Guaguancó
Guaguancó is the most widespread form of the Rumba complex.
Birth of the Guaguancó
The origins of the Guaguancó are much debated and several hypotheses are put forward. Some believe that this form of Rumba was born in the 1880s in Matanzas. According to researcher Jesús Blanco, the first Guaguancó musicians were Anselmo and Matías Calle, Yambú players and members of the cabildo called Congo Musundi. They were the creators of the first coro called La Lirita in the Simpson neighborhood. Then, the Guaguancó would have been brought to Havana between 1896 and 1897 during the War of Independence.
For others, the Guaguancó emerged from the solares (inner courtyards of the big apartment buildings where poor families crowd) and from the docks of the Havana ports at the beginning of the 20th century.
For some, the Guaguancó would have been imposed in Havana thanks to certain interpreters of Flamenco. Indeed, it is known that until the beginning of the 20th century, some great Flamenco singers, such as Pericón de Cádiz or José el de la Matrona, lived in Havana.
In any case, many agree that the Yambú is the predecessor of the Guaguancó, which also assimilated elements of the Columbia.
The origins of the word “guaguancó” are also rather obscure. Francisco Raúl ‘Machito’ Gutiérrez Grillo claims that its origin lies in the expression “ir de guaguancó” which means “to get on a bus without paying”. The word could also be related to the guaguas, pieces of sugar cane or boards struck with 2 thin sticks that the Congos used as a drum. As early as 1893, the word guaguancó became part of the musical lexicon, since this name was given to a Danzón.
The song Guaguancó coro miyaré is considered the first of the Guaguancós.
Nowadays, it is not uncommon to find a Guaguancó passage or rhyme in Salsa or Timba.
The instruments
In the beginning, the coros (groups of singers, dancers and musicians) consisted of several dozen people. They performed in the streets of Havana. These ensembles included percussions (drums, claves and other minor percussions) but also a bass, a tres and singers. As time went by, the orchestration became simpler and nowadays there are fewer musicians.
The percussion ensemble of Guaguancó is characterized by the use of 3 tumbadora or conga drums, although originally cajones (wooden boxes) were used as in the Yambú. It is commonly believed that the congas derive from the Makuta drums used by the Congos.
These drums have the names of :
- salidor, tumba, tumbadora, bass or hembra, the lowest drum that maintains the rhythm;
- tres-dos, tres golpes, segundo, repicador, llamador, macho or seis por ocho, medium drum that completes the rhythmic base;
- quinto, the most acute drum that improvises and embellishes the rhythmic base with floreos (decorations).
This ensemble is completed :
- claves ;
- a guagua (piece of bamboo) struck with palitos (sticks) which can also be a cajita (small wooden box) struck with spoons. The rhythm played by this instrument is often called catá;
- marugas (metal shakers);
- chekerés.
The structure of the Guaguancó
The structure of the Guaguancó has not changed since its origin. First the clave in 3/2 or more rarely in 6/8 starts to establish the basic rhythm. Then, the other instruments enter progressively.
The singing can then begin with the diana which sets the tone of the piece. During this short part, the soloist singer or gallo (which means “rooster”) pronounces sounds without meaning: “belé belé belé”, “a la la la”, “a na na na”… Some see this as an influence of the Cante jondo, an Andalusian flamenco song.
Then comes the canto which is composed :
- a long first part called the tema which exposes the theme of the piece, improvised by the soloist singer sometimes accompanied by some singers of the chorus. It is said that the singer is decimar although he does not necessarily use the decima. Unlike other forms of Rumbas, there is no use of melodic singing virtuosity;
- a second section called the estribillo (refrain) in which the whole choir or vasallo joins the soloist singer.
A dialogue is then established, called the montuno, between the soloist (drummer or singer) who leads the inspiración (improvisation) and the choir that repeats in unison the capetillo (short phrase of support/relief for the improviser). The intensity and tempo of this responsorial part continues to rise to a crescendo, ending with the cierre (concluding phrase).
Today, a great deal of space is given to the montuno part because it is also the danced part. However, the “elders” maintain that the Guaguancó itself is only the narrative part of the canto.
More complex than Yambú, the text, in Spanish, is narrative. It tells about the problems of the daily life met in the rumbero environment or in the neighborhood like love, friendship, social protection, satire of the society, politics, patriotic feeling, frustration… It is a true chronicle of the life of the people, humorous, sometimes poetic. Sometimes the lyrics are used to stimulate the participants by provoking them with canto de puya.
Traditionally, the soloist singer improvised according to the structure of the decima (stanza of 10 octosyllabic verses), a form that marks the Spanish and especially Andalusian influence on the Guaguancó. The pareado (stanza of 2 verses) or the prose are also used.
The New York Guaguancó
In the 1960’s, when Salsa was looking for a name, a musical movement was born in New York under the name of Guaguancó. One must be careful because this name designates an energetic Salsa, often carrying a message, which has little to do with the original Cuban Rumba. Why did you choose the same name? Maybe because the Cuban Guaguancó was one of the influences of the New York Guaguancó, as can be noticed for example with the use of the lalaleo during the introduction.
This music generally favors the brass section. The rhythmic is very stable and sustained. The piano repeats a leitmotif that reinforces the rhythmic stability.
The rhythm
Guaguancó is played at a fast pace but not as fast as Columbia. Its rhythm is richer and more complex than that of the Yambú.
Special thanks to Julien and his ultimate resource on cuban music and dance – this page is merely a translation.
