There are two main genres of music native to the Dominican Republic. These genres also include a variety of sub-genres. Merengue was created in the 1920s by Francisco Antonio “Nico” Lora, and by the 1930s it had caught the ears of Rafael Leonidas Trujillo, eventually becoming the national song and dance of the island, modeled on the European Waltz.
Though Merengue was the outward representation of the country during this time, Bachata and other musical forms, with their deep roots in the Dominican folklore and history, became the inward representation of the Dominican people.
Bachata, named from the brothels, bars, and bordellos where singers would go and perform, was in direct contrast to everything Merengue was. The Dominican bourgeoisie at first dismissed bachata as worthless and it was therefore given the name bachata, meaning a rowdy lower-class fiesta (party). Until fairly recently, bachata was informally banned from Dominican radio and television. It was a silent protest against the sanitized image that Trujillo tried to create, and the voice of the country’s poor and peasant population. Revolutionary in the sense that Bachata musicians were forced to develop their own system of producing and distributing their music, this musical genre spoke of the troubles and problems of ordinary Dominican life, one that was not represented in the Merengue.
As time progressed other styles from around Latin America and the world filled the airwaves. Salsa became extremely popular and other musical styles like American rock provided a voice for the ensuing revolutions of the 1960s. It is important to understand that the popularity of American rock here was in direct relation to the revolutionary spirit present during the 1960s. It was the defiant attitude present in the music, along with the eruption of social unrest, here and abroad, that further popularized the blaring sounds of Rock.
Read more about the connection of Dominican identity, politics, and Afro Caribbean music: "Merengue and Dominican Identity"
Click through the below videos to see images of Trujillo and the Merengue music that was the staple of his regime.
Though Merengue was the outward representation of the country during this time, Bachata and other musical forms, with their deep roots in the Dominican folklore and history, became the inward representation of the Dominican people.
Bachata, named from the brothels, bars, and bordellos where singers would go and perform, was in direct contrast to everything Merengue was. The Dominican bourgeoisie at first dismissed bachata as worthless and it was therefore given the name bachata, meaning a rowdy lower-class fiesta (party). Until fairly recently, bachata was informally banned from Dominican radio and television. It was a silent protest against the sanitized image that Trujillo tried to create, and the voice of the country’s poor and peasant population. Revolutionary in the sense that Bachata musicians were forced to develop their own system of producing and distributing their music, this musical genre spoke of the troubles and problems of ordinary Dominican life, one that was not represented in the Merengue.
As time progressed other styles from around Latin America and the world filled the airwaves. Salsa became extremely popular and other musical styles like American rock provided a voice for the ensuing revolutions of the 1960s. It is important to understand that the popularity of American rock here was in direct relation to the revolutionary spirit present during the 1960s. It was the defiant attitude present in the music, along with the eruption of social unrest, here and abroad, that further popularized the blaring sounds of Rock.
Read more about the connection of Dominican identity, politics, and Afro Caribbean music: "Merengue and Dominican Identity"
Click through the below videos to see images of Trujillo and the Merengue music that was the staple of his regime.
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A brief documentary about the controversy and history of bachata as well as some classic bachata music
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