Music from the Dominican Republic

Music from the Dominican Republic:
The Merengue
A Basic Starter Handbook for Primary and Secondary
General Music, Grades 2-8
^ A typical merengue band. Photo courtesy of Microsoft Encarta Online
by
Trevor K Ousey
for MUS-E 231, General Music Methods, K-12
World Music Project
Katherine Strand, Professor
Friday, February 1st, 2008
Ousey 1
T
he Dominican Republic: 1492-2000 a.d.
In 1492, Christopher Columbus was the first European to set foot on the New World.
Today, this small island his fleet found is know as Hispaniola, or ‘Little Spain’ and is home to
Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Later that century, Christopher’s brother settled the city of
Santo Domingo and the oldest European city in the New World was founded. Today, Santa
Domingo is the capital.
Part of the island cluster know as The West
Indies, the Republic has a varied geography with the
majority of its landscape as mountains, but also
including some wide plains. These plains are the basis
for a large sugar crop in the Dominican Republic—an
economy that sustained the country for the vast
^ The island of Hispaniola or ‘Little Spain’
majority of its history. With the turn of the century,
the economy has changed to tourism and manufacturing. Nonetheless, the majority of the
country live below the poverty line and the country itself is very poor. Weather also plays a
contributing factor for the island is often hit by hurricanes because of its bordering bodies of
water, the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. The northern part of the island is home to a
land called Cibao. This is the most populated are of the republic with its fertile lands and
stunning mountain ranges which protect it from the gale-force winds of the sea.
While the Europeans were the main settlement group in the first hundred years, the salve
trade also introduced a need for slaves, and thus the island is composed of blacks, Europeans,
and those with a mix of the two. This creates a chasm in classes where the lighter-colored skin
Dominicans usually have the better jobs and are better treated than those of more African skin
color. The country has 9.3 million people and Spanish is the principle language.
The Dominican Republic is a fairly young island considering its founding was only in
1492. Even though the history of the island is short, it has been full of problems and significant
changes. When Columbus first landed on the island, he was confronted by the native Arawakspeaking Taino people. Unfortunately, this group of Indians dies out because of disease and
maltreatment by the mid-1500’s. With the extinction of the primary farming group on the island,
a need for slaves was created, and thus Hispaniola became a part of the slave trade. Nonetheless,
with it’s sparse population and difficult topography, the Spanish were unable to prevent the
French from settling the western half of the island, and in 1697, the Treaty of Ryswick was
signed giving the western third of the island to France.
The island changed through many hands of different countries before the 19th century and
by 1809, Spain had re-claimed Santo Domingo while the new country of Haiti was born after a
revolt against the French. In 1821, Haiti took over
Santa Domingo and ruled until 1844 when the
Dominican forces finally declared their
independence and on February 27th, 1844, the
Dominican Republic was founded with a
constitution similar to that of the United States.
^ The current flag of the Dominican Republic
The 1900’s brought even more chaos to the island with the leadership changing many
times over the course of the century. From 1916 to 1924, the United States occupied the island in
an effort to re-align the financial system in order for the country to pay back loans and debt to
the international community. In 1930, one of the most significant rulers of the Dominican
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Republic came to power—Rafael Trujillo. Elected president, he immediately gained control of
the entire island and the government, eliminating any opposition. He even renamed the capital
city, Santo Domingo, to Ciudad Trujillo or Trujillo City. He controlled all aspects of daily life
for the Dominicans. His reign ended however in 1961 after his assassination.
A civil war broke out in 1964 and United States forces intervened under the order of
President Johnson in 1965 in fear that communist forces had supported the opposition. A ceasefire was established in 1965 and a revised government took control. Since the revision of the
democratic government, there have been regular presidential elections in the country. Today, the
Dominican Republic stills battle with poverty and poor economic conditions. In 2004, the
country still owed nearly $2 billion in foreign debt. The island continues to reshape under the
new government even today and is a bed of constant strife and turmoil. (Encarta 2007)
M
usic of the Dominican Republic: The Merengue
The exact date is uncertain, however, the first historical reference to the merengue
occurred in the year 1854 with Rafael Vidal’s account of the independence wars between the
Haitians and the Dominicans during the previous decade. He reported of a new music played by
the Dominican musicians on the battlefield after defeating a Haitian army. This date is disputed,
however, and therefore leaves the quest for the first sign of merengue music open to debate.
(Tejeda, 2003).
Beginnings
Regardless of the exact date the music first appeared on the island of Hispaniola, by the
mid 19th century, merengue had found its way into Dominican culture and ballrooms. The
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earliest form of merengue was similar to the European contradanse (much like a waltz) due to the
heavy influence of European culture left on the island after its initial settlement by Bartolome
Columbus in 1492 (Steward, 1999). The main difference was the rhythm of the music. Because
of Hispaniola’s heavy involvement with the slave trade, the African influence had a profound
impact on the music. The African drum patterns and syncopated rhythmic qualities created a
much more lively music than the more traditional European contradanse. The new, more
energetic rhythms combined with the more sensual dance that followed it were the reasons why
most ballrooms in the republic banned the music. (Morales, 2003. Austerlitz, 1997 & 2005).
While the social elite stuck to the European contradanse, the rural communities continued
performing the music especially during patron-saint festivals (Morales, 2003). These songs
quickly became a part of the every day life in rural Dominica and many songs were written about
love, humor, and other topics. During this time, the work of two clarinetists, Juan Alfonseca and
Esteban Morell, were crucial in the early survival of the merengue. Some of the early writings
proved to be the foundation for later merengue movements. The Ciabo region north of Santo
Domingo became a hotspot for the merengue especially during the United States occupation of
Hispaniola from 1916 to 1924. This area, composed mostly of plantations, simplified the
merengue in terms of musical form and instrumentation.
The merengue in Cibao created the
first style of merengue called ‘merengue
tipico cibaeno’ or ‘typical Cibao
merengue.’ This style had a strong four
beat pattern and implemented a simple four
to five member ensemble. This small group
^ A typical merengue band. Instrument from left to right: the alto
saxophone, the button accordion, the box marimba, the güira,
and the tambora.
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consisted of a double-sided drum called the tambora, a metal scraping instrument called the
güira, a button accordion, and a box marimba. A fifth member, usually playing guitar or a lute,
could also be found. During the United States occupation, the jazz era in America influenced the
performers, and in the 1930’s, the alto saxophone was introduced. With the addition of the button
accordion, the merengue became exclusively pitched in major keys due to the early accordion’s
lack of ability to play anything minor. Two other merengue styles were also prevalent including
‘perico ripiao’ or ‘ripped parrot’ which was slang for cocaine and prostitution (two themes often
found in this style of merengue,) and ‘pambiche’ which was the Spanish word for Palm Beach.
Palm Beach was slang for the drill cloth worn by United States marines during the occupation of
Hispaniola (Steward, 1999. Austerlitz, 1997). The pambiche style was slower tan tipico cibaeno
and was more popular with the marines occupying the republic.
Rafael Trujillo
The next major development in the merengue came from the
dictatorship of Rafael Tujillo. Trujillo brought the merengue back
into the every day lives of the Dominicans and out of the rural
countryside villages. His purpose throughout his reign was to seek a
pure Dominican identity free from influence by the Haitians, the
Africans, or even America. He saw this pure identity in merengue
music, much to critics’ disdain. Trujillo denied the involvement of
the Africans in created the music’s rhythmical pulse and the
^ Rafeal Trujillo, former
dictator of the Dominican
Republic
American influence of instrumentation with the saxophone. In the early 1930’s, Trujillo directed
Luis Alberti, pianist and conductor of the symphony in Santiago, to compose merengue music.
Unlike previous attempts at creating lyrics, however, Trujillo demanded all lyrics pay tribute to
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him, the country, and the government. Trujillo then proceeded to allow his handpicked merengue
band to plan at the finest hotel of the day in the Dominican Republic, the Jaragua. Even further,
Trujillo employed his brother at one of the few radio stations in the republic to play only
merengue music and to even sponsor merengue competitions (Austerlitz, 2005 & 1997. Morales,
2003. Tejeda, 2003).
The sudden saturation of merengue in the daily lives of Dominicans slowly had its affects
on the population, and ballrooms across the country re-introduced the new, jazzier and more
rhythmical version of merengue. While Trujillo’s dictatorship had both positives and negatives,
the influence of merengue was successful, and after his death in 1960, merengue continued to
flourish even more so than during his reign thanks to three musicians; Johnny Ventura, Wilfrido
Vargus, and Juan Luis Guerra.
The Kings of Merengue
After the death of Rafael Trujillo, merengue went through
another change in style. Juan de Dios, who changed his name to
Johnny Ventura, propelled the change in 1954 when he organized a
merengue ensemble, much like past merengue artists. This time,
however, the lyrics were different, there was even more American
jazz and soul flavors infused into the style, the tempo sped up
dramatically, and a certain exuberance was introduced as all 12
members of Ventura’s combo wore flashy costumes and danced for
^ Johnny Ventura
the entirety of a concert. He also changed the instrumentation, too,
by adding the conga drum and a small horn section. The box marimba was also replaced with a
string bass at first, then later the electric bass guitar and synthesizer (Austerlitz, 1997).
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Another influential merengue artist began as a trumpet player in the orchestra created by
Trujillo. Wilfrido Vargas, however, did not become famous until the late 1960’s. During the late
1960’s, Vargas played with a band called Los Beduinos at a local club in Santa Domingo. Soon,
his popularity grew and by the late 1970’s, Vargas was producing albums on a regular basis.
Two of his most famous albums include Punto y aparte! released in 1978 and Evolucion in 1984.
What kept Vargas near the top of the merengue charts was his ability to incorporate styles from
neighboring cultures such as Cuba and the United States and therefore allowing merengue to
reach out an even greater audience.
With arrival of the 1980’s, another merengue artist hit the scene along with backup
singers well in tune. Juan Luis Guerra, born in 1957, studied at the Berkelee college of music in
Boston and was a big fan of the Beatles. Returning to the Dominican Republic in 1984, he
immediately formed a band called the Juan Luis Guerra y 4.40. The 4.40 came from his backup
singers who strived to always sing in tune much like the note A
that has a standard pitch of 440 cycles per second. This group also
incorporated a variety of musical styles from African and Brazil.
Guerra also was a master with lyrics. His single, Bachata Rosa,
won the first Grammy for a merengue genre band. He also wrote a
song entitled Ojala Qur Llueva Café, a jingle for a coffee brand,
which plead for better economic conditions. The song became a
national hit and began a trend for Guerra of songs protesting
social and economic conditions in the country, especially
concerning the poor. Today, he is considered one of the foremost artists in merengue music.
(Steward, 1999).
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Merengue Today
Today’s merengue is the fastest it’s ever been and merengue pop artists continue infusing
new styles into the music. Rap, Rhythm and Blues, Jazz, and Techno have all found their way
into merengue. Some critics argue that this incorporation of international styles is creating a
lesser merengue unfamiliar with it’s roots. Nonetheless, merengue continues to be the number
one requested music in the Dominican republic and around the Caribbean.
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S
ample Lesson Plans
The following are three sample lesson plans to teach some aspect of the merengue. Each
is intended for a general music class including grades K through 12.
Lesson 1
Teaching the Merengue Dance to Emphasize Beats
Grade Level: 5th-6th grade
Prior Learning:
This lesson should come near the middle or end of a Dominican Republic unit. Each student
should know the basic history of the republic in particular regards to merengue music.
Learning Objectives: Through the lesson, the student will be able to…
• Demonstrate pulse and rhythm through body percussion and basic movements
• Analyze and discuss a live performance of “Para ti” by Juan Luis Guerra
• Dance a basic merengue step to music
Standards Addressed:
From the Music Educators National Convention:
6. Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.
7. Evaluating music and music performances.
8. Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the
arts.
9. Understanding music in relation to history and culture.
Materials:
• The supplementary CD included in this packet
• A classroom with a large empty space for movement without injury
• A projector and speakers or TV hooked up to a computer
Sequence:
Warm-Up Activity
1. Have all the children stand up and stretch. Various stretches include reach to the sky
where students interlock hands and reach up as far as they can go, touch your toes,
roll your head and shoulders, and various other kinesthetic exercises to loosen up
general muscle groups.
2. Have students stand in a circle facing inward and put both feet together. The students
should be spaced apart to where they could take a normal sized step to the left or right
and not come in contact with another student. This can be accomplished by having
students reach out there arms and making sure no other student is touching their
fingers on either side.
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3. Have students gently pat there thighs in a slow rhythm with the teacher. Make sure
students continue standing straight up when doing this task.
4. Count out loud each beat, “one, two, one, two” and ask the students to repeat it back
to you.
5. Stop the body percussion and explain to the student that every time the teacher says
“two”, they will take one step to the left and when the teacher says the word “one”
they should bring their right foot into the left foot. The students should do this around
the circle keeping the integrity of the shape and being aware of everyone else’s
boundaries and not touching any other student.
6. Repeat the same process with the right foot leading and the left foot coming in to join
the right foot.
7. Ask the students to emphasize the hip motions during the activity and to push off with
the foot that is coming in to join the other foot to avoid stumbling or losing balance.
8. Try this at various tempos. Then ask the students to do the activity with the vocal
“one, two” cues.
Background Preparation
1. Have the students sit down.
2. At this point, the teacher should review information about merengue music and it’s
origins.
3. Tell the students that the merengue music originated through a dance. Inform the
students that the dance was even banned from the ballrooms because of its risqué
nature (define risqué,) however, assure them that they will soon see how silly that
claim was.
4. Play the video “Para ti” by Juan Luis Guerra and the Groupo 4.40 included in the
supplementary materials CD. Ask the students to listen to the music and watch the
singers as they dance on stage. Ask the students to answer the following questions:
a. How much space is each dancer using?
b. What body part is the primary source of movement?
c. How fast is the dance and what beats seem to get the most emphasis?
5. Discuss some possible answers.
6. On the overhead or with a projector, display the side-by-side lyrics from “Para ti”
(Spanish and English.) These lyrics can be found in a word document on the
supplementary CD. Read the Spanish to the students followed by the English. Discuss
what Juan Luis Guerra may mean by those lyrics; what message is he trying to sing?
7. Relate Juan’s message to the history of the Dominican Republic. Ask the students,
during what ear of the Republic may he be talking about and why? An answer may
include the era after the ruler Rafael Trujillo when the merengue musicians and
dancers were allowed more freedom in expression.
Merengue Activity
1. Ask the students to stand back up and form several lines facing the teacher with
plenty of room from left to right in particular.
2. If a wall mirrors is present, proceed to do the following facing the mirror. If no mirror
is present, face the students and mirror there image. This may require a little
explanation if the students seem confused on why the teacher says to move left much
moves to their right themselves.
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3. Ask the students to repeat what they did in the warm-up activity to your counting,
however, to do it in a smaller space much like the dancers on the video. Their steps
should be no more than 12 inches to the left or right.
4. Start the students off at a slow, moderate tempo. When they seem to have down the
basic movement going to the left, have them repeat the steps to the right,.
5. Ask the students to think of both counts one and two as one complete movement
called “right” or “left” depending on the direction of movement. Then ask the student
complete four “rights” and four “lefts” under your direction and counting.
6. Combine a set of four “rights” with a set of four “lefts” and continue alternating.
When the class has down the basic concept, proceed to push the tempo of the dance
up to that of “Para ti.” Make sure students keep there movements small and direct as
not to hurt anyone or lose balance.
7. Play the audio of “Para ti,” and, when appropriate, count the students off and proceed
to dance to “Para ti.”
Wrap-up
1. Ask the students to sit down and think about why this dance was used with this type
of music. Answers should revolve around the fast tempos correlating with the small,
quick movements, and the ability for even the least skilled dancer to complete the
dance successfully.
2. Review the theme of the song and ask what the message may mean for them in their
lives. These answers should be personal.
Assessment:
• The teacher will be able to observe basic movements of the children and determine
whether or not the student can feel the beat and move in time.
• Through a question and answer session, the teacher will be able to determine the level
of detail the student notices in a video recording of a live performance of a piece of
music.
• By observing the class, the teacher will be able to assess whether the two-beat rhythm
is felt by the students.
Self-Assessment:
• Where the students active, motivated, and eager to participate?
• How smoothly did the activity proceed?
• Where any students confused? Was their a certain concept that was unclear?
• What would I do differently to make the lesson more successful?
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Lesson 2
Teaching the History of the Dominican Republic through Merengue Song Lyrics
Grade Level: Middle School
Prior Learning:
This lesson should come as a possible review lesson of the history of the Dominican
Republic and Merengue music.
Learning Objectives: Through the lesson, the student will be able to…
• Apply previously learned knowledge of the Dominican Republic to merengue song lyrics
• Decipher figurative language and double meanings in merengue song lyrics
Standards Addressed:
From the Music Educators National Convention:
8. Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the
arts.
9. Understanding music in relation to history and culture.
Materials:
• Handout: Merengue Lyrics—Excerpts” from supplementary CD
Sequence:
Warm-Up Activity
1. Have the students write on a piece of paper the answer to the following question:
What song, in terms of the lyrics, best summarizes an incident in your life which you
remember vividly?
2. Have the students share their answers and ask them to give a very brief synopsis of
the event in their life which best relates to the song.
3. Ask the students to think about the following question: Can you think of any culture
or society which may share stories or history through song? Answers may vary, but
should be supported to be valid.
Activity
1. Hand each student the handout entitled “Merengue Lyrics—Excerpts” provided on
the supplementary CD.
2. The teacher can select individual students to read the lyrics one song at a time, or the
teacher can read them. After reading each song twice, discuss the songs:
a. Song 1: This song discusses the revolutionary war for the Dominican
Republic from the Haitians. The song is a joke about a Haitian soldier seen
running away from the battle field with the Haitian flag. The Dominican war
for independence was the first significant event for the country since the
founding of Santa Domingo in 1492. This song also became one of the first
written records of merengue existing in the Dominican Republic.
b. Song 2: The United States occupied the Dominican Republic from 1916 to
1924. The correct answer to “Fill in the blanks” question is the United States.
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c.
d.
e.
f.
Merengue music was greatly influenced by the occupation. The alto
saxophone was introduced and songs became geared towards the occupation
itself.
Song 3: “Palm-Beach” was slang for the cloth which made up the U.S. Marine
solders’ uniforms. This song is an example of how the Dominicans used the
occupation as inspiration for songs.
Song 4: After the U.S. occupation ended in 1924, a new leader came into
power—Rafael Trujillo. Trujillo later turned out to be a dictator, and this song
is an example of how he used his power to control the creativity of the
merengue writers. During his rule, all of the songs must praise the country,
himself, or the government which he had put in place.
Song 5: This song came shortly after the death of Trujillo in 1961—the goat
symbolic of Trujillo himself. After his death, merengue music exploded for
the controls set by Trujillo in what could be written and how were no longer
in place.
Song 6: With more freedom given to merengue song writers, the songs often
turned to the harsh realities of the daily lives in the Republic. Many
Dominicans lived in poverty had barely enough sustenance to live on. This
spurred the mass migration to the United States, in particular to New York in
the late century.
Wrap-Up
1. Ask each student to consider their lives to date. Ask them to think of three specific
memorable events in their lives.
2. Ask each student to write down either lyrics or songs and their relationship to their
lives.
Assessment:
• The teacher will use thinking questions to guide class discussion of the lyrics.
• The teacher will use the two worksheet questions to assess understanding and
application of Dominican history and it’s relationship to the lyrics.
Self-Assessment:
• Where the students active, motivated, and eager to participate?
• How smoothly did the activity proceed?
• Where any students confused? Was their a certain concept that was unclear?
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Lesson 3
Creating Your Own Merengue
Grade Level: 2 Grade through 4th grade
nd
Prior Learning:
The students should know how to play basic rhythms. Reading rhythms from music is a
benefit, but will not impede a student from actively participating in the activity.
Learning Objectives: Through the lesson, the student will be able to…
• Perform a basic eighth-double sixteenth rhythm
• Improvise rhythms on a drum
• Play body percussion in a round
Standards Addressed:
From the Music Educators National Convention:
2. Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
3. Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments.
Materials:
• A tmabora or some other percussion substitute such as a conga drum
Sequence:
Warm-Up Activity
1. Meet the students at the door of the classroom and tell them to mimic what you do as
they walk in. Tell the students to remain in a straight line and to follow the teacher.
2. Lead the students into the classroom with a basic march movement at a 60bpm beat
with emphasis on the left and right feet. The students should end in a circle in the
classroom. Have the students continue marching around the classroom.
3. While the students are still marching around the classroom, clap on the upbeats. So
the pattern is stomp, clap, stomp, clap, etc. while moving forward around the circle.
4. Have the students stop, face the center of the circle and stand with both arms down by
their sides. The teacher will then proceed through some basic call and response body
percussion with 4-beat rhythms in varying complexities.
Activity
1. The teacher will demonstrate the following:
a. The teacher will keep a steady tempo at around 80bpm with their hands
patting their thighs.
b. While the teacher is keeping a steady pulse, the teacher will proceed to say “I
like to dance the merengue dance” in this rhythm:
2. The teacher will teach the students this pattern using a call and response method.
Ousey 14
3. After the class has grasped the concept, the teacher will speed the tempo up gradually
to 120bpm.
4. After the students have mastered the pattern at 120bpm, the teacher will divide the
class into two halves. The first half will start on the first beat while the second half
will start on the second beat, like so:
5. Have the students repeat the rhythm over and over until the student have mastered it.
Then switch groups and try again. Make sure they keep a steady tempo with their
hands on their thighs.
6. Stop the students and explain to them that this is the basic rhythm for the güira in a
merengue band.
7. Bring out the tambora or substitute drum and explain that a tambora is another
instrument often found in a merengue band.
8. Give the student the drum and ask the student to play any rhythm they would like.
Observe and make comments on their style and technique.
9. Proceed to have the rest of the class play and speak the güira pattern. Ask the student
with the drum to play for 8 repetitions of “I like to dance the merengue dance” by
group one.
10. Pass the drum around the circle and give every student a chance to improvise their
own rhythms.
Assessment:
• The teacher will observe students clap and speak the rhythms
• The teacher will observe students improvise rhythms on a drum
Self-Assessment:
• Where the students active, motivated, and eager to participate?
• How smoothly did the activity proceed?
• Where any students confused? Was their a certain concept that was unclear?
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B
ibliography
Austerlitz, Paul. "Dominican Republic." Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the
World: Vol. III, Caribbean and Latin America. 1st ed. 2005.
This source is a great ‘kick-off’ resource for someone beginning to research the merengue
and music of the Dominican Republic. It contains about 10-15 pages on the music of the
Dominican Republic and mentions names, styles, and a brief history of the music from which
to do further research. This was the first source I used to begin my research and ultimately it
was one of the few resources I kept coming back to determine the next direction I wanted to
take my research.
Austerlitz, Paul. Merengue: Dominican Music and Dominican Identity. Philadelphia: Temple
University Press, 1997.
After doing some research, I often found books using this book or author as a resource in
their own citations. This also was the basis for the excerpt in the Continuum Encyclopedia of
Popular Music on merengue and the music of the Dominica Republic. This book by far was
the most in-depth and practical guide for research. It’s length, while significant, was worth
every page of detail, examples or real music, and the like. It was the most used resource in
my paper and one which I am continuing to read today for further insight.
Coopersmith, J. M. Music and Musicians of the Dominican Republic. Washington: Pan
American Union, 1947.
This source, while valuable for the history of the Dominican Republic, was rather outdated in
terms of the merengue. Because it was written in 1947 still during Trujillo’s leadership, the
viewpoint was narrow and the information was problematic. This source is no longer
practical and was the least used in this project.
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"Dominican Republic," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2007. http://encarta.msn.com
© 1997-2007 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
With technology changing every day, the Encarta Online Encyclopedia still is a reliable
source for basic and concise information on many topics. This source was my primary source
for research of the country itself and it’s general history, geography, and culture.
Malabe, Frank, and Bob Weiner. Afro-Cuban Rhythms for Drumset. Miami, Florida: Manhattan
Music, 1990.
Keeping in mind that I also needed resources to give me ideas about lessons, I used this
resource as a tool in developing ideas. The book gives a step-by-step breakdown of some of
the most common rhythms in the merengue and how one could play these rhythms on a drum
set if the native instruments are unavailable.
Morales, Ed. The Latin Beat. 1st. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Da Capo Press, 2003.
This book was another great resource on basic information regarding the merengue. It had
an entire chapter dedicated to the merengue. It is also another recent book and had
wonderful information regarding current trends in merengue.
Puleo, Gus. "Merengue and the Politics of Nationhood and Identity in the Dominican Republic."
Latin American Issues. Meadville, Pennsylvania: Allegheny College, 1997.
I checked out this resource just to get a little idea of what people are saying about merengue
and the Dominican Republic. While I used little of the information in my actual project, it
gave insight into why certain styles may be popular. This resource, however, is very biased,
and not recommended as a solo citation in a major project such as this.
Steward, Sue. Musica!. London: Thames and Hudson Ltd., 1999.
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Another valuable resource, this book had wonderful pictures to put faces to some of the
repeatedly mentioned names of the merengue. It also gave pictures of the traditional
instruments. Lastly, this book had great information about Juan Luis Guerra and his band
Groupo 4.40, a group not mentioned as much in other books because of their recent entry
into the merengue scene.
Tejeda, Dario. The Merengue: Its Origin, History, and Legends. Santa Domingo, the Dominican
Republic: Ediciones Artista, 2003.
This book gave basic information on the merengue and was a good start to further research.
Much like the chapter from the Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music, the information
was clear and concise and a great springboard for more topics to research.
Ulano, Sam. Practical Guide for the Working Drummer. New York: Lane Publishing Company,
1957.
After working with the Frank Malabe book, I realized it may be worth my time to check out a
similar style of book that is more current. This is what turned up and I am glad I was able to
obtain it. Not only did it have more current merengue rhythms, it came with a CD of each
exercise listed in the book.
D
iscography
Guerra, Juan Luis. “Para ti.” Para ti. 2004. Venemusic.
Vargas, Wilfrido. “Abusadora.” Serie Platino: Wilfrido Vargas 2000. BMG Music.
Various Artists. A Rough Guide to Merengue and Bachata. 2001. World Music Network.
Ousey 18