SUMMARY
1- A Panorama of Dominican Folk Religion and its Music
2- Afro-Dominican Religious Brotherhoods and their Palos Music
3- Case Study of an Afro-Dominican Cofradía: The Brotherhood of St. John the Baptist of Baní and its "Sarandunga"
4- The Dominican Saint's Festival and its Music
5- The Drum Dance [Baile de Palos]
6- Transnational Dominican Palos Music
Musical examples
Sources
Musical examples
1- A Panorama of Dominican Folk Religion and its Music
(Audio 1 - “Salve de la Virgen" (M. E. Davis, 1973)
Salve de la Virgen of a most ancient style, sung by men (Yamasá).
Audio 3 - "Angelito, vete" (M. E. Davis, 1973)
"Angelito, vete" sung on the return from a child's burial by his/her little friends (Los Cacaos, Samaná).
(Audio 2 - "Tonada de toros" (M. E. Davis, 1976)
"Tonada de toros" of the pilgrimage-associated brotherhoods of the East.
2- Afro-Dominican Religious Brotherhoods and their Palos Music
Audio 1 - "Palo corrido East" (M. E. Davis, 1973)
Palo corrido of the type from the East (El Seybo).
Audio 3 - "Congos calunga" (M. E. Davis, 1973)
Congos of Villa Mella: their most sacred piece, "Calunga".
Audio 2 - "Palo abajo Peravia" (M. E. Davis, 1973)
Palo abajo from the historical region of the "Savannah of the Holy Spirit" (central-south) (El Limonal, Peravia).
3- Case Study of an Afro-Dominican Cofradía: The Brotherhood of St. John the Baptist of Baní and its "Sarandunga"
Audio 1 - "Morano" (M. E. Davis, 1973)
Sung for procession and at the altar, not danced. Soloist: the capitana (cofradía head), Amancia Germán Pérez (d. 1977).
Audio 3 - "Bomba" (M. E. Davis, 1973)
Audio 4 - "Jacana" (M. E. Davis, 1973)
Audio 2 - "Sarandunga: "Capitana."" (Edna Garrido, 1947)
Master drummer: Nene Pérez (father of Amancia) (d. 1965).
4- The Dominican Saint's Festival and its Music
Audio 1 - "Salve con panderos" (M. E. Davis, 1973)
Salve con panderos, a creole-style Salve accompanied by hand drums. The secular text praises the public-works projects of then president Joaquín Balaguer (Monte Plata).
Audio 2 - "Salve de la Virgen" (M. E. Davis, 1973)
Salve de la Virgen, at a nightly stop en route to the pilgrimage center of Higüey (East) by a hoarse pilgrim who exhorts others to join her singing at the altar. (Santa Lucía, El Seybo).
Audio 3 - "'Guaracha' de Liborio" (Miguel Fernández, 2002)
Salve con palos "'Guaracha' de Liborio" in honor of Liborio Mateo, the greatest messianic leader in the country's history (d. 1922) (San Juan de la Maguana - interior southwest)..
5- The Drum Dance [Baile de Palos]
Audio 1 - "Pembe yagua" (Museo del Hombre Dominicano, 2002)
Congos of Villa Mella: a non-ritual piece: "Pembe yagua." Soloist: Doña Vitalina.
Audio 2 - "Palo corrido" (M. E. Davis, 1973)
Palo corrido ("Palos of the Holy Spirit") of the southwest (San Juan de la Maguana).
6- Transnational Dominican Palos Music
Audio 1 - "Gagá pa' Nueva York" (Edis Sánchez "El Gurú" from CD "El Gran Poder de Dios" of the ensemble Drumayor, 2000)
Uses a Haitian-derived genre and instrumentation.
Audio 3 - "Ay, ombe" (Luis Dias from CD, "Jaleo dominicano," ca. 1995)
Audio 2 - "Vengo de allá" (José Duluc from tape made into CD, "Pánico," 2003)
An arrangement of "Yo soy Ogún Balenyó" from the contemporary oral tradition of vodú festivals of Villa Mella, attributed to Salve singer Enerolisa Núñez; refers to a vodú deity whose counterpart is St. James (Santiago). Expropriated and disseminated for commercial motives by Kinito Méndez, it has become widely popular.