El Merengue

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that merengue, a combination of African and European musical influences that is uniquely Caribbean, is a distinctive, enduring musical form associated with the national identity of the Dominican Republic and the dictatorship of Trujillo, who mandated that it be played all the time. The author points out that, traditionally, merengue music was played with four primary instruments, each of which had their part to play within a basic 2/4 signature and a series of set periods that took the merengue in and out of call-and-response patterns. The paper relates that the merengue has changed over the years from a proletarian means of expression to an international medium, more Euro-centric in origin than African drumming or reggae, although it still represents an Afro-Caribbean synthesis of European forms.

From the Paper:

"One of the key representational artists to emerge for merengue during the 1960s was Johnny Ventura. Ventura brought outside influences to a new kind of merengue that was classically Dominican in flavor (and more direct than big-band salon merengue), but also brought some of the elements of disco into the equation. Ventura's brand of merengue utilized traditional form and instruments such as the guitar and guira, added an expanded horn section, and kept the rhythm steady with a bass drum. Ventura's lyrics were often full of social and political commentary, which brought new life to the standardized lyrics perpetuated under the restrictive dictatorship. Ventura also took some cues from the flash and glamour of soul and Motown singers from the United States, incorporating onstage dance-moves and stylish outfits. He is seen to have started what came to be the modern tradition of merengue groups, along with fellow innovator."

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