Though its music has achieved little international credit, Costa Rican popular music genres include: an indigenous calypso scene which is distinct from the more widely-known Trinidadian calypso sound, as well as a thriving disco audience that supports nightclubs in cities like San José. American and British rock and roll and pop are very popular and common among the youth (especially urban youth), while dance-oriented genres like soca, salsa, merengue, cumbia and Tex-Mex have an appeal among a somewhat older audience. Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music which originated in Trinidad at about the start of the 20th century. ... This article is about the genre. ... Soca, or soul calypso, is a dance music that originated in Trinidad from calypso. ... In Cuba, Rumba is a generic term covering a variety of musical rhythms and associated dances. ... Reggaeton (also spelled Reggaetón, and known as Reguetón and Reggaetón in Spanish) is a form of urban music which became popular with Latin American (or Latino) youth during the early 1990s and spread over the course of 10 years to North American, European, Asian, and Australian audiences. ... Hip hop is a cultural movement that began amongst urban African American youth in New York and has since spread around the world. ... This article is about the genre of popular music. ... Monument to the dance and music of cumbia in El Banco. ... Merengue is a type of lively, joyful music and dance that comes from the Dominican Republic [1]. It is popular in the Dominican Republic. ... Salsa music is a diverse and predominantly Spanish Caribbean genre that is popular across Latin America and among Latinos abroad. ... Bachata, a form of music and dance that originated in the countryside and rural marginal neighborhoods of Dominican Republic. ... This article is about Western art music from 1000 AD to the present. ... Mexican music redirects here. ... Guanacaste is the name of several things: A tree common in Central America. ... The marimba ( ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family. ... Afro-American music is a broad array of musical genres that arose from the synthesis of African, European and Native American music. ... Look up punk in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article is about the genre. ... Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music which originated in Trinidad at about the start of the 20th century. ... For other uses, see Trinidad (disambiguation). ... This article is about the music genre. ... Nickname: Location of San José Canton between provinces Coordinates: , Country Province Canton San José Canton Founded circa. ... Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ... This article is about the genre of popular music. ... Soca, or soul calypso, is a dance music that originated in Trinidad from calypso. ... Salsa music is a diverse and predominantly Spanish Caribbean genre that is popular across Latin America and among Latinos abroad. ... Merengue is a type of lively, joyful music and dance that comes from the Dominican Republic [1]. It is popular in the Dominican Republic. ... Monument to the dance and music of cumbia in El Banco. ...

Mexican music is very popular among older people and some people in the countryside. During the middle years of the 20th century, Costa Rica was exposed to much Mexican cultural influence. Mexican music redirects here. ...

Folk Music

The Caribbean coast shows a strong African influence in the complex percussion rhythms like sinkit. Like its northerly neighbors in Central America, the marimba is a very popular instrument, and Costa Rican marimba music is very popular. In modern times, groups like Cantares have helped to popularize Costa Rican folk music, and were a leading part of the New Costa Rican Song movement[1]. The marimba ( ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family. ...

Costa Rica's pre-Columbian population has contributed a large part of the country's folk heritage, include rare musical scales, certain ceremonial songs and ocarinas. The Guanacaste region, in the Peninsula of Nicoya, is home to the best-known folk traditions. Along the Atlantic coast, the African musical heritage is more pronounced, and Afro-Caribbean music like rumba, calypso and reggae are popular. In music, a scale is a group of musical notes that provides material for part or all of a musical work. ... The ocarina (IPA: ) is an ancient flute-like wind instrument. ... Guanacaste is a province of Costa Rica. ... Hand drumming is significant throughtout Africa The music of Africa is as vast and varied as the continents many regions, nations and ethnic groups. ... Afro-American music is a broad array of musical genres that arose from the synthesis of African, European and Native American music. ... In Cuba, Rumba is a generic term covering a variety of musical rhythms and associated dances. ... Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music which originated in Trinidad at about the start of the 20th century. ... Reggae is a music genre developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. ...

In most of Costa Rica, ancient instruments like ocarinas are being replaced by international instruments like accordions and guitars. There are still folk styles, even outside of Guanacaste, such as the Talamanca's Danza de los Huelos and the Boruca's Danza de los Diablitos. For other uses, see Accordion (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Guitar (disambiguation). ... : Talamanca is a canton in the southern area of the province of Limón. ... The Boruca (also known as the Brunca or the Brunka) are an indigenous people living in Costa Rica. ...

Guanacaste is the major center for Costa Rican folk music, especially pre-Columbian styles like the Danza del Sol and Danza de la Luna of the Chorotega, who also popularized the ancient quijongo (a single-string bow and gourd resonator) and native oboe, the chirimia [2]. Chorotega is the name of an indigenous people of Honduras and Costa Rica the ethnic population number around 795 according to the ethnologue 2000 survey[1]. The Chorotega language which was a member of the Manguean branch of the Oto-Manguean linguistic family is now extinct. ... This article refers to the dried fruit shell. ... A resonator is a device or part that vibrates (or oscillates) with waves. ... For other uses, see Oboe (disambiguation). ...

Costa Rica's population never developed a major rhythm or style that became a major part of popular music, nor has Costa Rica produced a great literary or other artistic tradition [3]. There have been exceptions, such as the Costa Rican landscape school of painting in the 1920s. The Andean peña tradition (an international gathering of like-minded persons) is strong in Costa Rica as well, introduced by immigrants from Chile and Argentina. The 1920s they were sexy referred to as the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties, usually applied to America. ... Look up peña in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

In the late 1980s some local artists and bands became famous for having their own style and original material, such as José Capmany, Café con Leche and Inconsciente Colectivo; some of them had fans from outside of Costa Rica, like Editus, a Grammy winning contemporary jazz ensemble. At around that time a popular Latin genre developed, chiqui-chiqui as it was known, led by bands such as Los Hicsos and La Banda. Chiqui-chiqui was mostly a commercial and easy approach to music and soon disappeared. The 1980s refers to the years from 1980 to 1989. ... José Capmany was a Costa Rican songwriter and guitarrist, and an ex-member of the band Café con Leche, a popular rock band in Costa Rica in the late 1980s. ...

From the late 90's to present time, there has emerged a newer local rock style led by bands such as Gandhi, Evolución, Tango India, Suite Doble, Alma Bohemia, and Kadeho, all of which have been accepted positively by Costa Rican youths. There are Metal bands, like Insano, Deznuke, December's Cold Winter, Feedback(fdbk) and Cold, to name but a few. Also bands venturing into Reggae and Ska are popular, one example being Mekatelyu. Gandhi is a Costa Rican rock band formed by Luis Montalbert-Smith (lead vocals, keys, songwriting), Federico Miranda (lead guitar), Abel Guier (bass) and Massimo Hernández (drums). ... Evolucion (1984) is Menudos 15th album (13th in Spanish) featuring Charlie Rivera, Ray Reyes, Roy Rosello, Robby Rosa, and new member Ricky Martin. ...

Malpaís, a band emerging from the Guanacaste-area, is one of the central bands of the Costa Rican rock and music scene of today, mixing traditional Costa Rican folk and Latin music with jazz and rock and has met great success in Costa Rica and surrounding countries. For other uses, see Jazz (disambiguation). ...

For all the fanfarre of rock, electronic or world music, Latin music is somehow the most common music genre in some specific sectors, and visitors will find that most Costa Ricans of certain generations favor Latin music (Cuban, Mexican and Colombian).

Metal Scene

The Metal Scene in Costa Rica has been growing in the past years, the death metal scene in particular. With bands like Katharzys and December's Cold Winter, the metal community in Costa Rica has become more acceptive of national bands. December's Cold Winter recently recorded their first full-length album with Lamb of God's producer, and Katharzys will released their EP The Beginning of Desolation in November, 2007. The black metal scene also has a large number of bands, with Morbid Funeral and Mortigor leading the scene. For the band, see Lamb of God (band). ... This article is about the musical genre. ...

Music Institutions

Classical music performing organizations include the Costa Rican National Symphony Orchestra (formed in 1970), which has been conducted by Americans Gerald Brown and Irwin Hoffman, and currently by the Japanese music director, Chosei Komatsu. The country is also home to an opera company, one of the first professional choirs in Central America, and a state-subsidized youth orchestra, which belongs to the National Symphony Orchestra. The Universidad de Costa Rica has a concert band and an orchestra, besides an early-music group and several chamber music groups. The National University, Universidad Nacional, has a resident string quartet and a Symphony Orchestra which had its very successul premiere at the National Theatre in San José on May 10, 2007, conducted by Dieter Lehnhoff. It has also a highly successful piano school led by the Russian virtuoso, Alexandr Sklioutovsky. Other well-known groups are the El Café Chorale and the Sura Chamber Choir[4]. This article is about Western art music from 1000 AD to the present. ... Orchestra at City Hall (Edmonton). ... Year 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Irwin Hoffman (born New York 26 Nov 1924), is an American conductor. ... Conductor Chosei Komatsu (小松長生; born 1 March 1958) is currently in his fourth year as Artistic Director of Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Costa Rica and as Music Director of Central Aichi Symphony Orchestra in Japan. ... For the community in Florida, see University, Florida. ... Orchestra at City Hall (Edmonton). ... Dieter Lehnhoff (b. ... Sura Chamber Choir (Coro Surá in spanish) is a musical institution from Costa Rica, regarded as one of the most promising choirs to have emerged from Central America, having participated in concerts all over the world. ...

Both the Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR), in San José, and the Universidad Nacional (UNA), in Heredia, have well-structured programmes in Music, where students can pursue bachelor's degrees in instrumental and vocal performing, composition, and conducting. The latter also has a doctoral degree in Central American Arts and Letters, with an emphasis in Music. Heredia is a city in north-central Costa Rica, the capital of Heredia Province. ... Musical composition is a phrase used in a number of contexts, the most commonly used being a piece of music. ... A conductor conducting at a ceremony A conductors score and batons Conducting is the act of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. ...

Contemporary composers include Mario Alfagüell, Marvin Camacho, Alejandro Cardona, Bernal Flores, Benjamín Gutiérrez, Luis Diego Herra, and Eddie Mora, to name but a few.

Costa Rican folk institutions include the Fantasía Folklorica. Every August, Costa Rica is home to an International Festival of Music.

In recent years the government, led by the Ministerio de Cultura, has aimed to revitalize traditional Costa Rican music.

References

• [5] The Benjamín Gutiérrez Saénz Project (Dedicated to Costa Rica's contemporary music)
• [6] Costa Rica Music Festival
• www.lafi.org
• www.spanishabroad.com
• www.fdbkweb.com
• www.photo.net/cr/moon/arts-and-culture
• www.grupomalpais.com
• Events Calendar of Costa Rica: concerts, opera, ...
• Costa Rica's National Symphony