What Is Bolero? About The Latin Music And Dance Genre
WHAT IS BOLERO – In this topic, we are going to know and learn about the Latin music and dance genre called “Bolero”
As mentioned above, it refers to two separate genres of slow-tempo Latin music.
Spain
The oldest version of this is a 3/4 dance which came from Spain in the late 18th century. It is a combination of the contradanza and the sevillana.
At that time, it is in a form of ballroom music, which made an influence to art music composers worldwide, with the most famous one being that of the same name composed by Maurice Ravel; and a flamenco style known as boleras.
Some of this music genre in art music include:
- The Boléro, Op. 19 – Frédéric Chopin
- Coppélia – Léo Delibes
- La Soirée dans Grenade – Claude Debussy
- Carmen – Georges Bizet
- Scene de Ballet – Charles-Auguste de Beriot
Cuba
As for the other in Cuba, unlike Spain, it is the first great Cuban musical and vocal synthesis which won universal recognition.
It is a dance music in 2/4 time which is spread to other countries, making it the “most popular lyric tradition in Latin America.”
It originated in Santiago de Cuba in the late 19th century and is very distinct from Spain. It was invented by Pepe Sanchez, who is known as the father of the trova style.
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