Bachata is a style of Latin music that originated from the Dominican Republic. Bachata is extremely popular throughout Latin America and across the globe. Bachateros, as bachata musicians are called, such as Aventura have enormously contributed to increasing the popularity of bachata. Bachata songs are primarily about love and are sung in Spanish and Spanglish. The songs cover all aspects of love from the joys, hardships, and everything in between. The instruments that the music is comprised of are usually an electric or acoustic guitar and drums. It is also accompanied by a dance which is also called bachata. The dance consists of a simple two step and turns.
Bachata traces its origins to the shanty towns and back hills of the Dominican Republic. The word bachata is actually derived from the African words cumbancha and cumbanchata both meaning "noisy merrymaking."The music was meant for enjoyment and was usually heard at street parties. It was created by Dominicans of African descent who lived in impoverished areas. Because of this, bachata has often been dubbed the "Dominican blues." It was once considered to be the poor man's music, so Dominicans of higher social status did not listen to it. However, now it is widely accepted.
Bachata is relative to the Spanish culture because it was created in the Dominican Republic. The music is sung primarily in Spanish and is popular among Spanish speaking people. It has meaning to the Spanish culture because it was made by poor Dominicans for poor Dominicans. It was something they could call their own. Bachata is important to me because it has helped me to understand Spanish better. I began listening to it about four years to increase my Spanish hearing comprehension. I can relate to the subjects in the songs and the melodies are catchy. The history of this music has also taught me people of African descent experience the same hardships everywhere.
Works Cited
Pacini Hernandez, D. (1995). Bachata: a social history of a Dominican popular music. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
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