Miguel Faílde, creator of the Danzón

Upon the outbreak of the slave revolt, it was not only the French colonists who fled the island, but also a large number of Afro-Haitian musicians who settled across the border in Santo Domingo, across the Caribbean in Louisiana, and across the Windward Passage in eastern Cuba, where they brought their music and their customs. Some musicologists, however, believe that even before the fall of Saint Domingue, French and creolized contredanses were already penetrating Cuban music. The contredanse introduced the cinquillo, a five note rhythmic cell of West African origin that became characteristic of the Cuban contradanza, some forms of the danza, and the first section of the danzón.

In the second half of the nineteenth century the contradanza underwent a change of such importance to the musicians and the public that it required a new name: danzón. Attributed to the Matanzas composer Miguel Faílde, who created “Las Alturas de Simpson” in 1879, some believe that the danzón gradually grew out of the contradanza. The basic difference between them was that the danzón changed the binary form of the contradanza from AB-AB to AB-AC, later adding AD, AE and so on in rondo fashion as long as dancers and musicians so desired. Around 1900, beginning with José Urfé’s “El Bombín de Barreto," a montuno, or improvisational section, with a faster beat was added to the danzón.

Go to the following sites to learn more about contradanza, danza, Danzón and son:

Contradanza, from PBS
http://www.pbs.org/buenavista/
music/a_contradanza.html

Todo Tango
http://www.todotango.com

1. How do tango and merengue fit into the contradanza/habanera/Danzón complex?

2.Audio: Compare San Pascual Bailón (anonymous) and Los Ojos de Pepa (Saumell). Which one shows a well defined cinquillo pattern?

3.Audio: Listen to Paquito D'Rivera's arrangement of Ignacio Cervantes' Two Cuban Danzas. How does the second danza (after the pause) differ from the first?

4. Audio: Compare Faílde's Las Alturas de Simpson, the first Danzón, with the beginning and end of Urfé’s El Bombín de Barreto, the first Danzón with a montuno section. What rhythmic and instrumental changes do you notice?