Music of Nicaragua
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Modern Nicaraguan music is a mixture of indigenous and European, especially Spanish, influences. Musical instruments include the marimba and others common across Central America. Pop music includes Cuban, Brazilian, Mexican and Panamanian performers, as well as stars from Europe and the United States. The Garifuna community exists in Nicaragua and is known for its own popular music.
The marimba of Nicaragua is uniquely played by a sitting performer holding the instrument on his knees. He is usually accompanied by a bass fiddle, guitar and guitarrilla (a small guitar like a mandolin). This music is played at social functions as a sort of background music. The marimba is made with hardwood plates, placed over bamboo or metal tubes of varying lengths. It is played with two or four hammers.
The Caribbean coast of Nicaragua is known for a lively, sensual form of dance music that is especially loud and celebrated during the May Palo de Mayo festival.
Indigenous theater groups performed with music and dance. Theatrical manifestations include the Gueguense and Elegant Knights of Huaco Bull.
Another popular musical genre Nicaragua is the Chicheros often consisting of trumpet and trombone or other brass instruments, with additional musicians playing various percussions. This is often to be heard in private parties around the country.
Prominent musicians and composers include Camilo Zapata, Dimension Costeña, Salvador Cardenal, Lia Barrios, Katia Cardenal, Luis Enrique Mejia Godoy and Carlos Mejia Godoy.
Of the younger generation of Nicaraguan singer-songwrites there are a few notable such as Ramon "Perrozompopo" Mejia, Moisés Gadea, Junior Escobar, Elsa Basil, Cecilia Ferrer, Alejandro Mejia, Clara Grun and Mario Montenegro and instrumentalists such as guitarists Eduardo Araica and Andrés Sánchez, marimba player Carlos Luis Mejia and the batterist (and DJ) Bikentios Chávez.
| Central American music |
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Belize - Costa Rica - El Salvador - Garifuna - Guatemala - Honduras - Nicaragua - Panama |
| Latin American music |
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Argentina - Bolivia - Brazil - Chile - Colombia - Costa Rica - Cuba - Dominican Republic - Ecuador - El Salvador |
