Bachata Information

Bachata guitarist

Bachata is style of music that features vocals and guitar. It is a style that finds its origins among the poor of the Dominican Republic. While only moderately successful for several decades, it has seen a resurgence of popularity in recent years.

History

Bachata music finds its official origin in 1961, according to David Wayne, with José Manuel Calderón. He is crediting with recording the first Bachata single.

Meaning

National Geographic World Music reports that the word bachata is a reference to raucous parties that were held in poverty stricken neighborhoods.

Thematic Elements

Bachata music principally focuses on themes like love or, alternately, deception. However, the music has been known to focus on poverty and other themes related to human unhappiness.

Types

There are a number of distinctive types of Bachata. David Wayne notes the following: bachata-bolero, cabaret bachata, sexual double entendre bachata, tecno-bachata, frontier bachata, romantic bachata, the New York School and vallenato and bachata.

Resurgence

National Geographic World Music reports that the resurgence in Bachata popularity centers on Bachata from the New York scene being produced by local Dominicans. Aventura is one example of a popular New York bachata group.

References

• The History of Bachata by David Wayne
• Bachata Music: National Geographic World Music
• The Official Aventura Site -- Bio