The Puerto Rican Danza vs. Ludwig van Beethoven A musical comparison by Courtney McGranaghan

Puerto Rico Population = 3,989,133 (est. July 2011) 3,425 sq mi (9,104 sq km) island Ethnicities  White (mostly Spain) – 80.5%  Black – 8%  Native American – 0.4%  Asian – 0.2%  Other or mixed – 10.9% Religious freedom  Catholic – 85%  Protestant – 5%  Non-religious – 2.3%  Other (Judaism, spiritualism, Santeria, etc.) - 3%

Puerto Rican Music Cultural Influences  Taíno  Amerindian  Various European cultures  African  Scottish/Irish  Chinese  United States-American  Assorted Caribbean  Instruments  Güicharo/güiro Güicharo/güiro  Cuatro Cuatro  Tambours Tambours  Maracas Maracas

Puerto Rico Populated by the Taíno Indians when Christopher Columbus’s second voyage made it a Spanish colony (1453) Natives were enslaved with the African slaves brought by colonists Thousands of Cubans fled from Fidel Castro (1960s) Many Storms/hurricanes  “ within 6 weeks three storms strikes the island.  On July 26, a hurricane strikes the island. A month later, on August 23, another hurricane strikes the island.  On July, a hurricane strikes the island. Few weeks later, on August another hurricane strikes the island.” “Puerto Ricans are best known by speaking using lively hand and facial gestures, as hand and body language are important forms of communication.”

The Puerto Rican Danza Originated with the Spanish “contradanza” circa 1840  Popular, slow, strictly-ruled dance  “bastonero” led dancing couples through a series of “figures” Eclipsed by the Cuban La habanera in general population  Faster and livelier than contradanza  Danced freely  Very popular with the younger generation Puerto Rican composers adapted the contradanza into a new genre  Faster, longer sections, and less strict  Kept contradanza core structure Danza rose back to popularity with Manuel G. Tavares  Tavares’s student Juan Morel Campos would soon bring the Danza to its full potential

Juan Morel Campos and the Danza May 16, 1857 – April 26, 1896 Began to study music at 8  Learned to play most brass instruments Student to Manuel G. Tavares  Sent to Spain to study music Wrote various forms of classical  Best known for danzas Campos “developed it to its maximum expression” Inspired by romance and women  To include heartbreak Wrote mostly for his dance orchestra – “La Lira Ponceña”  Personally transcribed most of those works to piano

The Danza Almost always in 2/4 Notable for their repetition  Common form is -A-A,-B-B,-C-C,-D-D,-B (or C) and Coda (optional) Begins with “paseo” – a tonal introduction lacking the rhythmic accompaniment of other parts  Usually 8 measures long and repeated 3 themes – 16 measures each and all usually repeated  1 st and 2 nd similar with “bombardino” and percussions playing a basic rhythmic harmony  3 rd theme features the “bombardino” playing melody Ends with a repetition of the 1 st or 2 nd theme and an optional coda  These sections are not repeated Polyphonic with melody often switching between instruments Rich harmonic progression

Felices Dias One of Campos’s most famous works “Festive” danza  Characterized by livelier rhythmic patterns than romantic danzas A-A,-B-B,-C-C,-D-D,- B and Coda Duple time (4/4) Written for dance orchestra and transcribed to piano  ch?v=uHxHQti2f0Q ch?v=uHxHQti2f0Q

Ludwig van Beethoven Classical composer linking the Classical and Romantic Eras Dec 16, 1770 – Mar 26, 1827 Born in Germany Oldest of 3 boys Recognized early as a musical prodigy  1 st public performance at 7.5 years old 1 st composition before 14 years old Mother died 1787 Never again returned home Lived in Vienna In Vienna, studied under Franz Joseph Haydn Impulsive and excessive behavior, but extremely talented Wrote his own music and went on tour, performing in many countries of Eastern Europe Wrote when inspiration struck and created extravagant and dramatic music

Beethoven and the Scherzo Literally translated as “joke” – playful manner The scherzo was popularized and developed to its height with Beethoven’s work From previous minuet  Slow, rigid dance style  Much faster, no longer a dance, for entertainment Stand-alone or part of larger works  3 rd movement in most of Beethoven’s 9 symphonies Scherzo added drama to a symphony where a minuet would have been to slow it down

Eroica – 3 rd movement Allegro Triple time (3/4) Repetition of each section and a final repeat of the first for the ending A work for a full orchestra Written to add drama from the 2 nd movement depiction of a funeral march

Comparison Danza Beethoven ~Dance music ~Ends in Coda ~Simple duple time ~Dance orchestra ~influenced by many cultures ~Music for entertainment ~Simple triple time ~Classical orchestra ~did not travel, small region of influence ~Evolved from unpopular, strict European-styled dance ~Fast and Lively ~Each section x2 ~Repeat 2 nd movement at the end ~Melody switches instruments ~For orchestra

Works Cited   Youtube  Guicharo:  Maracas:  Felices dias:  Eroica: