Types of Dance-Music
COLUMBIA
Columbia is a sub-style of rumba, a kind of festive, secular dance music. It is distinguished from other styles of rumba by its rhythms, solo dance, and singing. Like other types of folklore, columbia is performed by a musical ensemble that consists of percussion, singers, and dancers. There are five percussion instruments in the ensemble. These include: three drums, a pair of claves (or a bell), and a wood block or piece of bamboo. Two of the drummers play interlocking parts and the third drummer plays a solo line. The transcription below of the percussion parts includes only the interlocking drum parts. The solo singer leads the ensemble, coordinating transitions between sections of the song and leading the chorus in a call and response. The first section of the song is a short vocal introduction, using the phrase "Ay! Dios!" and characteristic vocables "orororo" (sung syllables that are not words). The introduction i columbia usually has downward moving melodic phrases. A solo verse follows the introduction. Verses can include bragging or insults (puyas) directed at other singers. There is a sense in which the performance of columbia is a competition. A call and response section follows the verse. The dancers, who are typically men, take turns during the call and response. The singer leads the call and response, building up the energy of event and inspiring the dancers. The singer can improvise and play with the timing and rhythm but the chorus repeates their part in time and exactly as given.
