Monday, July 23, 2007
What is a cantante? And then again, what is a sonero?
A direct tranlation of both these Spanish words into English gives the same word - singer. However there is a not-so-subtle difference in the usage of both words, and how each kind of singer is classed. Simply put, all soneros are cantantes, but not all cantantes are soneros. How so, one might ask?
A cantante is, in general, a pure singer who reads off a lyrics script and sings a melody of what has been formally lyricised. But a sonero is different. The word "sonero" is derived from the root word "son", which refers to Afro-Cuban son. A sonero, besides singing off a lyrics sheet, also is expected to perform lyrical improvisations, often based upon a coro-pregon (call-and-response) framework. To paint a better picture for comparison's sake, if Marc Anthony were a cantante (and he is!) then Hector Lavoe would be a sonero. In terms of skill level required for each, my opinion is that being a sonero is much harder work than being a cantante; then again I have never sung in a latin orquesta before so you cannot take my word seriously can you.. But what often moves me the most in salsa dura is the coro and pregon, so my soul swings with the sonero, if I were given a choice.. :)
A direct tranlation of both these Spanish words into English gives the same word - singer. However there is a not-so-subtle difference in the usage of both words, and how each kind of singer is classed. Simply put, all soneros are cantantes, but not all cantantes are soneros. How so, one might ask?
A cantante is, in general, a pure singer who reads off a lyrics script and sings a melody of what has been formally lyricised. But a sonero is different. The word "sonero" is derived from the root word "son", which refers to Afro-Cuban son. A sonero, besides singing off a lyrics sheet, also is expected to perform lyrical improvisations, often based upon a coro-pregon (call-and-response) framework. To paint a better picture for comparison's sake, if Marc Anthony were a cantante (and he is!) then Hector Lavoe would be a sonero. In terms of skill level required for each, my opinion is that being a sonero is much harder work than being a cantante; then again I have never sung in a latin orquesta before so you cannot take my word seriously can you.. But what often moves me the most in salsa dura is the coro and pregon, so my soul swings with the sonero, if I were given a choice.. :)
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