiros. Africans and Amerindians working together as slaves created a mixture from which the ''gaitero'' (cumbia interpreter) appeared, with a defined identity by the 1800s. (These ''gaiteros'' are not to be associated with the [[Venezuela]]n [[Zulia State|Zulia]]n ''gaiteros''.) The European guitars and accordions were added later, through Spanish influence. ==Cumbia as a courtship ritual== The danced courtship ritual was rhythmically performed with music played by groups of men and women couples; women playfully waving with their long skirts and holding a candle, while the men danced behind the women, with one hand on his back and the other one holding his hat, putting it on and off and waving it. Men also carried a red type of [[handkerchief]] which they either wrapped around their necks, waved in circles in the air or handheld together with women. Until mid-20th century, cumbia was considered a [[vulgar]] dance, practiced only by the [[lower classes]]. ==Musical instruments== Traditional instruments used in cumbia: * Drums: Cumbia drums were of African origin and were brought along with slaves to the Americas by the Spanish conquerors. Africans used wood, ropes made out of [[sisal]] (''Agave sisalana''), and animal dry skins to make their drums. They either played the drum by hitting it with their hands or with sticks. Sometimes they wrapped the tip of the sticks with dry skin to prevent wearing off the drum. Cumbia interpreters produce variations of the sound emitted by the drum by hitting it on almost every area of the wooden base and dry skin. * [[Clave]]s: claves are a pair of hard thick sticks, usually used to set the beat throughout the song. ==Cumbia in the American Continent== Cumbia has generally been enjoyed by the lower classes of the American continent due to its rather simple sound and lyrics. Due to the diversity in Latin America, the music has undergone changes as it mixed with the regional music styles. Therefore, there are several variations of the music. ===Colombia=== Today traditional cumbia is preserved and considered representative of the Colombian identity, but especially in the Northern Caribbean coast. It is also associated to [[Barranquilla's Carnival]] and the [[Vallenato Legend Festival]]. Modern forms of Cumbia are most widely accepted when fusioned with other genres such as [[vallenato]] or [[Rock music|rock]], as does [[Carlos Vives]], for example. ===Argentina=== {{main|Argentine cumbia}} The music tends to be appreciated more by the lower social classes, and is often scorned by the upper classes. In [[Argentina]], for example, this social divide is exemplified by the ''[[cumbia villera]]'' phenomenon, that intends to represent and resonate with the poor and marginalized dwellers of ''[[villa miseria|villas miseria]]'' ([[shanty town]]s and [[slum]]s), with lyrics glorifying [[theft]] and [[drug abuse]], much like [[Northern America]]n [[hip hop music|hip hop]]. However, it must be noted that a lighter form of cumbia enjoyed widespread popularity in Argentina during the 1990s (see [[Argentine cumbia]]). ===Chile=== Popular with the lower social classes, it is often made fun of by the middle and upper classes. Nevertheless, it is widely danced at parties and gatherings. ===Mexico=== {{main|Mexican cumbia}} Cumbia music in Mexico is very diverse, there is a diversity of styles from the south to the north. [[Puebla City]] is the center of the Cumbia Sonidera, a rebirth of Mexican Indian tribal sounds with modern electronic textures and patterns. The emigration of Mexicans to the USA has also increased the music's popularity in the USA. More recently the term "cumbia" has taken on an even more diverse meaning as a radio format that emphasizes traditional popular and folk music.{{cn|date=April 2008}} ===Peru=== '''Peruvian Cumbia''' Peruvian Cumbia is generally known as "Chicha." It is a subgenre of the Cumbia, and it is very popular with the lower social classes. The higher classes generally view the music with contempt and somewhat rejection, though this subgenre is starting to catch on to them. This can be taken as a good example of how the popularity of the music has been increasing over the years. Some musical groups that play Chicha are: Agua Marina, Armonia 10, [[Agua Bella]], etc. '''Tecnocumbia''' Starting in [[Peru]] and [[Bolivia]], the style derived from the Andean "Chicha" and with the addition of [[synthesizers]] and other electronic instrumentation. Due to this technological changes to the music, it became known as the "tecnocumbia." The popularity of the tecnocumbia has been increasing over the years, and many countries such as Argentina, Mexico, and Chile have adapted it to their particular likings. ===United States=== [[Selena]], The [[Kumbia Kings]]/[[Kumbia All Starz]], La Internacional Sonora Show. ==See also== * [[Colombian music]] * [[Vallenato]] * [[Totó la Momposina]] * [[Diana mercado|Diana Mercado from Barranquilla, Colombia Objetivo Fama 5]] [[Category:Cumbia]] [[Category:Dances of Colombia]] [[Category:Latin American folk dances]] [[ca:Cúmbia]] [[de:Cumbia]] [[es:Cumbia]] [[fr:Cumbia]] [[it:Cumbia]] [[nl:Cumbia]] [[no:Cumbia]] [[pl:Cumbia]] [[pt:Cúmbia]] [[ro:Cumbia]] [[fi:Cumbia]] [[sv:Cumbia]] [[tr:Kumbiya]]