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Finding Aids to Collections Organized by Topic in the Archive of Folk Culture
PUERTO RICO RECORDINGS IN THE ARCHIVE OF FOLK CULTURE
Compiled by: David J. Rodriguez, Ann M. Hamilton, H. Simón
Bryce, and Joseph C. Hickerson Series Editor: Joseph C.
Hickerson
Publication Date: August 1993; Web Revision February 2006 Series Number: LCFAFA No. 12
ISSN 0736-4903
For additional information about Archive of Folk Culture collections, contact
the Folklife Reading Room. To request copies, see our webpages regarding audio
materials and photographic materials.
Please refer to the AFC and/or AFS numbers when requesting information. All
indications of time duration listed in this finding aid are estimates.
The
compilers wish to thank Everette E. Larson of the Hispanic Division
of the Library of Congress and Daniel Sheehy, director of the Folk
Arts Program of the National Endowment for the Arts, for their assistance
in preparing Spanish titles and glossary descriptions.
AFS 1616-1637: Alan Lomax 1938 Library of Congress Sessions Collection
Twenty-two 12-inch discs of songs performed by various
singers recorded at the Library of Congress by Alan Lomax, May 1938.
AFS 1631 A5; 1632 B3: Two discs containing 2 versions of "Contéstame
si me amas" (Answer Me If You Love Me), sung by Barbara Bell of
Minneapolis, Minnesota. (30 seconds each; tape copy on LWO 4872 reel
119A)
AFS 6089-6091: Recordings of Barbara Bell Three 16-inch discs of songs performed by Barbara
Bell of Minneapolis, Minnesota, recorded at the Library of Congress by
Alan Lomax and Arthur Semmig, January 1942.
AFS 6091 A6: One disc containing "Contéstame si
me amas" (Answer Me If You Love Me) sung with guitar accompaniment
and explanation. (1 minute and 45 seconds; tape copy on LWO
3493 reel 40B)
AFS 8946-8949: Joseph Barth / Puerto Rican Religious Ceremonies Four 16-inch discs of religious ceremonies recorded
in Puerto Rico by Joseph Barth ca. 1948. (1 hour and 45 minutes;
tape copy on LWO 5111 reels 169B-170A)
AFS 10,915-10,918: Ruth Fouche / Music of Puerto Rico
Three 10-inch discs and 1 6-inch disc of
songs recorded in Puerto Rico and donated by Ruth Fouché in June
1955. (25 minutes; tape copy on LWO 5111 reel 355A)
AFC 1940/001: Sidney Robertson Cowell WPA California Folk Music
Project Collection
Seventy-two 12-inch discs from the California Folk Music Project, a field
survey of songs, instrumentals, and religious ceremonies recorded in northern
California by Sidney Robertson, November 1938-March 1940, under the joint
sponsorship of the Music Department of the University of California at
Berkeley, the Library of Congress, and the Works Progress Administration
(W.P.A). These recordings are accompanied by numerous photos, scale drawings
of musical instruments, transcriptions of lyrics and music, as well as
several linear feet of field notes, correspondence, and other documentation.
This collection is available online as part of the Library of Congress
American Memory Presentation: California
Gold: Northern California Folk Music from the Thirties.
AFS 3876-3877: Two discs containing 14 Puerto Rican songs.
Recorded in Oakland, April 10, 1939. (18 minutes; tape copy on LWO 4872
reel 252B)
AFS 3866 A1: "El terruño." National song
of Puerto Rico sung by Aurora Calderón of Vieques, Puerto Rico.
AFS 3866 A2-A3: Two versions of "Si me dan pasteles" (If
You Gave Me Pastries). Aguinaldo sung by Aurora Calderón.
AFS 3866 A4: "Venid, pastores" (Come, Shepherds). Aguinaldo sung
by Aurora Calderón.
AFS 3866 B1: "El Jíbarito" (The Peasant). Bolero
sentimental about the Depression in Puerto Rico, sung by Elinor
Rodrígues of the United States.
AFS 3866 B2: "La estrella del oriente" (The Star
of the Orient). Aguinaldo sung by Mrs. Cruz Losada of San Juan,
Puerto Rico.
AFS 3867 A1: "A mi madre querida" (To Mother Dear),
sung by Mrs. Cruz Losada.
AFS 3867 A2: "Doña Anna" (Lady Anne). Children's
game song sung by Mrs. Cruz Losada.
AFS 3867 A3: "Niño querido" (Dear Child).
Lullaby sung by Mrs. Cruz Losada.
AFS 3867 B1: "San Sererín." Children's game
song sung by Aurora Calderón.
AFS 3867 B2: "La madre querida" (Mother Dear), sung
by Mrs. Cruz Losada. Learned ca. 1918 when she was a child in school.
AFS 3867 B3: "Arroz con leche" (Rice with Milk).
Dance song sung by Mrs. Cruz Losada.
AFS 3867 B4: "La pájaro pinta" (The Gay Bird).
Dance song sung by Mrs. Cruz Losada.
AFS 3867 B5: "La estrella del oriente" (The Star
of the Orient). Aguinaldo sung by Mrs. Cruz Losada.
AFC 1948/030: Richard A. Waterman / Folk Songs of Puerto Rico
Twenty-eight 12-inch discs and 7 16-inch discs of songs recorded in Puerto Rico
by Richard A. Waterman of Northwestern University in 1946 in cooperation with
the Puerto Rican Office of Information. Portions of this collection have been
published by the Library of Congress on recording number AFS L18, Folk Music
of Puerto Rico. (6 hours and 45 minutes; tape copy on LWO 5111 reels 136B-140A)
(Includes AFS 8726-8760)
AFC 1981/004: Chicago Ethnic Arts Project Collection
Ninety-nine 7-inch tapes and 245 audiocassettes from the Chicago Ethnic Arts
Project Collection, a field survey of ethnic artistic expression including
dance, foodways, neighborhood gatherings, religious celebrations, and vocal
and instrumental music. Recorded in the Chicago, Illinois, area by various
collectors under the direction of Elena Bradunas, February-November 1977; cosponsored
by the American Folklife Center and the Illinois Arts Council. These recordings
are accompanied by a 561-page report on the project published by the American
Folklife Center in January 1978, as well as numerous slides and photographs
and several linear feet of field notes and logs. [finding aid]. The following Puerto Rican examples were recorded in Chicago by Philip B.
George.
AFS 20,749: One cassette containing a live television broadcast
of "El show jíbaro" (The Peasant Show) hosted by Israel
Maldonado, including performances of boleros, merengues,
waltzes, and other dance songs and instrumentals. Recorded at WCIU, Channel
26 Studios, June 25, 1977. (45 minutes; RYA 0767)
AFS 20,752-20,757: Two audiocassettes and 4 7-inch tapes containing
an interview with Israel Maldonado, an interview with cuatro player
Arcadio Otero, and performances by Conjunto de Cuerdas Típicas
that include plenas and other dance songs, a seis con décima,
and instrumentals. Recorded at El Romance Club, June 28, 1977. (2 hours
and 36 minutes; RYA 0770-0771, RXA 1063-1066)
AFS 20,758: One cassette containing an interview with Gamaliel "Bobby" Ramírez,
member of the five-person collective that runs El Taller (The Workshop),
a community arts center, recorded at the office of El Taller, June 29,
1977. Topics include an outline of the organization and its evolution;
variety of workshops; philosophy of the collective; future objectives
of Bobby and of El Taller; history of Puerto Ricans in Chicago; riots
in 1967. (35 minutes; RYA 0772)
AFS 20,771-20,772: Two 7-inch tapes containing boleros, merengues,
polkas, and rancheras performed by Pedrito Román y Los
Amantes. Recorded at El Romance Club, July 2, 1977. (1 hour; RXA 1075-1076)
AFC 1984/007: 1984 Neptune Plaza Concert Series Collection
One 10-inch tape of a performance by cuatro player Yomo Toro and his Conjunto
Típico Puertorriqueño, including décimas, plenas,
and aguinaldos, recorded at the Library of Congress Coolidge Auditorium,
September 13, 1984. Presented by the American Folklife Center in conjunction
with the Library's celebration of Hispanic Heritage Week. This collection
includes numerous photographs. (1 hour and 30 minutes; RWA 7847) [finding aid]
AFC 1986/022: Center for Applied Linguistics / American English Dialect
Recordings Collection
Fifty-nine 10-inch tapes of public speeches and other utterances containing
dialect samples, recorded at various locations in North America by various
collectors, and compiled by the Center for Applied Linguistics for a project
entitled "A Survey and Collection of American English Dialect Recordings." The
collection includes fourteen linear inches of documentation, including
an introduction and preface, a list of contents, content summaries, and
transcripts. Collectors and interviewees vary, representing [43?] states,
as well as Washington, D.C., Canada, and Puerto Rico.
AFC 1986/037: 1986 Neptune Plaza Concert Series Collection
Twenty-four 10-inch tapes, four hundred eighty-one black-and-white
prints, negatives and contact sheets, and four hundred eight color slides
of performances from the 1986 Neptune Plaza Concert Series, sponsored by
the American Folklife Center and featuring the presentation of folk traditions
from many cultures. Recorded in Washington, DC at the Library of Congress,
April-September 1986. The collection includes 15 linear inches of print materials.
[finding aid]
AFS 24,286: One tape of a performance of Afro-Hispanic
music by María y sus Magníficos of Washington, D.C., including cumbia, salsa, boleros,
and merengue, recorded at the Library of Congress Neptune Plaza
by Pete Reiniger, September 18, 1986. Presented by the American Folklife
Center in cooperation with the National Council for the Traditional Arts.
(1 hour and 30 minutes; RWB 3320)
AFC 1987/042: Lowell Folklife Project Collection
Two hundred and forty-seven 7-inch tapes and 90 audiocassettes from the
Lowell Folklife Project, a field survey that examines ethnicity and occupational
lore. Recorded in the Lowell, Massachusetts,
area by various collectors under the direction of Doug DeNatale, August-October
1987; cosponsored by the American Folklife Center and the Lowell Historic
Preservation Commission. These recordings are accompanied by numerous slides
and photographs and several linear feet of field notes and logs. The following
Puerto Rican examples were recorded in Lowell. [finding aid]
LFP/MM/R001-R003: Three 7-inch tapes containing events and music
at the Puerto Rican Festival, recorded by Doug DeNatale, Mario Montaño,
and Tom Rankin, August 20, 1987. The following performances are featured.
Aguinaldos, boleros, guarachas, merengues,
and síes mainly from Naranjito, Puerto Rico. Performed
by Oscar Lugo y su Conjunto Jívaro of Southbridge, Massachusetts.
Instruments include the cuatro, six-stringed guitar, bongas,
and güiro.
Performance by El Grupo Folklórico de Bailes Latinos, a children's
ballet group of Worcester, Massachusetts, directed by Miguel Alméstica.
Merengue music of the Dominican Republic performed by Los
Astros of Fitchburgh, Massachusetts.
Boleros and love songs sung by Johnny Albino y su Conjunto
of San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Cuban music, cumbias, and salsa performed by El Grupo Chévere.
LFP/MM/R004-R006: Three 7-inch tapes containing interviews with
Félix Luna, Hector Medina, and Nereida Nieves regarding social
relations, Catholicism, religious traditions and beliefs, spiritualism,
foodways, gender roles, Jíbaro music, Puerto Rican ethnic identification,
regional costumes, Puerto Rican racial mixture, family stories, parades,
folk healing, and making musical instruments. Recorded by Doug DeNatale,
John Lueders-Booth, and Mario Montaño, October 22, 1987.
LFP/MM/R007-R009: Three 7-inch tapes containing a Puerto Rican
church service at the Church of the Nazarene, recorded by Doug DeNatale,
John Lueders-Booth, and Mario Montaño, October 25, 1987.
LFP/MM/R010-R011: Two 7-inch tapes containing interviews and
songs about Puerto Rican workers, recorded by Doug DeNatale, John Lueders-Booth,
and Mario Montaño, October 25, 1987.
LFP/MM/A001: One audiocassette containing an interview with Ramón
and José Nieves regarding the origins of the Puerto Rican Festival
in Lowell, its political and civic importance, fund-raising to support
the festival, and family life, recorded by Mario Montaño and
Tom Rankin, August 20, 1987.
LFP/TR/R003-013: Eleven 7-inch tapes containing the Puerto Rican Festival
on the North Common in the Acre, including performances
by Los Aces de Merengue, "Poesia Negroide" by Charles Rivera in blackface, Oscar
Lugo y su Conjunto Tipica Jivaro, Johnny Albino Group from Puerto Rico,
Hector Medina, Tony Rosada, Nereida Nieves, and Los Astros Band. Recorded
by Tom Rankin, August 21-22, 1987.
LFP/TR/A002: One audiocassette containing Leo Vásquez
singing a bolero and reciting poetry, recorded by Tom Rankin, August
20, 1987.
AFC 1992/001: 1992 Neptune Plaza Concert Series Collection
One 10-inch tape, 1 7-inch tape, and 1 audiocassette
of a performance of Jíbarito by Edwin Colón Zayas y su
Taller Campesino recorded at the Library of Congress Neptune Plaza, April
23,
1992. Presented by the American Folklife Center. This collection includes
a videotape and numerous photographs. (1 hour and 30 minutes)
AFC 1995/005: Henrietta Yurchenco Collection of Puerto Rican
Recordings
Field recordings from Puerto Rico collected between 1967-1979. Song and
dance music performed by the Ayala and Parrilla families of Loiza Aldea.
Songs performed by Luis Marcano of Certenijas, processional music of
the Fiesta de Santiago in Loiza Aldea. Also pentecostal church sermons
in Loiza Aldea and sermons by self-proclaimed prophet Mita in Hato Rey.
Interviews with Anna Marcana of Certengas and Castor Ayola (mask maker)
from Loiza Aldea. Limited play-list on tape boxes
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Glossary of Select Terms in Spanish Used in This Finding Aid
Aguinaldo: A Christmas carol.
Bolero: A pan-Latin American popular song in moderate tempo and
duple meter, most likely originating in Cuba and spreading through the
popular media in the 1930s through 1950s.
Conjunto: Literally, "ensemble." Often refers to a dance
band of saxophones, trumpets, trombones, or other instruments against a
rhythmic setting that includes conga and bongo drums.
Cuatro: A ten-stringed, five-course guitar from Puerto Rico used
as an ensemble instrument in both secular and religious music.
Cumbia: A dance originating in Colombia and Panama as a folk form
and evolving into a pan-Latin popular dance genre.
Décima: A verse form, commonly sung, comprising ten lines,
which elaborates on a theme often introduced by a quatrain.
Güiro: In Puerto Rico, an elongated scraper fashioned from
the marimbo gourd.
Guarasha: A music/dance form originating in Cuba.
Jíbaro: A person of rural Hispanic Puerto Rican origin.
Merengue: A dance originating in the Dominican Republic, Haiti,
and Venezuela, with both folk and urban popular traditions. Its song texts,
often regional in subject matter, are in typical Spanish copla (four-line
stanza) and estribillo (refrain) form.
Plena: A song genre of Puerto Rico, believed to have originated
in the late nineteenth century, with a binary form consisting of solo or
duet melodies followed by choral refrains. Narrative texts are often humorous
or satirical.
Ranchera: A Mexican-style "country song" genre.
Salsa: A popular music style of Cuban origin that evolved in the
1940s and continues to be popular among Puerto Rican musicians and audiences.
Seis con décima: A Puerto Rican accompanied vocal piece,
similar to counterparts in Colombia and Venezuela, consisting of a series
of décimas.
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