Timba and Its Meanings -.:: GEOCITIES.Ws

Timba and its meanings The semiotic scaffoldings of one aggressive Cuban music genre

Rubén López Cano Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya

Key words: Music topics, Music affordances, Narrative schemata, Music cynicism, Semiotic scaffoldings, Enactive approach to cognitive musical semiotics.

Rubén López Cano 2005

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The content on this text is under a Creative Commons license. Consult it before using this article.

Cómo citar este artículo: How to cite this article:

López Cano, Rubén. 2005. “Timba and its meanings. The semiotic scaffoldings of one aggressive Cuban music genre”. Paper presented at 13th IASPM Conference Universitá La Sapienza, Roma. Rome, Italy, July 25-30, 2005. On-line version: www.lopezcano.net

(Consultado o descargado [día, mes y año]) (Accessed [Day Month Year of access]) Timba and its meanings Rubén López Cano

In this paper I will talk about the meanings of Timba, however, I will specially focus on cynicism.

This work is complementing other articles that are at your disposal on the internet. (Note 1) While reading them you can find definitions, concepts and relevant examples about which I will talk later on in this paper. I encourage the reader to consult them throughout the reading of this article. (Note

1. What is Timba?

Timba is one of the most interesting genres developed in Cuba in recent years. Timba is just like

Salsa, but with very strong accents from Afro-Cuban music traditions as well as Afro-North

American Pop music. Indeed, timba mixes elements of Classical Son, Rumba, Yoruba and other

African religious airs, and also Afro-Cuban elements, never introduced in dance music before, along with melodies, rhythms, brass solos and bass lines taken from Funk (like James Brown, Earth, Wind and Fire or the Temptations) and R&B or other dance music. It is also possible to listen to Hip-hop or Reagge in timba, as well as to reminiscences of Rock, Reaggeton, and so on. (Note 3)

The outcome of this hybridisation is an extremely aggressive dance music, full of sexual movements who break the traditional sensuality of salsa. The lyrics are developed in the traditional way of other Caribbean types of music (a narrative section followed by several refrains in responsorial style), but at the same time they introduce vulgar expressions taken from the street jargon and black people expressions. Timba’s songs deal with the daily problems of Cuban youth, derived by the strong crisis suffered in the island since the fall of the Berlin wall. Timba is the “sound of the Cuban’s crisis” (Perna, Timba). It tells stories closely linked with tourism industry and introduces all the problems provoked by this one, such as: prostitution, crazy pursuit of dollars, emergence of new economical classes and reorganization of relationship rules among Cubans.

This last is due to the increasing need to establish interested love relationships with foreigners in order to leave the island and its misery.

In my understanding, Timba is a kind of semiotic machinery devoted to organize, in a symbolic way, the aggressiveness rising from young Cuban people. It is a way to face their “total crisis”.

(note 4) Rubén López Cano 2005 2

Timba and its meanings Rubén López Cano

2. Main meanings associated with Timba

Timba has several meaning areas. Among them it is crucial to mention the followings: (1)

Cubanism: the renewal of Cuban identity marks and Cuban pride specially in lowest classes; (2)

Racial: timba carries out a strong defense of Black people and Black culture. It claims for a restoration of Black Pride with a bit of arrogance, emphasising on black people attributes such as their sexual power; (3) Religiosity: timba has integrated elements from afro Cuban syncretic religious practices, as Santeria which in other times was considered dangerous by the Cuban regime; (4) Modernity: timba introduces a vanguard approach in look, clothing, music and way of dance; (5) Cuban Male Chauvinism: timba makes references to male hypersexuality and promiscuity, male narcissism and affective mistreat to women, and (6) The main problems of Cuban economic, social and moral crisis, as dollar pursuit, promiscuity, sexual tourism, arranged love relationships with foreigners and “jineterismo” (rangerism: several ways of prostitution).

One of the most interesting signification processes in timba deals with the creation of one kind of cultural archetype that I call “the Tough Boy from Havana”. This archetype often appears in the lyrics, as well as in the band members and singers movements on stage.(note 5) The tough boy from Havana unfolds all those aforementioned attributes, in order for him to face his hard reality: he is feared and he wants to be feared, he claims “he is the best”, his sexuality is extremely hyperbolic and when a girl breaks up with him for a rich tourist, he doesn’t suffer, his attitude doesn’t change at all. Moreover he mocks the situation because, despite everything, he continues and will continue being the best. He has got “stony” feelings. The tough boy of Havana is deeply cynical. This cynical character also plays a main role in Pedro Juan Guitierrez writings. (note 6)

This kind of archetype created by Timba is nothing more than one of the different semiotic scaffoldings, offering its fans a path to reorganize their aggressiveness in a symbolic way. (note 7)

The aim of my research in Cuban Timba is to depict how this Semiotic machinery works and to detect what kind of affordances Timba offers to Cubans regarding their crisis. The concept of affordances comes from ecological approaches to perception theories (Gibson The ecological approach) and refers to the collection of possible actions that we are able to do with objects and

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Timba and its meanings Rubén López Cano that guide and determine some of the cognitive processes we generate from/with them. Musical affordances constitute the things we can do with music objects, through which we develop specific ways of understanding them.(note 8) Music offers affordances to its listeners, dancers or performers as well as its theoreticians, who try to understand music and interpret it according to their social and cultural contexts.

How does timba build cynicism? Or in other words, how does it unfold the affordances who allow their fans to construct their personal semiotic scaffoldings in order to develop cynical attitudes toward their reality?

3. Timba cynicism

Let’s see an example. In the song known as El Temba of Charanga Habanera, which is included in

Pa’ que se entere la habana CD (1996), a boy tells his girl that she is extremely beautiful, but in the meantime he also says he cannot commit himself to her: he doesn’t want to marry because he doesn’t have enough money to cover all her material needs. Without feeling bad, he decides to tell her (Note 9): “Look up for a temba (A mature guy of 30-50 years old, with money, usually a rich foreigner), who supports you, so you will be able to enjoy and have everything you want… look up for a Papi-riki (sweet daddy, rich daddy!!!), with a lot of güaniquiqui”… (Money. More likely U$ dollars…)

; Audio example 1. El Temba. From the CD Pa’ que se entere la habana (1996) by Charanga

Habanera.

However, cynicism is not only detected in the words. In Timba, music itself is capable of supporting situations of cynicism. Timba is a mix of several kinds of music, an amalgam of different music genres. Each one of them works as a musical topic in every Timba song. It is important to remember that a musical topic is the fragment inserted in a song that offers a style far different from the one that actually charatcerizes the song itself. (note 10) Special combinations of musical topics are associated with songs which express cynicism. Rubén López Cano 2005 4

Timba and its meanings Rubén López Cano

To see how it works, let us now examine the song Le mentí, also by Charanga Habanera.

(Note 11) The first part of the song is built on the music topic of Twee ballad (like a Mexican or

Venezuelan soap opera theme). In this genre the song voice sings: “I feel like a slave of a love that’s finished/ I know she’s lost, mad about me/ I’m sorry but I feel the love’s moving away/ and I try to hold it but it goes with the wind. I know I don’t love her and that I hurt her a lot,/ there’s no other way than a sweet farewell/...·Then the music topic changes to Romantic salsa. And the voice sings: “…the sad thing is that I know there is no other feeling, I know I don’t love her simply ‘cause time’s over”. The refrain of the song insists in these words: “I lied, I said I loved her, and I didn’t want her; I saw her lost and I lied. I’ll prove that she’s not controlling me anymore, that there’s no beginning without ending, that I’ve found my freedom…”. All these sections express feelings of sorrow and pity: the boy doesn’t have anymore love for his girlfriend and he is unable to tell her the truth. Nevertheless, from the minute 2’39’’ the singer introduces new elements in a refrain developed in responsorial style:

Chorus: I lied, I said I loved her, and I didn’t want her

Solo: I was never happy with her; I saw her lost and I lied… Chorus: I lied…

Solo: I got tired of pretending, I couldn’t bear that lifestyle… Chorus: I lied…

Solo: It was rather insincere and yet truth always wins, for sure!... Chorus: I lied…

Solo: It’s been a long time since I felt something when we do it, I can only be your friend.

This last sentence is a quote taken from a Mexican wounding ballad popularized at the end of the seventies. It has been usually sung by women (and transsexual) singers characterized by their bad-temperament. Indeed, in the minute 3’20’’ a disturbing element of extreme aggressiveness is introduced. Something has changed the main affect of the song. Suddenly after, the music topic changes to a happy Reggae by the minute 3’36’’. As it is usual in this genre, the singer sings words such as “come on here!!!, voilá!!!, joy joy joy”. In the minute 3’48’’ the music topic changes again, this time to a Heavy Timba Soul style. In this section voice and chorus sing as follows:

Solo: yes but no, this thing here hasn’t ended yet, she wanted him and I know she

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Timba and its meanings Rubén López Cano worshipped him but she lost what she loved most and that is why...

Chorus: I know I am not the boy of your dreams, that I am not the one, that it isn’t me...

Solo: but look girl, you say yes but no... Chorus: I know …

Solo: Look and see what you find out or what you can make up... Chorus…

Solo: And if I lied I had my reasons... Chorus: I know I am not the boy of your dreams, that I am not the one, that it isn’t me...Love is finished, finished.

Chorus: That I am not, that I am not, I don’t know!

The voice is no longer sad. There is no more sorrow or pity. He shows us his real feelings about this situation. He mocks about the girl’s pain: he is cynical. (note 12)

; Audio example 2. “Le mentí” (“I lied to her”) from the CD El Charanguero mayor (2000) by

the Charanga Habanera.

The sequence of topics supporting the expressive process of cynicism in this song is: Twee ballad (soap opera theme)----Romantic salsa---- Reggae and Heavy Timba-Soul style. This sequence works as a cognitive scheme who guides musical understanding. Schemes are not codes, but a cognitive guide for ONE possible way of understanding and interpreting music. (Note

13) This kind of schemata is closely related with similar processes such as irony. Let us remember that music irony is a “higher-order trope inaugurated by the contradiction between what is claimed

(or observed or done) and a context that cannot support its reality (or appropriateness)” (Hatten

172). Cynicism is a kind of irony which appears in two ways: 1) as the result of the frustration of an expected topic or element required to condemn one situation. In this case music discourse falls into apology or into what is “morally inadequate” or 2) when the shift of a music topic doesn’t change the content but the perspective of its enunciation. For instance, it introduces a new voice or approach mocking situations previously presented in a sad context. (note 14)

However, not all ironic or cynical songs are built on schemata of this type. In the same way, similar articulations of topics may appear in songs with different meanings. We will return to this

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Timba and its meanings Rubén López Cano point in section 6. Right now let us make the following question: where does this strange amalgam of music topics come from?

4. From Son and Rumba to timba: the semiotisation of traditional forms.

Timba’s narrative schemata are rooted on traditional forms. Vicenzo Perna has pointed out that the general model of timba’s songs comes from the classical form of son or rumba: it presents

“firstly a narrative part ([called] largo in son, canto in rumba), followed by a longer and animate section called montuno or estribillo… [this part represents] the emotional climax of the song, which is loved by listerners and dancers”. Songs mainly focus on the second part, the montuno, usually longer. This section is characterized by several responsorial choirs, where the main singer (guia) improvises sentences while the choir sings the refrain. Mambo is the brass solo introduced between one refrain and the other. Perna depicts the general structure of timba: introduction/theme \\ bridge

\\choir I /mambo I /choir II /mambo II/ choir III/ mambo III/ choir IV… and so on (Perna 86). Some themes start in media res: a false beginning made by one of the mambos or refrains precedes the introduction.

Each section is introduced in a specific music topic. The first section prefers topics from soft music such as ballads, traditional son, bolero, etc., while the montunos look for Afro-Northamerican pop music topics (called “moñas” by musicians). These are combined with Afro-Cuban rythms. In

1994 Isaac Delgado popularized a song called Dos mujeres. (note 15) In this song he’s showing off his adultery: “I’ve reached my own balance with two women”. The refrain plays the topic of son- timba which stresses the piano’s tumbao of Iván “Melón” González. At the core of the refrain, the song suddenly switches into the cumbia-bomba colombiana topic (2’33’’ y 3’58’’). Using this clingy music, Delgado sings “Bom Bom Bom Bom” while the female dancers move their hips rythmically, turning around with bended knees, stretching one arm and moving their hand in circles: it seems that everybody is eager to celebrate their adulteries. (note 16) This is one of the first cases that I know in timba, in which certain specific developments of different topics are used in order to back cynical messages.

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However, the one who started using topic combinations more solidly in order to maintain ironic-cynical plots was Manolín “the doctor of salsa”. His two first CDs, Una aventura loca and Para mi gente were recorded and published in 1994 and 1995 respectively, two quite difficult years for the Cuban crisis. Manolín was not a good singer; this has been the reason why some other bands became his enemies momentarily as they considered him an opportunist. However, his compositions captured, as anything else, the critical life of Cubans with clever and clingy refrains.

Along with all this, the sound was strong and aggressive, full of references to Funk and Soul music.

All this gave him an unprecedented success. How do those songs work?

The crisis brought the girls to practice jineterismo (rangerism) and carry out set-up love relations with foreigners as their only way out. After some confusing moments, the rules of love would get finally transformed. Men had to put up with those practices and sometimes they also received benefit from them. Rangerism brought along the power increase and the financial independency of women, changing in a really serious way the traditional patriarchal system of

Cuban social hierarchy (Perna 113 and 140-175). Resentment started growing within men every time more. Therefore, the songs of “the doctor of salsa” not only reflected this situation, but also gave the chance to express and rebuild all this male frustration in a symbolic way.

For example, in the song A pagar allá (note 17) an offended man asks his ex–partner why she abandoned him, decided to marry a foreign man for money and now lives in Rome. The first narrative section of the song is very brief and it’s based on an orchestral bolero similar to the ones sung by Olga Guillot, a “singer with character”. In this section, the boy expresses all his bitter resentment. However, in the montuno (the second section) the main music topic changes into a sensual and animate timba-soul. At this point, the guy changes his harsh and solemn tone into an ironic one. Now the threat: “I’m going to make you a collect call” (who’s going to pay it? You or your husband?). He offers her to go back to “the doctor of salsa that is very hot” in case she is missing money (real reason of her wedding) and getting bored with her husband. The tough boy of Havana doesn’t suffer if he’s left for a “yuma” (foreigner), but he claims what is his.

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The first part of the song Lejanía (note 18) is a bolero son that recalls harmonic tracks of romantic songs from Pablo Milanés. In this one the singing voice complains about the absence of his girlfriend (where is she?... maybe she is dancing with a tourist…).

Involving himself in an incredible cynical game, he uses this pain to justify his unfaithfulness:

“forgive me for desiring you so strongly and so making love with another woman, without really wanting her, thinking of you”. However, in the second section, when it comes to the jazzy timba he recognizes that “to make love with another woman has its ‘swing’ and its ‘good side’…it’s a thing that provokes me”. The tough boy of the Habana loves but cannot give up his promiscuity. In Si Te

Vas Conmigo (note 19) on the ballad topic he sings to his love: “I’d like to have you with me”. But he also warns: “if you want me you have to fight for my love”. The topic change to a timba-soul while the voice demands: “please tell me if you’re going with me”; afterwards, during the pseudo- improvised section, in which percussion plays the main role, he fires: “tell me if you’re coming or not!”. Then he meditates singing with a choir in a soul style: “if the girl doesn’t want to come […], then ‘take her with you my friend’”. This friend can be a tourist. The tough boy of Habana doesn’t suffer for being scorned, he adjusts himself and takes advantages of every single situation.

In Te Conozco Mascarita (note 20) the bolero (similar to A pagar allá) accompanies a narration full of resentment, where the man talks to the woman that before left him and then came back to him (for being disappointed by the other love-story) looking for his love again. In the second section, during the timba-soul topic, he goes from a rejection full of grief to a mockery and direct insult. A mambo (a brass solo) makes fun of her imitating a laugh. The tough boy of Havana laughs at whom despised him.

We find similar series in some songs of Charanga Habanera. In these last ones a boy takes revenge agains one girl that prefers dating tourists for their money. In Que Te Lleve Otro (Note

21), the voice talks about a gorgeous girl who used to go to the Palacio de la Salsa, The Tropicana or Galeón (places for tourists), but surprisingly he meets her in Tropical (dancing place for cubans that are well- known for being aggressive and dangerous). The boy takes advantages of the situation to avenge previous contempts: “now I cannot take you with me anymore, adventurous girl…, look for somebody else…stay there alone”. In the song Super-turística (Note 22) a boy

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Timba and its meanings Rubén López Cano complains because he cannot pay the expensive pleasures of a girl that goes to turistic places: “I don’t have what you need…”. One of the choirs intervenes with a rap style of Hagamos un Chen

(Note 23) and says: “and when we’ll do a chen, chen, chen?, how do you want baby to pay you?, by check or in cash? If you want I can make you a receipt”. In all these songs, it’s easy to find similar music processes: the first narrative section goes along with a moderate music topic that gets close to romantic salsa, ballad or sometimes bolero. In the second part, the main theme changes and plays genres closer to funk, soul, Afro-cuban rythms, jazz, rumba, rock, hip hop, and so on. The party spirit grows and the contrasting themes cooperates to maintain the irony and cynicism processes.

The ironic-cynical songs don’t deal with promiscuity, rangerism or interest only. In the following table I’m going to show some of the main timba songs that in certain way express ironic and/or cynical contents. This table is only a preliminary proposal. There are many classes that need to be polished and styles that should be redefined. However, this table could be useful as a first approach, a first map on ironic-cynical uses of timba.

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Type of song Song Music-topic process Affect-expressive process

Indifference before the Si Te Vas Conmigo. Una Aventura Loca. El Médico de Rhythmic Ballad -Timba soul Love words - apparent indifference against woman contempt la Salsa. 1994 the girl rejects. (Possible interpelation to a foreign tourist to take the girl with him).

La Hiciste Buena. Jaque mate. El Médico de la Salsa, Ballad (bolero)-timba. Love words - apparent indifference against 1998 (2001) the girl rejects. (Possible mocking against rival bands).

De la puerta pa’ fuera. La cuqui quiere fiesta, Twee ballad (soap opera theme) - Lament –revenge Charanga forever 2004. romantic salsa- hard timba soul-timba funk

General mistreatment Te la Voy a Liquidar Me Sube La Fiebre. La No process. Always Guaracha-batanga No process. Always Cynicism. against the woman in love. Charanga Habanera. 1992

Para el Llanto, Me Sube La Fiebre. La Charanga No process. Always Guaracha-timba. No process. Always Cynicism. Habanera. 1992

Ella No Vale Nada. Para mi gente. El Médico de la No process. Always jazz latino with con No process. Always Aggression. Salsa. 1995 timba

A sad break up converted Lo siento por ti. Tremendo delirio. Charanga Ballad -salsa timba Sadness- cheek into a mockery against the habanera, 1997 woman or an attempt to Señora. El charanguero Mayor; Charanga Habanera, Romantic Ballad- timba Pity y solidarity- mockery take advantages of her 2000

Le mentí. El charanguero Mayor; Charanga Habanera, Twee ballad (soap opera theme)- Sadness and pity – mocking 2000 romantic salsa-reggae-hard timba-soul

Pelo suelto y carretera. De buena fe. El Médico de la Twee ballad—timba Sadness –cheek Salsa, 1997

Mockery against the rise of Mujeres. Soy cubano soy popular. Charanga Romantic Ballad -Salsa timba-Timba Respect-mockery feminine power Habanera, 2003. Soul-Reggae

Mockery or agression Voy a Mi. Para mi gente. El Médico de la Salsa. 1995 Jazzy Ballad-timba soul No process. Only mockery and aggression

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against a rival orchestra Somos Lo Que Hay. De buena fe. El Médico de la Ballad -timba funk Fraternity- scorn/self-affirmation disguised as a woman Salsa, 1997 (sometimes these disputes cover up one another) Eso Ya No Esta en Mis Manos (la abuela). Jaque Ballad –Jazzy son No process. Only self-affirmation mate. El Médico de la Salsa, 1998 (2001)

La Charanga Soy Yo. La Charanga soy yo. La Ballad –timba Self-affirmation –aggression Charanga Forever 1999.

Charanguero Mayor. El charanguero Mayor; Charanga Twee ballad-timba soul- reggae No process. Always self-affirmation Habanera, 2000.

Cómo pasan las cosas. La Cuqui quiere fiesta. La Soul song- Twee ballad (soap opera Self-affirmation-challenge Charanga Forever, 2004. theme)-- salsa-tumba funk

Revenge against the Mi Vida Sin Tu Amor, Chan…Chan..Charanga; Twee ballad (soap opera theme-romantic Lament –indifference-revenge woman that is indifferent to Charanga Habanera, 2001. salsa-timba love Timba Con Moña. Soy cubano soy popular. Charanga Timba-rap-timba soul-funk Beseech- revenge Habanera, 2003.

Abusadora. Soy cubano soy popular. Charanga Ballad cumbia soul-Caribbean rhythm Lament –reproach Habanera, 2003. with steel drum

Otra Mujer. Soy cubano soy popular. Charanga Ballad -romantic salsa-timba Lament –indifference Habanera, 2003.

Revenge against a woman Te Conozco Mascarita. Para mi gente. El Médico de la Orquestal Bolero - timba Spite - mockery who left with somebody Salsa. 1994 else (without identifying Romeo y Julieta. De buena fe. El Médico de la Salsa, Son Ballad -timba No process. Always mockery the origins of this last). 1997

She left with somebody Pa' Que Te Salves. Exclusivo para Cuba, Isaac Jazzy song-Ballad timba- son timba-hard Irony- aggressive revenge else, disdained his love Delgado, 1997. timba and now she wants to go back with him.

Revenge against a woman A pagar allá. Una Aventura Loca. El Médico de la Orquestal Bolero -timba soul Spited Bolero- revenge Salsa. 1994.

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that went with a foreigner. Pila Cerrá. Chan…Chan...Charanga; Charanga Twee ballad (soap opera theme)-romantic Sadness – revenge-indifference Habanera, 2001. salsa-reggae-hard timba-soul

Celebration of promiscuity, Dos Mujeres. Con Ganas, Isaac Delgado, 1993. Son Ballad -son timba-cumbia bomba Cynicism deception, infidelity, adultery. Lejanía. Una Aventura Loca. El Médico de la Salsa. Bolero son-timba Guilty and regret-cheek and Cynicism. 1994

Me Pasé de Copas. Para mi gente. El Médico de la No process. Always timba-early jazz No process. Cynical apology Salsa. 1996

A mi me Gustan Todas. P’a que se entere la Habana. Salsa-cumbia bomba-pop- cumbia bomba Love declaration-celebration of his La Charanga Habanera, 1996. promiscuity

Zorreando. Juego de Manos, Klimax, 1997 Jazzy Song-Ballad salsa-timba jazz Apology for his infidelity- Cynicism.

Critic against “rangerists”. Hagamos un Chen. Tremendo delirio. La Charanga Ballad soul- timba rap No process. Celebration of prostitution. Habanera, 1997. Sometimes it doesn’t Que Te Lleve Otro. P’a que se entere la Habana. La Ballad charanga- timba Tale-Revenge against a ”rangerist”. mention the rangerism, but Charanga Habanera, 1996. it does mention the material interest within El temba. P’a que se entere la Habana. La Charanga Ballad - timba Worry - Cynicism (celebration of interested relationships. Habanera, 1996. love relationships or “rangerism”)

Super-turística. P’a que se entere la Habana. La Ballad charanga- son (in timba style) Disappointment – critics to “rangerism” – Charanga Habanera, 1996. self affirmation

La Cuqui quiere fiesta, La cuqui quiere fiesta, Ballad -timba-rap Critics to woman’s materialism – Charanga forever 2004. celebration to the sexy mulatto.

Sueño equivocado. La cuqui quiere fiesta, Charanga Twee ballad-timba/Ballad -hard timba- Critics to woman’s materialism –revenge forever 2004. timba funk (trying to mask the love pain)

No te creas tanto. La cuqui quiere fiesta, Charanga Twee ballad- hard timba (with quotes to Painful critics to woman’s materialism- forever 2004. Ballads y rumba )-timba funk with rumba revenge and mockery against the woman who rejects him.

Tolerance to promiscuity El que esté que tumbe. De buena fe. El Médico de la Ballad -son-timba Tolerance- macho/self-affirmation Salsa, 1997

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Perfume No Usado. Exclusivo para Cuba, Isaac Ballad - romantic salsa-timba jazz-hard A girl Complaint to a male infidelity (made Delgado, 1997 (voz solista Daría). timba soul by a girl voice) – tolerance and resignation towards adultery.

Table 1. Ironic-cynical songs in Timba

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5. Why cynicism?

There are three ways to express the extremely hard situation in which Cuban youth is living on: (1) Complain: lament for the situation; (2) Hypocrisy: neglect of the situation; (3) Cynicism: acceptance of the situation (living with it and trying to normalize their lives within it). The Timba chooses the last option. Timba offers semiotical scaffoldings in order for Cuban young people to develop cynical attitudes regarding their hard situation. In timba, Cuban crisis is sublimated into the song’s narratives and the dance: the body “has its own reasons”. Timba dance connects to early ritual practices, in which we can find moments of trance (a different level of consciousness to perceive the reality), celebration of sexuality (just like the old fecundation rituals, in favour of the survival and future of the group), and also sacrifices (ritual sacrifice). The music chaos of certain

Timba sections (the masacote section) tests the competence of dancers in moving their bodies in a coherent way, when the music is a complete disorder. To be able to move in that madness is a real challenge, a way to train their habilities to get out of the chaos: a methapor for the survival strategies of Cuban daily life. In a society full of privations, Timba provides excess: excess in music which introduces a lot of genres into each song; excess in sex: sexual activity is regulated by the people themselves (not by the government). There are no limits for sexual activity: Sex is not in the ration book.

6. How much music is cynical?: the nature of this research.

As it is possible to see on the table, irony and cynicism occur within several kinds of topics’ articulation or even in songs developed within only one topic. In the same way, sequences of characteristic topics of cynicism can appear in songs with a complete different meaning. This occurs because irony or cynicism do not constitute a music structure. The classic Rumba and Son have evolved for different reasons and at the end they reached formal combinations that allowed these semiotic games. Indeed, irony is an affordance of timba that emerges when a music topics sequence (working as a music narrative schema) works together with the lyrics. Occasionally, words and music are not enough to really understand the irony or cynicism of a song. (Note 24)

How can we get to the meaning of the song? How can we reason the ironic or cynical interpretation

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Timba and its meanings Rubén López Cano of a song?

As we can see, the Cuban crisis generated a lot of strategies to survive. All of them, especially the men tolerance to rangerism and other ways of set-up love relations with foreigners, the suffering produced by these and the increasing financial power of women (note 25), originated thousands of stories that go round the Havana. Those stories are shown in Pedro Juan Gutiérrez’ novels or in movies like Suite Habana (2003) from Francisco Pérez. Behind the story fiction and the anecdotes, they also create a narrative level (Note 26). Names and details of each anecdote are not relevant, in fact, what is really important is to show how similar the roles, relations among characters and difficult situations are. Lyrics can be strongly ambiguous, for this reason it is difficult to interpret them at different levels (Perna Timba). However, when a song is introduced to this kind of frame, then meaning starts appearing. Now we can understand where the resentment of these ironic and cynical timba songs comes from.

The interpretation I propose doesn’t want to explain alone the origin of these music structures but it unveils their semiotic use, without trying to state that music represents the social reality where it comes from in a passive way. Music cooperates to shape social realities in which we live. The cognitive semiotic approach I propose here for studying music tries to include this premise. (note

27) The cynicism I’m talking about is a possible explanation based on hermeneutics principles such as economy and consistency, strictly connected to the theoretician possibilities of interpretation, more than based on the existence of strict and objective codes socially accepted. The musical topics associated with cynical songs could also appear to create aggressiveness or strengthening.

Cynicism is just a possible interpretation offered to the investigator: it is an affordance that appears when the theoretician relates this music with the social context. So, it is not an essence, not even a strict and closed code. This is a way to arise meaning from the complex relation between music and human life.

Barcelona and Rome, July-September 2005

Notes

1. See López Cano “Timba and the Rhetorics of Cynicism”, “The Tough Boy from Havana”, “Del barrio a la academia”, “The Havana’s Bad boy”. 2. I would like to thank to Marcel, el Chino (†), Oncha, el Morito (†), Patri, Leamsi, Liván, and all people of Cayo Hueso Rubén López Cano 2005 16

Timba and its meanings Rubén López Cano

(Centro Habana), for all the life, for all the love, for all the timba. 3. See Lopez Cano “Dancing with the enemy”. 4. See López Cano “Timba and the Rhetorics of Cynicism”. 5. See López Cano “The Tough Boy from Havana”. 6. See Gutiérrez El insaciable hombre araña; Animal tropical and Trilogía sucia de la Habana. 7. See López Cano “Timba and the Rhetorics of Cynicism”. 8. See Windsor A Perceptual Approach, Clarke Ways of listening, and López Cano “Favor de no tocar el género”, “From Rhetoric Musical Figures to Cognitive Types”, De la Retórica a las Ciencias Cognitivas and “Timba and the Rhetorics of Cynicism” section 2. 9. For further analysis of this song see Perna (184-188). 10. I have defined this concept in relation to timba’s cynicism in López Cano “Timba and the Rhetorics of Cynicism section 2. For a complete analysis of the developing of this concept in musical semiotics see Lopez Cano “The Expressive Zone”. 11. From the CD El charanguero Mayor, 2000. 12. For a complete analysis of this and other cynical songs see Lopez Cano “Timba and the Rhetorics of Cynicism”. 13. For the notion of cognitive schema see López Cano “Timba and the Rhetorics of Cynicism” section 2, “Entre el giro lingüístico” and 2004f). 14. For the notion of musical irony and cynicism related with timba see López Cano “Timba and the Rhetorics of Cynicism”section 3. See also López Cano “Más allá de la intertextualidad. 15. From the CD. Con Ganas, 1993. 16. It is important tot keep in mind that Delgado’s music is considered as light timba. His music is soft and their lyrics are much more poetic. 17. From the CD Una Aventura Loca. El Médico de la Salsa, 1994. 18. From the CD Una Aventura Loca. El Médico de la Salsa, 1994. 19. From the CD Una Aventura Loca. El Médico de la Salsa, 1994. 20. From the CD Para mi gente. El Médico de la Salsa. 1995. 21. From the CD P’a que se entere la Habana. La Charanga Habanera, 1995. 22. From the CD P’a que se entere la Habana. La Charanga Habanera, 1995. 23. From the CD Tremendo delirio. La Charanga Habanera, 1997. 24. Lyrics could be really ambiguous (Perna). 25. It is possible to appreciate the irony towards the rising economical and political female power in the song Mujeres from the CD Soy cubano soy popular by the Charanga Habanera (2003). The main choir says: “we are the hell slaves because the women have the command, they are the government. It is possible to hear it in 2’05’’ within the musical Topic of hard timba. In the 4’21’’ a voice ask “But what’s happen with women?”, then music changes suddenly to reggae while the band still sing this choir. One more time the reggae topic is used for mocking women. 26. For the narrative schemas see López Cano “Entre el giro lingüístico” and “Elementos para el estudio semiótico”. For a vocal music based on cognitive concepts such as shema and Topic see López Cano “From Rhetoric Musical Figures to Cognitive Types” and De la Retórica a las Ciencias Cognitivas. 27. See López Cano “From Pragmatics to Enactive Cognition”.

References

Clarke, Eric. Ways of Listening. An Ecological Approach to the Perception of Musical Meaning. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.

Gibson, James. The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception. Hillsdale: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1986 (1st edition 1979).

Gutiérrez, Pedro Juan. El Rey de La Habana. Barcelona: Anagrama, 2000. ---. El insaciable hombre araña. Barcelona: Anagrama, 2002a. ---. Animal tropical. Barcelona: Anagrama, 2002b. ---. Trilogía sucia de la Habana. Barcelona: Anagrama, 2002c.

Hatten, Robert. Musical Meaning in Beethoven. Markedness, Correlation, and Interpretation. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1994.

Lopez Cano, Ruben. “Dancing with the enemy... and into the hypertext”. Paper presented at Music and Media Research Group meeting in the Seminar of Musical Semiotics (ISI) at Imatra, Finland, 2002a. ---. "Favor de no tocar el género: géneros, estilo y competencia en la semiótica musical cognitiva actual”; Paper presented at VII Congreso de la SibE , 2002b. Now in Voces e imágenes en la etnomusicología actual. Eds. Josep Martí and Silvia Martínez. Madrid: Ministerio de Cultura. 2004. 325-337. On-line version in http://www.geocities.com/lopezcano/. ---. “Entre el giro lingüístico y el guiño hermenéutico: tópicos y competencia en la semiótica musical actual”. Revista Cuicuilco 9 (25) (2002c). On-line version in http://www.geocities.com/lopezcano/. ---. “The Expressive Zone: Frames, topics, attractors and expressive processes in 17th Century Hispanic Art Song”. Proceedings of 7th International Conference on Musical Signification. Imatra, Finland, June 7-10, 2001 (forthcoming). 2002d On-line version in http://www.geocities.com/lopezcano/. ---. “From Rhetoric Musical Figures to Cognitive Types: An Italian Lament Strolling along the Streets of Madrid”; paper Rubén López Cano 2005 17

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presented at 9th International Doctoral and Postdoctoral Seminar on Musical Semiotics University of Helsinki, November 13- 17, 2002. On-line versión in http://www.geocities.com/lopezcano/articulos/FRFCT.pdf ---. De la Retórica a las Ciencias Cognitivas. Un estudio Intersemiótico de los Tonos Humanos de José Marín. Ph. Diss. Valladolid: Universidad de Valladolid, 2004a ---. “Más allá de la intertextualidad. Tópicos musicales y esquemas narrativos en la hibridación de la era global”. Paper presented at VIII Congreso de la SIbE, Zaragoza, 25-27 de marzo de 2004, 2004b ---. “From Pragmatics to Enactive Cognition. A new paradigm for the development of musical semiotics”. Paper to be presented at Second International Symposium on Musical Language Sciences. Current Trends on Musical Language Sciences, especially on the Language Sciences Webs and Transversalities Questions. Saint-Rémy-de-Provence (France). October 14-17-2004. On-line version in http://www.geocities.com/lopezcano/. 2004c ---.. “Timba and the Rhetorics of Cynicism. Toward an enactivistic approach to a Cognitive Musical Semiotic”. Paper presented at the 8 International Conference on Musical Signification. Université Paris I, Sorbonne. Paris 3-8 October, 2004d. On-line version in http://www.geocities.com/lopezcano/. ---. “The Tough Boy from Havana. Gesture, Interpellation and Enactive Semiotics in Cuban Timba”. Paper presented at the 8 International Conference on Musical Signification. Université Paris I, Sorbonne. Paris 3-8 October. 2004e. On-line version in http://www.geocities.com/lopezcano/. ---. “Elementos para el estudio semiótico de la cognición musical. Teorías cognitivas, esquemas, tipos cognitivos y procesos de categorización”. Texto para el curso on-line Géneros, estilo y competencia en la semiótica musical cognitiva actual. Escuela Universitaria de la Música de Uruguay. Setiembre de 2004 2004f. ---.“Del barrio a la academia”, Introducción al dossier especial sobre TIMBA, Revista TRANS (2005) , www.sibetrans.com/trans/ ---. “The Havana’s Bad boy. Aggressiveness, Challenge and Cynicism in Cuban Timba”. in Ochoa, Ana. Music and Violence. Duke University Press, forthcoming. On-line version in http://www.geocities.com/lopezcano/.

Perna, Vincenzo. Timba. Il suono della crisi cubana. Roma: Arcana, 2003.

Windsor, William Luke. A Perceptual Approach to the Description and Analysis of Acousmatic Music. Ph. D. Thesis. City University Department of Music, 1995.

Discography

David Calzado y su Charanga Habanera. Me Sube La Fiebre. Egrem, 85, 1993 David Calzado y su Charanga Habanera. Pa’ que se entere la Habana. Caribe, 961, 2001 (1st edition by Magic Muisc 1996). David Calzado y su Charanga Habanera. Tremendo delirio, Magic Music/Universal, 40068,1997. David Calzado y su Charanga Habanera. El charanguero Mayor. Jml/KarIyor, 345, 2000. David Calzado y su Charanga Habanera. Chan…Chan..Charanga. Ciocan, HMC 2601 2, 2001. David Calzado y su Charanga Habanera. Soy cubano, soy popular. Ciocan, CIO2617, 2003.

Issac Delgado. Con Ganas, Qbadisc, 9012, 1994 (1st edition by EGREM 1993). Issac Delgado. Exclusivo para Cuba. Cheiro, ci062608, 1997.

Klimax. Juego de Manos, Eurotropical, EUCD3, 1997.

La Charanga Forever. La Charanga soy yo. Caribe, 9571, 2000. La Charanga Forever. La cuqui quiere fiesta. Envidia, 2004.

Manolín, el médico de la salsa. Una aventura Loca. Caribe, 9442, 1994. Manolín, el médico de la salsa. Para mi gente. Caribe, 9472, 1996. Manolín, el médico de la salsa. De buena fe. Caribe, 9487, 1997. Manolín, el médico de la salsa. Jaque Mate. Caribe, 9608, 2000 (1st edition 1998).

Rubén López Cano 2005 18