Department of Education

Music 10
Afro-Latin American and Popular Music
Second Quarter - Week 1

Ghia Cressida T. Hernandez

Gary Oliver R. Zambrano

Writer

Eden B. Binaday
Validator

Quality Assurance Team Chair

Schools Division Office – Muntinlupa City

Student Center for Life Skills Bldg., Centennial Ave., Brgy. Tunasan, Muntinlupa City
(02) 8805-9935 / (02) 8805-9940

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African and Latin American Music

After completing the lesson in the SLeM, you are expected to:
1. Describe the historical and cultural background of Afro-Latin American
and popular music
2. Analyzes musical characteristics of Afro-Latin American and Popular
music through listening activities
3. Performs selections of Afro-Latin American and popular music in
appropriate pitch, rhythm, style and expression.

Directions: Encircle the letter of the best answer.

1. What instrumental ensemble in Africa combines the strong rhythms of African

percussion instruments with Portuguese melodies?
A. Blue C. Soul
B. Maracatu D. Spiritual

2. This musical form of Africa became their outlet to vent their loneliness and uplift
their spirits. What do you call this song form by African migrants to America who
became enslaved by its white communities?
A. Blue C. Soul
B. Maracatu D. Spiritual

3. What African vocal music is a succession of two distinct musical phrases where
the second phrase acts as a direct commentary on or response to the first?
A. Blue C. Maracatu
B. Call and Response D. Spiritual

4. Reggae is a Jamaican sound dominated by bass guitar and drums. Who is the
best known proponent of reggae music?
A. Stephen Bishop C. Bruno Mars
B. Bob Marley D. Jay-Z

5. Bossa nova emerged in the 1950’s when a slower, gentler version of the samba
became popular with the upper- and middle-class sectors of society. In Philippine
pop setting, who became the Philippine’s Queen of Bossa Nova?
A. Regine Velasquez C. Yeng Constantino
B. Lea Salonga D. Sitti Navarro

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6. Another Latin American music is a modern Trinidadian and Tobago pop music
combining “soul” and “calypso” music. Which of the following is it?
A. Reggae C. Were
B. Soca D. Zouk

7. Which of the following is a fast, carnival-like rhythmic music and is popular

during 1980s?
A. Reggae C. Were
B. Soca D. Zouk

8. It is a musical form of the late 19th century that has had deep roots in African-
American communities.
A. Blues C. Soul
B. Maracatu D. Spiritual

9. This popular music genre combines elements of African American gospel music,
rhythm and blues, and often jazz.
A. Blues C. Soul
B. Maracatu D. Spiritual

10. What kind of instruments was mostly used in Maracatu?

A. Brass C. Strings
B. Percussion D. Woodwinds

11. It is the basic underlying rhythm that typifies most Brazilian music.
A. Bossa Nova C. Samba
B. Reggae D. Soca

12. This Latin American music is Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Colombian dance
music. It comprises various musical genres including the Cuban son montuno,
guaracha, chachacha, mambo and bolero.
A. Salsa C. Soca
B. Samba D. Zouk

13. It is a ballroom dance, musical style and song evolved in 1880 in Buenos Aires.
A. Reggae C. Tango
B. Samba D. Were

14. It is a fusion of the popular music or canciones (songs) of Spain and the African
rumba rhythms of Bantu origin
A. Salsa C. Son
B. Samba D. Soul

15. What is the meaning of the term bossa nova?

A. New trend C. New dance
B. New song D. New craze

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Let’s look back.

Across:

1. It simply means new classical.

3. The composer of “Bolero.”
4. He is credited for the develop-
ment of the 12-tone scale.
5. A musical style that focuses on
nature and its beauty.
7. Russian composer of
“Petrouchka.”
8. Piano composition of Ravel Down:
about mirrors.
2. A musical style that gives
9. Debussy’s composition about
emphasis on emotion and
the sea.
technicality of composition
10.A sequence of notes that is
6. The tension, clashing, or the
musically satisfying.
disharmony among notes.

Vocal Forms of African Music

Maracatu first surfaced in the African state of Pernambuco, combining the strong
rhythms of African percussion instruments with Portuguese melodies. The
maracatu groups were called “nacoes” (nations) who paraded with a drumming
ensemble numbering up to 100, accompanied by a singer, chorus, and a coterie of
dancers. The maracatu uses mostly percussion instruments such as alfaia, tarol,
caixa-de-guerra, gonge, agbe and miniero.

The blues is a musical form of the late 19th century that has had deep roots in
African- American communities. These communities are located in the so-called
“Deep South” of the United States. The slaves and their descendants used to sing
as they worked in the cotton and vegetable fields. The notes of the blues create an
expressive and soulful sound. The feelings that are evoked are normally associated
with slight degrees of misfortune, lost love, frustration, or loneliness.

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Soul music was a popular music genre of the 1950s and 1960s and originated in
United States. It combines elements of African-American gospel music, rhythm and
blues, and often jazz. The catchy rhythms are accompanied by handclaps and
extemporaneous body moves which are among its important features.

The term spiritual, normally associated with a deeply religious person, refers here
to a Negro spiritual, a song form by African migrants to America who became
enslaved by its white communities. This musical form became their outlet to vent
their loneliness and anger, and is a result of the interaction of music and religion
from Africa with that of America. Examples of spiritual music are the following: We
are Climbing Jacob’s Ladder, Rock My Soul, When the Saints Go Marching In, and
Peace Be Still.

The call and response method is a succession of two distinct musical phrases
usually rendered by different musicians, where the second phrase acts as a direct
commentary on or response to the first. Much like the question and answer
sequence in human communication, it also forms a strong resemblance to the
verse-chorus form in many vocal compositions.

Latin American Music Influenced by African Music

Reggae is a Jamaican sound dominated by bass guitar and drums. It refers to a

particular music style that was strongly influenced by traditional mento and
calypso music, as well as American jazz, and rhythm and blues. The most
recognizable musical elements of reggae are its offbeat rhythm and staccato chords.
The best-known proponent of reggae music is Bob Marley, a Jamaican singer-
songwriter, musician, and guitarist.

Salsa music is Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Colombian dance music. It comprises
various musical genres including the Cuban son montuno, guaracha, chachacha,
mambo and bolero.

Samba is the basic underlying rhythm that typifies most Brazilian music. It is a
lively and rhythmical dance and music with three steps to every bar, making the
Samba feel like a timed dance. There is a set of dances—rather than a single dance
—that define the Samba dancing scene in Brazil. Thus, no one dance can be
claimed with certainty as the “original” Samba style.

Soca is a modern Trinidadian and Tobago pop music combining “soul” and
“calypso” music.

Zouk is fast, carnival-like hythmic music, from the Creole slang word for ‘party,’
originating in the Carribean Islands of Guadaloupe and Martinique and popularized
in the 1980’s.

Latin American Popular Music Forms

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Tango is a ballroom dance, musical style and song. The tango evolved in 1880 in
dance halls and perhaps brothels in the lower class district of Buenos Aires, where
the Spanish tango, a light-spirited variety of flamenco, merged with the milonga, a
fast, sensual and disreputable Argentine dance.

Bossa Nova a style of popular Brazilian music derived from the samba but with
more melodic and harmonic complexity and less emphasis on percussion. The
phrase bossa nova means “new trend” or “new wave”. In the Philippine pop music
scene, Sitti Navarro is a singer who has become known as the “Philippines’ Queen
of Bossa Nova.”

The samba is a dance form of African origins around 1838 which evolved into an
African- Brazilian invention in the working class and slum districts of Rio de
Janeiro.

The son is a fusion of the popular music or canciones (songs) of Spain and the
African rumba rhythms of Bantu origin. Originating in Cuba, it is usually played
with the tres (guitar), contrabass, bongos, maracas, and claves (two wooden sticks
that are hit together).

The salsa is a social dance with marked influences from Cuba and Puerto Rico that
started in New York in the mid 1970’s. Its style contains elements from the swing
dance and hustle as well as the complex Afro-Cuban and Afro-Carribean dance
forms of pachanga and guaguanco.

For Listening examples of Afro-Latin American Music: Watch the following:

1. Maracatu https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rq8xSIDZg3s
2. Blues https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZTai3DxMXM
3. Soul https://youtu.be/TAros8yOdCg
4. Spiritual “Wade in the Water” https://youtu.be/ZXqMQfpNSes
5. Call and Response “Kye Kye Kule” https://youtu.be/CljnPjdmHQE
6. Reggae “One Love” https://youtu.be/vdB-8eLEW8g
7. Salsa https://youtu.be/DH8StTUCQNY
8. Samba https://youtu.be/ofKsIUpXy1s
9. Soca https://youtu.be/KHUTTM8MkXk
10. Bossa Nova “Para Sa akin” https://youtu.be/jnj8cTnnbMo

Directions: Identify the musical style of African and Latin American music based
from the following music characteristics. Choose your answers from the box

Son Soul Reggae Samba

Salsa Maracatu Bossa Nova Tango

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 Soca Blues Call and Respone
Characteristics Musical Style
Off-beat rhythms and staccato 1.
chords
African percussion with Portuguese 2.
melodies
Lively and rhythmical dance 3.
Pop music combining soul and 4.
calypso music
More melodic and harmonic 5.
complexity
Fusion of pop music canciones and 6.
rumba rhythm
Contains elements from the swing 7.
and dance hustle
Like a question and answer sequence 8.
Catchy rhythms accompanied by 9.
hand claps
The note creates an expressive and 10.
soulful sound

The history of Afro-Latin American music can be traced during the European
colonization and slave trade in Africa. Their music is identified by their rhythms,
which they adapted from the elements of Moorish music and African and
Caribbean music in the slave trade from 1550 to 1880. The enslaved Moors of
Northern America in 1776 were prohibited from playing drums, but in the Congo
Square in New Orleans, Caribbean slaves were free to play their drums for
recreation and entertainment and also for communication.

The African influence on Latin American music is most pronounced in its

rich and varied rhythmic patterns produced by the drums and various percussion
instruments. Complex layering of rhythmic patterns was a favorite device, where
fast paced tempos add to the rhythmic density. Vocal music was often deep-chested
while instrumental music greatly relied on resonant drums and sympathetic
buzzers to produce rich sounds and occasional loud volume levels to reflect their
intensity.

True or False
Directions: Write TRUE if the statement is true and FALSE if the statement is
incorrect.
____________1. Tango is a ballroom dance from Latin America.

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____________2. The history of Afro-Latin American music can be traced during the
European colonization and slave trade in Africa.
____________3. Reggae is a social dance with marked influences from Cuba and
Puerto Rico.
____________4. Spiritual is musical form that became an outlet to vent their
loneliness and anger.
____________5. Blues music combines elements of African-American gospel music,
rhythm and blues, and often jazz.

Performance Task:
 Singing Reggae songs (One Day or One Love) or Bossa Nova (Para Sa Akin)

a. Listen to the songs One Day, One Love or Para Sa Akin from
Youtube, google or facebook.
b. Choose a song and record a video of your performance in acoustic
(with guitar) or minus one, using your cellular phone, digital camera, or
video camera
C. Send via messenger to your teacher or save in USB Flashdrive

Rubrics for performance:

Poor (10 pts) Fair (20 pts) Good (30pts) Excellent

(40pts)
Vocal Singing is weak. Singing is soft Singing is clear Singing is
Performance of Voice lacks a but pitch is but lacks strong. Voice is
any song from healthy tone mostly support. Pitch is clear and well
African and quality and accurate. mostly supported.
Latin American breath support. Student accurate. Pitch is
and Popular Pitch is sometimes is Student shows accurate.
Music inaccurate. not confident. some Student is
Student lacks confidence. confident.
confidence.

Directions: Encircle the letter of the best answer.

1. The most recognizable musical elements of this music are its offbeat rhythm
and staccato chords.
A. Samba C. Soca
B. Salsa D. Reggae
2. This music is like a question and answer sequence in a human
communication.
A. Blues C. Soul
B. Call and Response D. Spiritual
3. It combines the strong rhythms of African percussion instruments with
Portuguese melodies.

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 A. Blues C. Maracatu
B. Call and Response D. Soul
4. It is a fusion of the popular music or cancioes (songs) of Spain and the
African rumba rhythms of Bantu origin.
A. Salsa C. Soca
B. Samba D. Son
5. It is a social dance with marked influences from Cuba and Puerto Rico that
started in New York in the mid 1970’s.
A. Salsa C. Soca
B. Samba D. Son
6. It is a pop music combining soul and calypso music.
A. Salsa C. Soca
B. Samba D. Son
7. It is the basic underlying rhythm that typifies most Brazilian music.
A. Salsa C. Soca
B. Samba D. Son
8. This musical form became their outlet to vent their loneliness and anger and
is a result of the interaction of music and religion from Africa with that of
America.
A. Blues C. Soul
B. Call and Response D. Spiritual
9. It combines elements of African American gospel music, rhythm and blues,
and often jazz.
A. Blues C. Soul
B. Call and Response D. Spiritual
10. It is a style of popular Brazilian music derived from the samba but with
more melodic and harmonic complexity and less emphasis on percussion.
A. Bossa Nova C. Reggae
B. Salsa D. Tango
11.It is a ballroom dance, musical style and song evolved in 1880 in dance halls
and perhaps brothels in the lower-class district of Buenos Aires.
A. Bossa Nova C. Reggae
B. Salsa D. Tango
12. It is a musical form of the late 19th century that has had deep roots in
African- American communities.
A. Blues C. Soul
B. Maracatu D. Spiritual
13. Its style contains elements from the swing dance and hustle as well as the
complex Afro-Cuban and Afro-Carribean dance forms of pachanga and
guaguanco.
A. Bossa Nova C. Reggae
B. Salsa D. Tango
14. African vocal music was often deep-chested while instrumental music relied
mostly on resonant drums.
A. True C. Maybe
B. False D. All of the above
15.Caribbean slaves were not allowed to play their drums for recreation and
entertainment and also for communication
A. True C. Maybe
B. False D. All of the above

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References
1. Sunico, Raul M. PhD, Horizon’s Grade 10 Learners Materials Music and Arts Appreciation for Young Filipinos, Tawid Publication
2015. pp. 37-87
2. Yulia Terekh. Maracatu dance Vancouver, Afro-Brazilian Carnival 2013. YouTube video. 4:32. February 23, 2017.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rq8xSIDZg3s
3. Ndfusion. African Blues Mali (Toure. YouTube video. 5:27. January 13, 2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=aZTai3DxMXM
4. MoorAK47. African Soul Music-Oum-Taragalte. YouTube Video. 7:11. July 21, 2013. https://youtu.be/TAros8yOdCg
5. supportthefuture. Slave Spiritual Story- Wade in the Water. YouTube video. 3:03. April 14, 2012.
https://youtu.be/ZXqMQfpNSes
5. Galicia, Princess. Kye Kye Kule. YouTube video. 2:07. May 15, 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CljnPjdmHQE
6. MissEmilyAutumn. Bob Marley -One Love. YouTube video. 2:48. November 11, 2009. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=O0NentNBRlQ
7. Ballilatini. Salsa : The Rhythm of Passion ( Best of Salsa Music ). Youtube Video. 41:03. March 12, 2014.
https://youtu.be/DH8StTUCQNY
8. Jampiangel. Samba Music. YouTube video. 4:57. October 5, 2011. https://youtu.be/ofKsIUpXy1s
9. Shadow Mixes. Soca Throwback Mix. YouTube video. 20:01. November 16, 2012. https://youtu.be/KHUTTM8MkXk
10. Loveme Po. Para sa Akin (Sitti w/ lyrics). YouTube video. 3:06. May 11, 2012. https://youtu.be/jnj8cTnnbMo

Answer Key

1. TCheck your Understanding

LB

3. Samba2. Maracatu1. ReggaeActivities:

12. aPost Test

11. c 1. NeoclassicismPre-Test

13. b1. d
2. b
1. b

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