Merengue is a type of lively, joyful music and dance that comes from the Dominican Republic. It is popular in the Dominican Republic, and all over Latin America.Merengue means whipped egg whites and sugar in Spanish, similar to the English word meringue. It is unclear as to why this name became the name of the music of the Dominican Republic. But, perhaps, it can trace its meaning from the movement on the dance floor that could remind one of an egg beater in action. This style of music was created by Ñico Lora in the 1920s; however, it was promoted by Rafael Trujillo, the president from the 1930s through the early 1960s, and eventually became the country’s national music and dance style. It was during the Trujillo era that the popular merengue, "Compadre Pedro Juan", by Luis Alberti, became an international hit. World famous Merengue singers include Miriam Cruz & Las Chicas Del Can, Los Hermanos Rosario, Juan Luis Guerra, Wilfrido Vargas, Sergio Vargas, Johnny Ventura, Kinito Mendez, Ravel, Josie Esteban y la Patrulla 15, Pochy y su Cocoband, Fernando Villalona, Cuco Valoy, The Freddie Kenton Orquestra, Elvis Crespo and Conjunto Quisqueya. Other artists popular in the Dominican Republic as of 2006 include Julian, Toño Rosario, Aguakate, and Amarfis. Milly Quezada is known as the Queen of Merengue. The popularity of Merengue is growing fast in Puerto Rico, due to the high Dominican influence, and immigrants on the island, such Puerto Rican Merengueros include Elvis Crespo, Olga Tañon, Grupo Mania, Limite 21.

Musicology

Meter: 2/4, tempo: fast.

The traditional instrumentation for a conjunto típico (traditional band), the usual performing group of folk merengue, is a diatonic accordion, a two sided drum held on the lap called a tambora, and a güira. A güira (Gwee-ra) is a percussion instrument that sounds like a maraca but in fact is a sheet of metal perforated with a nail, shaped into a cylinder, and played with a stiff brush. The guira is brushed steadily on the downbeat with a "and-a" thrown in at certain points, or played in more complex patterns that generally mark the time. "Caballito" rhythm, or a quarter and two eighths, is also common. The double headed drum is played on one side with a stick syncopation and on the other side with the palm of the hand. The traditional (some say fundamental) signature rhythm figure of merengue is the quintillo, which is essentially a syncopated motif whose pattern is broken by five successive drum head hits at the transition between every second and third beat, alternating between the hand and the stick. To purists, a merengue without quintillo is not truly a merengue, a viewpoint that has gradually fallen in disuse as other alternate figures are used more frequently (as the one traditionally called "jaleo", also known as "merengue bomba", wrongly identified as a mixture of merengue and Puerto Rican bomba music, and which actually also has its roots in traditional merengue).

Típico groups play a variety of rhythms, but most common are the merengue and the pambiche. In the 1930s-50s a bass instrument was also often used. Called marimba, it resembles the Cuban marimbula, and is a large box-shaped thumb piano with 3-6 metal keys.

In more urban settings, merengue is played with all manner of instrumentation, but the tambora and the guira are signatures. Today, orquesta, or big band, merengue is most popular. It uses a large horn section with paired saxophones, piano, timbales, hi-hat, backup singers, and conga in addition to tambora, guira, and bass. In modern merengue típico a saxophone is an addition to the accordion, along with electric bass guitar. A proof of the great adaptability of the music can be found in the Dominican National Symphony's presentation in 2003 of a concert series entitled "Symphonic Merengue" in which the Symphonic Orchestra consisting of woodwinds, brass, strings, and the like played popular tunes.

References

• Manuel, Peter (2006). Caribbean Currents: Caribbean Music from Rumba to Reggae (2nd edition). Philadelphia: Temple University Press. ISBN 1-59213-463-7.

Films

• 1984 - Caribbean Crucible. From Repercussions: A Celebration of African-American Music series, program 6. Directed by Dennis Marks and Geoffrey Haydon.

External links

• An article about Merengue, its history and styles - with music & video clips
• Live Bachata & Merengue music Stream / Musica Domincana, en Viva
• Merengue History

See also

• Angolan merengue
• Merengue Tipico, the earliest form of merengue
• Merengue (dance)
• Bachata
• Grupo Mania
• Cuarteto (Argentine variation)
• Dominican rock
• Dominican singers
• Haitian Méringue