Connecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program collections, 2015.196.710c, Connecticut Historical S ...

Bomba Music by Don Rafael Cepeda

Mediumreformatted digital file from audio cassette

DimensionsDuration (side 1): 32 Minutes, 6 Seconds Duration (side 2): 5 Minutes, 3 Seconds Duration (total runtime): 37 Minutes, 12 Seconds

ClassificationsInformation Artifacts

Credit LineConnecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program collections

CopyrightIn Copyright

Object number2015.196.710a-d

DescriptionA produced audio cassette tape of bomba music by Don Rafael Cepeda at Musica Folklorica Nacional.

The songs include:
1. Estoy Buscando un Arbol
2. Esa Domine
3. Felicita
4. Eliselo
5. Adios mis Ojitos
6. Si yo tuve en las Josefa
7. Plere Maria
8. Umblina Umble
9. Oye Rosa
10. En la Hacienda Caridad

NotesSubject Note: CCHAP acquired this copy of a produced tape as part of work on various Puerto Rican community projects. CCHAP also has presented and documented the Connecticut-based bomba and plena musicians Roberto Cepeda (son of Rafael) and Gloria Lopez de Cepeda who perform in New England as La Familia Cepeda and Bomba Ashé.

Biographical Note: Don Rafael Cepeda (10 July 1910 - 1996) was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico. Following the examples of his ancestors, Cepeda learned about Afro-Puerto Rican musical traditions at an early age. For more than 50 years, Cepeda was one of the foremost performers of the bomba and plena. He created more than 600 original compositions, many of which appear on commercial recordings and have attained widespread international popularity. With his wife, Doña Caridad Brenes de Cepeda, herself a great traditional dancer, their three daughters, and eight sons, Cepeda formed the performing ensemble La Familia Cepeda, initiating a revival of bomba and plena. They toured extensively in the United States and Europe, and for many years dedicated themselves to promoting the unique musical traditions of their homeland. (Source: https://www.arts.gov/honors/heritage/rafael-cepeda)

Subject Note: The Puerto Rican traditional dance form known as bomba developed on the sugar cane plantations throughout the coastal areas of the island, arising as the musical expressions of enslaved Africans brought to work there from the 17th century. Connections with other colonized Africans and Caribbean groups from Haiti, Cuba, and Santo Domingo created a rich variety of percussion-driven rhythms in bomba, along with songs and dances that told stories, related histories and social values, and sometimes conveyed messages of rebellion. Traditional instruments include barrel drums, maracas, and rhythm sticks. Songs and dances are extemporaneous and creative in conversation with the drum rhythms in call and response patterns. Bomba has been constant in the musical landscape of Puerto Rico among traditional communities, accompanying community gatherings and festivals, as well as public performances.

Additional materials exist in the CCHAP archive for these artists.

Cataloging Note: This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services MA-245929-OMS-20.

Status

Not on view