CUBAN SON & CUBAN IDENTITY

• According to Fernanado Ortiz, a famous Cuban anthropologist, the first son played an important role to signify the nationalistic and democratic awakening of music.

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• According to Robbin Moore, son represents the "firsts" of the Cuban society:

1. It is the first musical form in Cuba with the use of bongo.

2. the first street genre of music which got accepted nationally without a lot of changes of its style.

3. the first working-class genre which gained popularity and heard on records and radio. 

Although Cuban people favored the culture brought from the United States, the political climate caused an anti-American sentiment to develop and American music and culture were discouraged. Only sones and other Cuban nationalist genres were recorded and heard on the radio. 

 

• Alejo Carpentier, a Liberal intellectual, described son as the inspiration of high art.  

• Son music inspired art music composition since the melody of sones can be borrowed without compensation: