An Annotated
Bibliography on Cuban Music
Christopher A. Davis
Amira, John and Steven Cornelius. The Music of Santeria: Traditional Rhythms of the Bata Drums. Reno, NV: White Cliffs Media, 1999.
This book is dedicated to the bata drumming of Santeria. The history
and religion of the culture, the ensemble, and the musical structure are presented
first. This book presents the reader with 22 different transcriptions of Cuban
rhythms. Each rhythm has a brief description on the playing and performance
techniques for that particular pattern. This book includes a CD with each of the
rhythms and is a great teaching tool.
Carpentier, Alejo. Music in Cuba. Cultural Studies of the Americas, vol. 5. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press, 2001.
This book is a complete history of Cuba’s music. It could be
considered a musicological study of Cuba. Originally published in 1946,
the journalist, Carpentier, was well ahead of his time by foreshadowing where
Cuban music would be going.
Drewal, Margaret Thompson. Yoruba Ritual: Performers, Play, Agency. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1992.
This book shows the progression of the ritual in the Yoruba culture and
their religion which is the fore father of Cuban Santeria. It deals with the traditional theories and moves through the many changes which have occured within the ritual.
It finishes with the re-invention of the ritual while dealing with the gender roles.
Roberts, John Storm. Black Music of Two Worlds: African,
Caribbean, Latin, and African-
American Traditions, 2nd ed. New York: Schirmer Books, 1998.
This book traces the influence of African music to the North American
continent, the Caribbean, and South and Central America. This revision from
the 1972 edition, travels through all of the African influenced styles from their
African roots all of the way to the urban popular styles of today. An extensive discography is presented at the end of the book.
Velez, Maria Teresa. Drumming for the Gods: The Life and Times of Felipe Garcia Villamil, Santero, Palero, and Abakua. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000.
This book traces the life of Felipe Garcia Villamil as a musician.
Everything within Villamil’s life is based on the three religions of his family;
Santero, Palero, and Abakua. These religions form the basis for every aspect of
Felipe’s life as a musician during the Revolution and as a diasporic. This book is
a great reference for the history, religion, and practice behind different styles of drumming in Cuba. It is also a great resource for teaching this material.
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