Nueva trova
Encyclopedia
Nueva trova is a movement in Cuban music that emerged around 1967/68 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 because its content is, in the widest sense, political. It combines traditional folk music
idioms with 'progressive' and often politicized lyrics. It is related to nueva canción
in Latin America
, especially Puerto Rico
and Venezuela
. Some of the nueva trova musicians were also influenced by rock
and pop
of that time.
Nueva trova is defined by its connection with Castro
's revolution, and by its lyrics, which attempt to escape the banalities of life by concentrating on socialism, injustice, sexism, colonialism, racism and similar 'serious' issues.
At approximately the same time as the rise of nueva trova, similar musical genres across the world were increasing in popularity as part of a roots revival
; these involved the popularization of traditional music welded with socio-political lyrics. Nueva trova was most closely influenced by South America
n (especially Chilean) nueva canción
, Spanish
nova canço
, Bolivia
n canto nuevo, Portuguese
canto livre
and nova canção, and Brazil
ian Tropicalismo
. At about the same time, Puerto Ricans like Roy Brown
, Andrés Jiménez, Antonio Caban Vale
and the group Haciendo Punto en Otro Son
also became popular.
Though inspired by American protest artists like Bob Dylan
and Joan Baez
, nueva trova criticized the abuses of the United States government and its allies. Other major influences include The Beatles
, Chile
an revivalist Violeta Parra
, Uruguay
an singer-songwriter
Daniel Viglietti
and the Catalan
protest singer
Joan Manuel Serrat
.
training ground.
Nueva trova is defined, not only by its connection with Castro
's revolution, but also by its lyrics. The lyrics attempt to escape the banalities of life (e.g. love) by concentrating on socialism, injustice, sexism, colonialism, racism and similar 'serious' issues. Silvio Rodríguez
and Pablo Milanés
became the most important exponents of this style. Carlos Puebla
and Joseíto Fernández
were long-time trova singers who added their weight to the new regime, but of the two only Puebla wrote special pro-revolution songs.
The regime gave plenty of support to musicians willing to write and sing anti-U.S. or pro-revolution songs; this was quite a bonus in an era when many of the traditional musicians were finding it difficult or impossible to earn a living. In 1967 the Casa de las Américas in Havana held a Festival de la canción de protesta (protest songs). Much of the effort was spent applauding causes that would annoy the U.S. government. Tania Castellanos, a filín singer and author, wrote ¡Por Ángela! in support of Angela Davis
. César Portillo de la Luz wrote Oh, valeroso Viet Nam.
Even though nueva trova expressed the socio-economic issues of Cuba, later on some musicians chose to express these issues through Rap Cubano which they viewed as more pure and more to the street.
. Examples of non-political styles in the Nueva Trova movement can be found, for example, Liuba María Hevia http://www.liubamariahevia.com, whose lyrics are focused on more traditional subjects such as love and solitude, sharing with the rest a highly poetical style. On the other side of the spectrum, Carlos Varela
http://www.carlosvarela.com is famous in Cuba for his open criticism of some aspects of Castro's revolution.
Nueva Trova, initially so popular, was dealt a blow by the fall of the Soviet Union
, though it was already fading. It suffered inside Cuba, perhaps from a growing disenchantment with one-party rule, and externally, from the vivid contrast with the Buena Vista Social Club
film and recordings. Audiences round the world have had their eyes opened to the extraordinary charm and musical quality of the older forms of Cuban music. By contrast, topical themes that seemed so relevant in the 1960s and 70s became old and distants. All the same, those pieces of high musical and lyrical quality, amongst which Puebla's Hasta siempre
stands out, will probably last as long as Cuba lasts.
, Vicente Feliú, and Pablo Milanés
. Some members of the traditional trova were also associated with the new movement, most especially Carlos Puebla
.
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt by Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement against the regime of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista between 1953 and 1959. Batista was finally ousted on 1 January 1959, and was replaced by a revolutionary government led by Castro...
of 1959, and the consequent political and social changes.
Nueva trova has its roots in the traditional trova
Trova
Trova is one of the great roots of the Cuban music tree. In the 19th century a group of itinerant musicians known as trovadores moved around Oriente, especially Santiago de Cuba, earning their living by singing and playing the guitar...
, but differs from it because its content is, in the widest sense, political. It combines traditional folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
idioms with 'progressive' and often politicized lyrics. It is related to nueva canción
Nueva canción
Nueva canción is a movement and genre within Latin American and Iberian music of folk music, folk-inspired music and socially committed music...
in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, especially Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
and Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. Some of the nueva trova musicians were also influenced by rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
and pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
of that time.
Nueva trova is defined by its connection with Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
's revolution, and by its lyrics, which attempt to escape the banalities of life by concentrating on socialism, injustice, sexism, colonialism, racism and similar 'serious' issues.
Influences
Nueva trova was one aspect of the Pan-Latin American "new song movement" which tended to employ lyrics that were self consciously literary, formal and schooled. Another influence was that of filín (feeling), a romantic song movement of the late 1940s to the early 1960s. Pablo Milanés, for one, was a filín singer.At approximately the same time as the rise of nueva trova, similar musical genres across the world were increasing in popularity as part of a roots revival
Roots revival
A roots revival is a trend which includes young performers popularizing the traditional musical styles of their ancestors. Often, roots revivals include an addition of newly-composed songs with socially and politically aware lyrics, as well as a general modernization of the folk sound.After an...
; these involved the popularization of traditional music welded with socio-political lyrics. Nueva trova was most closely influenced by South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
n (especially Chilean) nueva canción
Nueva canción
Nueva canción is a movement and genre within Latin American and Iberian music of folk music, folk-inspired music and socially committed music...
, Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
nova canço
Nova Cançó
The Nova Cançó was an artistic movement that promoted Catalan music in Francoist Spain. The movement sought to normalize use of the Catalan language in popular music and denounced the injustices of the Franco regime. Musically, it created a new genre, with roots in the French Nouvelle Chanson...
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
n canto nuevo, Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
canto livre
Canto livre
- Canto Livre :This is a kind of music with roots in Alentejo music, predominantly inspired by political messages, in particular from left-wing thinkers. It was very common after the 1974 carnation revolution in Portugal, since the country had liberated from an almost 40 year right-wing dictatorship...
and nova canção, and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian Tropicalismo
Tropicalismo
Tropicália, also known as Tropicalismo, is a Brazilian art movement that arose in the late 1960s and encompassed theatre, poetry, and music, among other forms. Tropicália was influenced by poesia concreta , a genre of Brazilian avant-garde poetry embodied in the works of Augusto de Campos, Haroldo...
. At about the same time, Puerto Ricans like Roy Brown
Roy Brown (Puerto Rican musician)
Roy Brown Ramírez is a composer, singer and a fervent believer in the cause for the independence of Puerto Rico. Some of his songs have been performed by several renowned international artists.- Early years :...
, Andrés Jiménez, Antonio Caban Vale
Antonio Cabán Vale
Antonio Cabán Vale a.k.a. "El Topo" , is a guitarist, singer and composer of Puerto Rican folklore themes. He is one of the founders of the "new song" movement of the early 1970s...
and the group Haciendo Punto en Otro Son
Haciendo Punto en Otro Son
Haciendo Punto en Otro Son is a Nueva Trova band from Puerto Rico, founded in 1975. They recorded fourteen albums and performed in Latin America, the Caribbean and USA....
also became popular.
Though inspired by American protest artists like Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
and Joan Baez
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....
, nueva trova criticized the abuses of the United States government and its allies. Other major influences include The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an revivalist Violeta Parra
Violeta Parra
Violeta del Carmen Parra Sandoval was a notable Chilean composer, songwriter, folklorist, ethnomusicologist and visual artist...
, Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
an singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Daniel Viglietti
Daniel Viglietti
Daniel Alberto Viglietti Indart is an Uruguayan folk singer, guitarist, composer, and political activist. He is one of the main exponents of Uruguayan popular song and also of the Nueva Canción or "New Song" of the 1960s and early 1970s.He founded, in 1971, along with other musicians like José...
and the Catalan
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
protest singer
Protest song
A protest song is a song which is associated with a movement for social change and hence part of the broader category of topical songs . It may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre...
Joan Manuel Serrat
Joan Manuel Serrat
Joan Manuel Serrat i Teresa is a Catalan Spanish singer-songwriter.Serrat is considered one of the most important figures of modern, popular music in both the Spanish and Catalan languages...
.
Activism
In both Cuba and Puerto Rico, the politicized lyrics of nueva trova were very often critical of the United States; Puerto Rican singers were especially critical of Vieques' continued use as a United States NavyUnited States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
training ground.
Nueva trova is defined, not only by its connection with Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
's revolution, but also by its lyrics. The lyrics attempt to escape the banalities of life (e.g. love) by concentrating on socialism, injustice, sexism, colonialism, racism and similar 'serious' issues. Silvio Rodríguez
Silvio Rodríguez
Silvio Rodríguez Domínguez is a Cuban musician, and a leader of the nueva trova movement.He is considered Cuba's best known folk singer and known for his highly eloquent and symbolic lyrics. Many of his songs have become classics in Latin American music, such as Ojalá, Playa Girón, Unicornio and...
and Pablo Milanés
Pablo Milanés
Pablo Milanés Arias is a Cuban singer-songwriter and guitar player. He studied at a conservatory in Havana. He is considered one of the founders of the Cuban nueva trova, along with Silvio Rodríguez and Noel Nicola...
became the most important exponents of this style. Carlos Puebla
Carlos Puebla
Carlos Manuel Puebla was a Cuban singer, guitarist, and composer. He was a member of the old trova movement who specialized in boleros and nationalistic songs.- Biography :...
and Joseíto Fernández
Joseíto Fernández
José Fernández Diaz, September 5, 1908 - October 11, 1979 , commonly known as Joseíto Fernández was a Cuban singer and songwriter. He is the writer of well-known songs, including: "Elige tú, que canto yo", "Amor de madre", Demuéstrame tú, and Así son, boncó, as well as the more famous "Guajira...
were long-time trova singers who added their weight to the new regime, but of the two only Puebla wrote special pro-revolution songs.
The regime gave plenty of support to musicians willing to write and sing anti-U.S. or pro-revolution songs; this was quite a bonus in an era when many of the traditional musicians were finding it difficult or impossible to earn a living. In 1967 the Casa de las Américas in Havana held a Festival de la canción de protesta (protest songs). Much of the effort was spent applauding causes that would annoy the U.S. government. Tania Castellanos, a filín singer and author, wrote ¡Por Ángela! in support of Angela Davis
Angela Davis
Angela Davis is an American political activist, scholar, and author. Davis was most politically active during the late 1960s through the 1970s and was associated with the Communist Party USA, the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Panther Party...
. César Portillo de la Luz wrote Oh, valeroso Viet Nam.
Even though nueva trova expressed the socio-economic issues of Cuba, later on some musicians chose to express these issues through Rap Cubano which they viewed as more pure and more to the street.
Decline
Nueva Trova had its heyday in the 1970s, but was already declining before the fall of the Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. Examples of non-political styles in the Nueva Trova movement can be found, for example, Liuba María Hevia http://www.liubamariahevia.com, whose lyrics are focused on more traditional subjects such as love and solitude, sharing with the rest a highly poetical style. On the other side of the spectrum, Carlos Varela
Carlos Varela
Carlos Varela is a singer-songwriter of nueva trova from Havana, Cuba. In the 1980s he joined the Nueva Trova musical movement, a political and poetic musical genre connected with the Cuban Revolution....
http://www.carlosvarela.com is famous in Cuba for his open criticism of some aspects of Castro's revolution.
Nueva Trova, initially so popular, was dealt a blow by the fall of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, though it was already fading. It suffered inside Cuba, perhaps from a growing disenchantment with one-party rule, and externally, from the vivid contrast with the Buena Vista Social Club
Buena Vista Social Club
The Buena Vista Social Club was a members club in Havana, Cuba that held dances and musical activities, becoming a popular location for musicians to meet and play during the 1940s...
film and recordings. Audiences round the world have had their eyes opened to the extraordinary charm and musical quality of the older forms of Cuban music. By contrast, topical themes that seemed so relevant in the 1960s and 70s became old and distants. All the same, those pieces of high musical and lyrical quality, amongst which Puebla's Hasta siempre
Hasta Siempre
"Hasta Siempre, Comandante, or simply "Hasta Siempre", is a 1965 Spanish song by Cuban composer Carlos Puebla. The song's lyrics are a reply to revolutionary Che Guevara's farewell letter when he left Cuba, in order to foster revolution in the Congo and later Bolivia, where he would be captured and...
stands out, will probably last as long as Cuba lasts.
Some Nueva Trova exponents
The genre's first stars were Silvio RodríguezSilvio Rodríguez
Silvio Rodríguez Domínguez is a Cuban musician, and a leader of the nueva trova movement.He is considered Cuba's best known folk singer and known for his highly eloquent and symbolic lyrics. Many of his songs have become classics in Latin American music, such as Ojalá, Playa Girón, Unicornio and...
, Vicente Feliú, and Pablo Milanés
Pablo Milanés
Pablo Milanés Arias is a Cuban singer-songwriter and guitar player. He studied at a conservatory in Havana. He is considered one of the founders of the Cuban nueva trova, along with Silvio Rodríguez and Noel Nicola...
. Some members of the traditional trova were also associated with the new movement, most especially Carlos Puebla
Carlos Puebla
Carlos Manuel Puebla was a Cuban singer, guitarist, and composer. He was a member of the old trova movement who specialized in boleros and nationalistic songs.- Biography :...
.
The first generation
- Silvio RodríguezSilvio RodríguezSilvio Rodríguez Domínguez is a Cuban musician, and a leader of the nueva trova movement.He is considered Cuba's best known folk singer and known for his highly eloquent and symbolic lyrics. Many of his songs have become classics in Latin American music, such as Ojalá, Playa Girón, Unicornio and...
- Pablo MilanésPablo MilanésPablo Milanés Arias is a Cuban singer-songwriter and guitar player. He studied at a conservatory in Havana. He is considered one of the founders of the Cuban nueva trova, along with Silvio Rodríguez and Noel Nicola...
- Noel Nicola
- Vicente Feliú
- Sara González
- Augusto Blanca
- Amaury Pérez
- Lázaro García
- Alejandro Garcia "Virulo"
- Rafael de la Torre
The eighties generation
- Gerardo Alfonso
- Frank DelgadoFrank Delgado (Cuban songwriter)Frank Delgado is a Cuban musician, and a member of the novísima trova, heir to the nueva trova movement.- Biography :...
- Santiago Feliú
- Donato Poveda
- Roberto Poveda
- Alberto Tosca
- Pedro Luis Ferrer
- Liuba María Hevia
- Anabell LópezAnabell LópezAnabell López Dominges, born on October 23, 1964 is a Cuban singer.-Career:Dominges belonged to the Nueva trova movement in the same era as Xiomara Laugart, Santiago Feliú and Alberto Tosca. She has performed on radio and TV programs, events and competitions in the countries of Cuba, Bratislava ,...
- Carlos VarelaCarlos VarelaCarlos Varela is a singer-songwriter of nueva trova from Havana, Cuba. In the 1980s he joined the Nueva Trova musical movement, a political and poetic musical genre connected with the Cuban Revolution....
- Xiomara LaugartXiomara LaugartXiomara Laugart is a New York-based Cuban singer. She had an extensive career in her native Cuba within the Nueva Trova movement before emigrating....
Younger musicians
Here most entries are nueva trova in the sense that they are young, not because of the content of their music.- Manuel GarcíaManuel GarciaManuel Garcia may refer to:*Manuel García , singer & voice pedagogue; son of Manuel García *Manuel García , Spanish singer and composer, father of Manuel Patricio Rodríguez García...
- Lucha Almada
- Vanito Brown
- Eduardo Calero
- Trío Enserie
- Karel Garcia
- Gema y Pavel
- Habana AbiertaHabana AbiertaHabana Abierta is a Cuban band. They are a member of a generation of composers, musicians, sculptors, authors, actors, etc. which emerged in the early 90s with its own identity in Havana, even though some of their creations had already been well known for some years in the island's cultural...
- Lourdes PérezLourdes PérezLourdes Pérez is a prolific Puerto Rican contemporary recording artist, songwriter, composer, arranger, poet, contralto vocalist and guitarist. She is also one of few female décimistas...
- William VivancoWilliam Vivanco-History:William Vivanco is a Cuban composer and musician. Vivanco was born in 1975 in Santiago, Cuba, and learned to play guitar by frequenting Casa de la Trova on Calle Heredia, "stealing chords". He busked in the streets, and also performed with a professional children's choir...
- Mikie Rivera
- Polito Ibanez
- David Torrens