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Article: With strings attached.(string instruments in Puerto Rican popular music)
- Article from:
- Latin Beat Magazine
- Article date:
- May 1, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Latin Beat Magazine. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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String instruments have always been an essential part of Puerto Rican music and culture. It all began with the Spanish settlers who brought with them their lutes, vihuelas, treble guitars (tiples) and traditional Spanish guitars. In their long and lonely passages across the ocean, sailors and prospective settlers found comforting companionship in their string instruments. Once settled in the New World, the players, as well as their instruments, became Creolized. From the mixing of races and musical cultures emerged something new. In Puerto Rico, the Creoles (native-born Puerto Ricans) developed their own versions of the string instruments that carne from Spain. Among their ...