Punto Guajiro
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Punto guajiro or ''punto cubano'' – or simply ''punto'' – is a sung genre of
Cuban music The music of Cuba, including its instruments, performance, and dance, comprises a large set of unique traditions influenced mostly by west African and European (especially Spanish) music. Due to the syncretic nature of most of its genres, Cuban ...
, a poetic art with music. It became popular in the western and central regions of Cuba in the 17th century, and consolidated as a genre in the 18th century. It has Andalusian and Canary Islands origins, and it integrated African elements in Cuba.


Description

Punto is played by a group with various types of
guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...
: the Spanish guitar, the Cuban
tres Tres may refer to: * Tres (instrument), a Cuban musical instrument * Tres, Trentino, municipality in Italy * ''Tres'' (2014 film), a Filipino anthology drama film based on short stories * "Tres" (song) by Juanes *"Tres", a song by Líbido from thei ...
, the laúd and the tiple. The ''punto'' refers to the use of a pick (punteando), rather than strumming (rasgueado). There are three percussion instruments: the clave, the
güiro The güiro () is a percussion instrument consisting of an open-ended, hollow gourd with parallel notches cut in one side. It is played by rubbing a stick or tines (see photo) along the notches to produce a ratchet sound. The güiro is commonly ...
and the ''guayo'' (also a scraper, but of metal). Singers form themselves into teams, and improvise their lines. They sing, or chant, an unvarying melody, with intervals between stanzas to give the singers time to prepare the next verse. Early compositions were sometimes recorded in print, as were the names of some of the singer/composers. Beginning around 1935, punto reached a peak of popularity on Cuban radio. Nothing was done to record their work, but as it happens, a stenographer, ''Aida Bode'', was a fan of this genre, and she wrote down the verses as they were broadcast. Finally, in 1997, her transcriptions were published in book form. Celina González and Albita both sang punto in the first part of their careers, proving that the genre is still alive, though perhaps moribund in its original form. Celina has one of the great voices in popular music, and her supporting group ''Campo Alegre'' is outstanding. For aficionados, however, Indio Naborí (''Sabio Jesús Orta Ruiz'', b. 30 September 1922) is the greatest name in punto, for his decima poetry, which he wrote daily for the radio and newspapers. He is also a published author, with several collections of his poetry, much of which has a political
nueva trova Nueva Trova (, "new trova") is a movement in Cuban music that emerged around 1967–1968 after the Cuban Revolution of 1959, and the consequent political and social changes. Nueva Trova has its roots in the traditional trova, but differs from it ...
edge.


Types of punto

*''Punto pinareño (punto libre or vueltabajero):'' from the western province of
Pinar del Río Pinar del Río is the capital city of Pinar del Río Province, Cuba. With a population of 191,081 (2022), it is the List of cities in Cuba, 10th-largest city in Cuba. Inhabitants of the area are called ''Pinareños''. History Pinar del Río was ...
. A free style, with a fluent, melodic line, a slow tempo and a variable meter. *''Punto en clave (punto fijo:'' from the provinces of
Camagüey Camagüey () is a city and municipality in central Cuba and is the nation's third-largest city with more than 333,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Camagüey Province. It was founded as Santa María del Puerto del Príncipe in 1514, by Sp ...
and Las Villas. A fixed style with singer maintaining the same tempo and meter. *''Punto espirituano:'' from Sancti Spiritus province. *''Punto matancero:'' from
Matanzas Matanzas (Cuban ; ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas Province, Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-American religions, Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Mat ...
province. *''Punto seguidilla:'' "several stanzas (décimas) sung without interruption, to a tune which can at any time break off the song."


Interpreters of the punto

This is a list of performers of the punto sufficiently notable to be mentioned in print.Feijóo, Samuel 1977. Cuarteta y décima. La Habana.


20th century

* Juan R. Limendoux * Gregorio Morejón * Ordóñez Santana * Edelmira Vera * Pedro de Armas * Antonio Camino * Justo Vega ( Cabezas, 9 August 1900 – Havana 31 January 1993) * José Sánchez León (b.
San Antonio de los Baños San Antonio de los Baños is a municipality and town in the Artemisa Province of Cuba. It is located 26 km from the city of Havana, and the Ariguanabo River runs through it. It was founded in 1802. History There are 39 schools in the town, e ...
1899) * Pedro Guerra (b. La Salud) * Fortún del Sol, ''Colorín'', (b. Cienfuegos) * Chanito Isidrón ( Calabazar de Sagua, 1903 – Havana, 22 February 1987) * Rigoberto Rizo (
Madruga Madruga () is a municipality and town in the Mayabeque Province of Cuba. It is located in the eastern part of the province, between Matanzas and Güines. It was founded in 1803. Geography In 1940, the municipality was divided into the barrios o ...
, 1907) * Adolfo Alfonso * Inocente Iznaga ( Cienfuegos, 29 December 1930) * Martica Morejón (b. 21 June 1942) * Guillermo Portabales * Ángel Valiente, ''Angelito'', (San Antonio de los Baños, 28 February 1916 – 21 January 1987) * Jesús Orta Ruiz, ''Indio Naborí'', (
San Miguel del Padrón San Miguel del Padrón is one of the 15 municipalities/boroughs (''municipios'' in Spanish) into which the city of Havana, Cuba is divided. It is on Havana's south-eastern outskirts, stretching from Ciudad Mar to Diezmero and from Reparto Mañan ...
, Havana, 30 September 1922) * Jose Marichal. ''El Sinsonte de Govea''. (Guira de Melena, Habana) * Luis Gómez * Rene Espinosa * Nazario Segura * Omar Mirabal * Jesús Rodríguez * Francisco Reyes Castano "El Cacique Jaruqueno", ( Jaruco, Cuba, 24 July 1917–Miami, Florida, April 1978) * Jose Antonio Tejeda * Paula Garcia Coro, "La Calándria de los Palmares" (Canalete, Pinar del Rio, 16 March 1928; Cleveland, Ohio, USA, 20 August 2013)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Punto Guajiro Cuban styles of music