| Plena | |
|---|---|
 Dancing bomba and plena | |
| Stylistic origins | Caribbean |
| Cultural origins | Puerto Rico |
| Other topics | |
| Music of Puerto Rico | |
 A (c. 1900 - 1915) Puerto Rican Cuatro | ||
| Music of Puerto Rico | ||
| General topics | ||
|---|---|---|
| Related articles | ||
| Genres | ||
| Nationalistic and patriotic songs | ||
| ||
| Regional music | ||
| ||
Plena is agenre ofmusic and dance native toPonce,Puerto Rico.[1][2]
The plena genre originated inBarrio San Antón,Ponce, Puerto Rico,[3][4] around 1900.[5] It was influenced by thebomba style of music.[citation needed] Originally, sung texts were not associated with the plena, which was rendered by guitar, accordion and pandero, but eventually, in 1907,[citation needed] singing was added. Plena was often called theperiodico cantado[citation needed] or "sung newspaper" for the lower classes because it spread messages among people, similar to thecorridos inMexico.
The plena was a result of the mixing of the culturally diverse popular class, where their workplace, neighborhood, and life experiences met to create an expressive,satirical style of music.[6] It became a way for the working class to gain empowerment throughparody. Due to originating in the lower social class, it was regarded by the upper class as "a menace to public order andprivate property" and was for many years associated with people ofla vida alegre (the merry life), referring to prostitutes, dancers, alcoholics, and moral degenerates. Singing and dancing of the plena often happened incafetines, bars that frequently doubled as brothels and where interracial socializing and sexual encounters were free to take place.[7]
According to singers discussing the use of the plena, they stated it was song with lyrics that related to a current event. For example, if someone drowned or was killed, a plena would be written about it.[8]Tintorera del Mar,[9]Mataron a Elena,El Obispo de Ponce, andMatan a Bumbum[10] were some plenas which became wildly popular.[11]
The eventual widespread acceptance of the plena can be attributed to the increased number of people joining theworkforce, which led to a new demand for public leisure. It was still considered indecent by the upper class, who fought against its rising popularity. In December 1917, an ordinance was passed banning the dances from happening inside the city limits. It took another decade for the plena to gain widespread popularity throughout Puerto Rico and crossracial andcultural boundaries. Listening to plena at home and at neighborhood- or municipal-sanctioned celebrations became acceptable and was no longer considered morally tainted by "respectable" white upper classPonceños. Eventually, with much whitewashing to make it more palatable to the masses, plena was embraced in earnest as a style of music that united Puerto Ricans. However, with the acceptance of the upper class, what began as a vitally important cultural identifier and personal expression of philosophy, community, and self to the lower class became an entertaining spectacle for the white upper class.[7]
By the 1930s, the plena was accessible to all through theradio andrecord industries.[7]
Plena music is generally folkloric in nature. The music'sbeat andrhythm are usually played using hand drums calledpanderetas, also known aspanderos. The music is accompanied by a scrape gourd, theguiro.Panderetas resembletambourines but without the jingles. These are handheld drums with stretched animal skins, usually goat skin, covering a round wooden frame. Three different sizes of pandereta are used in plena: theSeguidor (the largest of the three), thePunteador (the medium-sized drum), and therequinto. An advantage of this percussion arrangement is its portability, contributing to the plena's spontaneous appearance at social gatherings. Other instruments commonly heard in plena music are thecuatro, themaracas, andaccordions.[12]
The fundamental melody of the plena, as in all regional Puerto Rican music, has a decided Spanish strain; it is marked in the resemblance between the plenaSanta María and a song composed in the Middle Ages byAlfonso the Wise, King ofSpain. The lyrics of plena songs are usually octosyllabic andassonant. Following the universal custom the theme touches upon all phases of life—romance, politics, and current events. Generally, anything which appeals to the imagination of the people, such as the arrival of a personage, a crime, a bank moratorium, or a hurricane, can be the subject of plena music.[citation needed]
Plena is played throughoutPuerto Rico especially during special occasions such as the Christmas season, and as the musical backdrop for civicprotests, due to its traditional use as a vehicle for social commentary. When plena is played the audience often joins in the singing, clapping, and dancing. Plena is also enjoyed by the Puerto Rican diaspora outside of Puerto Rico. Pleneros de la 21, for example, traveled to Hawaii to perform for the Puerto Rican diaspora there which include descendants ofPuerto Ricans who immigrated to Hawaii from Puerto Rico in the early 20th century.[13]
As a folk genre, there have been many good composers, some well known in their day and into the present. Perhaps one of the genre's most celebrated composers and performers wasManuel Jiménez, known as 'El Canario'. Certainly, there were many others, including such greats asRamito,Ismael Rivera,Mon Rivera (the junior), andRafael Cortijo. In 2006, Tito Matos andLos Pleneros de la 21 received a Grammy nomination for theirPara Todos Ustedes plena songs recording.[14]
The genre has had a revival recently, as evident by the emergence of many plena bands (such asPlena Libre,Viento de agua and others) and its use in various songs, such asRicky Martin's recent song "Pégate" andIvy Queen's "Vamos A Celebrar".[citation needed]
In 1953, Puerto Rican writer,Luis Palés Matos wrotePlena del Menéalo urging the Puerto Rican woman to move it and ends the plena with the line¡Para que rabie el Tio Sam (to make "Uncle Sam" angry).[15]
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