Tenths and rumba:

Iberian formalism in the heart of Afro-Cuban singing

By Philip 'Felipe' Pasmanick 9-95 in English v. 3.4 in Spanish 4-4-2000 full version

Definition and history

The vocabdecima refers to a Spanish poetic form composed of one or more stanzas of ten.
lines each one. Most of the décimas are crafted in the style known as espinela,
named after the great poet, novelist, and musician Vicente Espinel (1550-1624) who published in 1591
tenth verses with octosyllabic lines and a rhyme scheme of abbaaccddc. The espinela was a resounding success.
and lasting; nowadays educated and popular improvisers write and sing their verses in
muchos países de habla castellana. Muchos estudiosos han analizado y coleccionado décimas, pero
Researchers have largely ignored the phenomenon of the décima within rumba.
folkloric, and there is a rich variety of textual structures that have not yet been
documented. This study precisely addresses this deficiency.

As an example and introduction to our topic, I offer my own poetry. The rhymes occur according to the
Afro-Cuban pronunciation, which also allows for elision between strong vowels, as in lines 9 and
10.

.1 I've wanted to for a long time A

2 a tenth to sing B
3 in the party and enjoy B
4 its pleasant cadence A
5 that comes from the era A
6 from Calderón de la Barca C
7 and then embarks C
8 to the great pan-Hispanic world D
9 where Spanish is spoken D
10 the espinela is monarch C

Chorus: That life is a dream

and dreams are but dreams

The decima and its peninsular origin

The decima is the product of a thousand years of linguistic evolution. The octosyllabic line is undoubtedly the most

"ancient in Spanish poetry" and possibly finds its roots in the mere structure of the language
[Navarro 1986, p. 71]. The octosyllabic lines are very common in popular sayings and proverbs.
and in the choruses of songs since the 6th century. They appear in Mozarabic poems written in the

P. Pasmanick Decima and Rumba v. 3.4 [ 04-04-2000 ] p. 1

11th and 12th centuries. By the 15th century, songs composed with lines of eight syllables were common.
among the troubadours of Castile.

These troubadour songs were typically ensembles of couplets (aa), romances (abcb) and
Redondillas (abba). A décima can be understood as two redondillas connected by a 'bridge'.
that repeats the rhyme of the last line of the first quatrain and the first line of the second
quatrain to repeat the pattern abba. That is, write abbaaccddc like this: abba ac cddc.

A B B A A B B A
bridge
By the end of the 16th century, the décima was a common form in songs, lyrical poetry, and theater.
In these times, the quintilla rivaled the décima. The quintilla can be understood as half.
tenth; or rather, that a tenth can be analyzed as a set of two consecutive quintillas, in two
variations: abbaa and aabba. It is curious to note that reproducing the rhyme pattern this way is a palindrome;
That is, it reads the same from left to right and from right to left.

palindrome
A B B A A A A B B A
palindrome
line of symmetry

Part of the special appeal of spinel is precisely this curious set of patterns.
ambiguous, easy to perceive but mathematically subtle. This set of metric rhyme patterns
and emphasis seems to play a musical and specifically rhythmic role within the rumba.

Development of the decima in Spain

The most renowned authors of the Golden Age dedicated the espinela in their plays. Lope
de Vega (1562-1635), Tirso de Molina (1571-1648), and Calderón de la Barca (1600-1681)
(notably in his masterpiece Life is a Dream, which our introductory verse refers to) the
They used. But, easy to set to music and endowed with an attractively rhythmic rhyme structure,
the tenth was also quickly integrated by Andalusian and Canary farmers, many times
illiterates. By the early 18th century, the décima had fallen out of fashion among poets.
Neoclassicists, who abhorred the octosyllabic line. It experienced a boom during the period of
romanticism (1830s-40s) thanks to poets like José de Zorilla (1817-1893), Gaspar Núñez de Arce
(1834-1903), and Ramón de Campoamor (1817-1901). Zorilla was especially creative and originated
several modifications in the décima. At the beginning of the 20th century, the décima was once again in

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decadence, but the poets of the "Generation of '27", by rediscovering the greats of the Golden Age,
they rehabilitated the decima. Within the neopopulist movement, and with the desire to integrate poetry
cultured and popular poetry, poets like Federico García Lorca (1898-1936) and Jorge Guillén (1893-
In 1984, they wrote classic espinelas and experimented with variants of the form.

By the 1950s, the décima in Spain could be considered extinct as a literary genre, used only
As a curiosity [Mendoza 1957, p. 9]. By the way, during my trip in Spain, I did not find anyone.
Nobody outside of some professors had the faintest notion of what the tenth was, while in
Everyone offered opinions and suggestions on the topic.

In some regions of Spain, the custom of the decimistas peasants is preserved.

the Andalusian province of Almería and the Alpujarra region are quite rich in this respect, and there and in the
In the neighboring province of Murcia, décima festivals are held annually. But it is in the islands
Canary Islands, with its strong bidirectional link to Cuba, where the sung décima has had and
it maintains more strength, although it can be considered an art in danger of extinction. However,
it has its unexpected outbreaks; for example, in 1999 a Canary Islands judge was fined for issuing sentences
in tenths and other verses [see Pérez 1999].

The Spanish décima had the strength to spread to other Romance languages. The Catalans managed
composing décimas in Catalan; it was a tradition for urban workers to ask for gifts with
tenth verses in Christmas time [see Battle 1933]. In Cuba, there are Cuban tenth verses with phrases in
language (Afrocuban languages like Lucumí and Abakwá) and I heard a Puerto Rican décima with phrases in
interspersed English with a comedic effect. Personally, I have written décimas in English, which work.
adequately but perhaps with little charm.

Decima in the Americas

We can say that the tenth traveled to the Americas through two distinct paths. The 'high culture' (poetry
edited in books and in theater)--followed the Spanish patrons to the capitals of the empire. The tenth
popular--the songs and poems of peasants, muleteers, priests, and prisoners from Andalusia and the Canaries--
established the decima in the countryside and the cities. The criollo poets of the Americas quickly
made the tenth their own. A notable example is Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (1651-1695), who
won a contest of improvised glosses sponsored by the Royal Pontifical University of Mexico
in 1683. Rubén Darío (1867-1916), the Nicaraguan modernist poet and the Chilean Violeta Parra

P. Pasmanick Tenth and rumba v. 3.4 [ 04-04-2000 ] p. 3

(1917-1967) were also notable decimists of their times. A series of anthologies [for example
Bravo-Villasante 1982, Cela 1982, Feijóo 1982, Franco-Lao 1970, and Orta 1990 demonstrate a flow.
almost an infinite source of poetic inspiration in décima, both cultured and popular.

The popular décima is preserved in Puerto Rico [see Hernández 1993], Dominican Republic [see
Rueda 1989] Mexico [see Mendoza 1957], and to a lesser extent many more countries [for the overview
continental see Aretz 1980, pp. 213-23]. Afro-Peruvians have done a great job with the décima
for example, see the LP album Festejo Peruano, Nicomedes Santa Cruz, Discos Pueblo, DP 1014
Mexico 1975], and the Afro-Ecuadorians of the Esmeraldas region sang décimas to the tune of the
marimba [see Hidalgo Azamora 1982]. The décima is preserved even in Louisiana, USA, among
communities of islanders who emigrated from the Canary Islands to this state at the end of the 18th century
[see Armistead 1992]. It also has a long history in the region of the border between Texas and
Mexico [see Paredes 1993].

But the décima took root in a singular way in Cuba. An unusual feature is the exclusivity of the
espinela. That is, while in Colombia, Argentina, and Venezuela for example, they use up to eight
types of verses for controversy, in Cuba the decima is used exclusively [Leiva, communication]
The romance, the most popular and oldest form in Spain, was a tremendous success in Mexico.
as occurred, but it is uncommon in Cuba [Vitier 1970, p. 135]. Another feature is the high standards.
poetics. For example, the Cuban décima only admits true rhymes, that is, consonant rhymes.
while in other countries assonant rhymes are accepted. Jesús Orta Ruiz gives credit for this
formality to the influence of the Golden Age. For centuries, rural poets have learned by heart
the espinelas of Lope, Calderón, and the very Espinel himself. "Surely from there, from having such
distinguished teachers, this constant zeal to preserve comes to the Cuban peasant decimists
it integrates the espinela like nowhere else in Hispanoamerica" [Orta 1991, p. 9].

Development of the decima in Cuba

As we have seen, the décima came to Cuba with cultured literature but also with the peasants and
other immigrant workers. Researcher Antonio Iraizoz places its beginning in Cuban literature
in the 17th and 18th centuries, in the work of Father Capucho [Linares 1991, pp. 93-94]. López
Lemus [1989, pp. 5-6] cites a tenth written in 1762 by an anonymous poetess from Havana.
commemoration of the fall of this city to the English.

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The improvised décima also has a long history on the island. The literary critic Menéndez and
Pelayo reported that the pharmacologist from Santa Clara, José Surí y Aguila (1692-1762) not only
he improvised verses to the images of the saints as they passed in procession, but even
he wrote his recipes as décimas [quoted in Ortiz 1985, p. 579].

Cuban decimalists soon established their preference for espinela over other forms of
tenth with ten and eleven syllables that were in fashion in these times. A feeling
particularly Creole, Cuban instead of Spanish, arises with the work of the popular poet Francisco
Pobeda (1796-1881). His contemporary Juan Cristobal Nápoles Fajardo (1829-1862?) known
like 'el Cucalambé,' reinforced and advanced this Cubanization of the espinela décima [Vitier 1970, p.
135].

The poetic work of Cucalambé has been criticized for the content of its verses, which romanticized the
extinct indigenous tribes while ignoring Afro-Cubans, inadvertently creating a model of
the sentimental and bucolic tenth that glorified and idealized the Indo-European guajiro without considering
it tells of the African heritage [Ortiz 1965, pp. 95-96] [León 1985, p. 99]. On the other hand, the Cucalambé
he was an active participant in the fight against Spanish colonialism, and his poetry helped create a sense
of Cuban nationalism [Fernández 1993, pp. 51-52]. Since 1966, an annual festival is celebrated
of a week-long duration with decimalists from the Spanish-speaking world in Victoria de las Tunas, their
hometown.

The main musical engine of the décima in Cuba is the Cuban punto, which took its current form in the
second half of the 19th century [Manuel 1991, p. 28], precisely when the espinela was taking
its poetic primacy. The point is a peculiar style with Canary traits such as 'a narrow vocal tone
and narrowed... and the use of ornaments and flourishes... that diverge from the usual tempering
The most used melodic modes are Mixolydian and the
Phrygia, popularly called 'Spanish tone' [León 1985, p. 109]. For the uninitiated ear, the
point can sound harsh and out of tune. The rhythm of point, always in 3/4 or 6/8, is characterized by
an 'elastic pulse that provides more freedom of expression, following the prosodic inflections of
text [Linares 1991, p. 98, my translation]. This style is called book point and is more common in the
western side of the island. In Camaguey and Las Villas, the style can often be fixed point, point
crossed, point in key. These variants of the point are characterized by a fixed pulse, counter-rhythms,
and syncopation. (Although it is often sung with cups, and many!)

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When the point is presented at birthday parties and feast days, weddings, and other celebrations
At home, the party is a gathering. When people come together specifically to sing, without any other
reason for the party, it is called canturia. These presentations are usually competitive, with pairs of
improvisers standing face to face trying to outdo each other controversial poetic duels
where one starts their tenth with the last line of their opponent's tenth. The competitions
they can lead to ritualistic insults called puyas, and cross-cutting, where the improvisers
they interrupt in the middle of the poem, "stealing" the other’s tenth. The rivalries can be fierce and
sometimes people get upset, ending in 'guitars and broken heads' [Linares 1988, p. 93]. As
for example, I quote a fragment from a contemporary play by the peasant Decimist Che
Carballo [in Randall 1979]. In his melodramatic work Sublimity, the wicked lawyer Estrada and the
heroic peasant troubadour, El Guijiricantor, fights for the soul of a beautiful fifteen-year-old girl:

Road Guajiricantor
If the great poet Petrarch For such a brilliant mission
Laura immortalized by Calderón de la Barca,
it was because he/she didn't see you before not much less Petrarch
Oh queen of this region! they were looking for a flamboyant one.
If Calderón de la Barca megalomaniac and pedantic
I would have seen you for a moment, like the lawyer,
or the playwright Dante, because of this mistake
they would have sung to you a lot and of its inhabitants
or they would have appointed me submissive and flattering
for such a brilliant mission. they would have been embarrassed

Another form of competition is the forced rhyme, where the poet has to improvise a poem that
I finished with an octosyllabic line suggested by a member of the audience. Educated poets use a
a similar mechanism called gloss, in which the poet chooses a poem, typically a stanza of
four lines, integrating each line into a stanza of his tenth. [see for example Hernández, 1982,
pp. 35-41]. For a beautiful example of the controversy in a rural canturía, see the videoRoutes of
Rhythm, by Howard Dratch and Eugene Rosow, Cinema Guild, 1990.

In the parties and singing sessions that I observed live and on video, the groups played the same
melody for hours, the only variation being that of the lute, which improvised melodies around the
singer. The tunes or melodies are Spanish and very old [Antolitia 1984, p. 99-104]. The dance
the characteristic of the point was the zapateado, a Spanish style of percussion with the feet, but the zapateado today

In the day, it is not seen outside of some folklore preservation groups [Linares, communication
In any case, the main goal is not musical energy per se; at this point the ...
vocal and instrumental aspects are secondary compared to the improvisation of poetry; they are

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the texts that motivate the music.

The arrangement of the text has many variations. Usually, the first two lines are repeated.
converting the ten-line verse into two stanzas of six lines each. This arrangement gives the
poet-singer time to think while the lute improvises. In some variants the tenth is followed.
for a refrain, that is, a chorus or repeated phrase.

Social functions of the popular décima in Cuba

The décima served many social functions in Cuba. Since its appearance, the décima has been used by
the priests to preach and teach the catechism, which may explain its extensive spread. The
Religious and philosophical tenths are called the divine and also served an educational function.
secular. The Guajiros sometimes studied almanacs to develop erudite disquisitions on
astronomical, philosophical, and historical matters [León 1984, p. 106].

More popular than the divine décima is the human décima. This form was used to
commemorate and propagate notable local and national events. As we already mentioned, the
the oldest known décimas in Cuba are of this nature. The use of the décima as a bulletin of
news continued until this century. Decimas were also composed for political purposes, instigating
patriotism or making manifestos against slavery or colonialism. Others contained criticism
open or disguised social. Sometimes they are composed of tens or hundreds of verses. These
Long décimas are known in Cuba as seguidillas and some, for example Manuel García, king of
the fields of Cuba, a novel written in 133 stanzas of decimas by Chanito Isidrón, have been
published [see López Lemus 1989].

The décimas were also composed for simple social entertainment. Humorous décimas.
abundant, and have been anthologized by Feijóo and Orta. The themes are infinite but some genres
stand out: personal or generalized insults (jabs), pseudo-historical and fantastic tales
(nonsense) and exaggerated boasts (bragging). The peasants who show great skill in these
efforts are honored with the title of poet, gaining great prestige and a modest source of income.

Popular décimas have been published in various ways for many years. Since the beginnings
from the 19th century, décimas were published on loose sheets that were sold in the countryside. At first
from this century, American recording companies like Columbia and RCA discovered the

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market for this music and began to record and distribute it. Some companies used decimas
for their radio advertisements and then on television. Nowadays, Cuban radio and television
weekly décima contests are held (for example, the very popular Palmas y Cañas, a
televised variety show based on the peasant controversy; on the radio it stands out
Controversy of Knowledge). Even Radio Martí, which is broadcast to Cuba from the United States for purposes
politicians, has a program of décimas in the early morning. It is easy to find books of décimas, and they
They often hold live formal competitions. Contemporary musical ensembles write
new décimas; for example, there are three on the CD disc of the unusual a cappella group Vocal Sampling
[Another Way, 1995 Sire Records, no number]. Tenths can be found even on the Internet [see area]
[Link]

Decima in the Afro-Cuban tradition

It should be remembered that the Cuban point emerged at a time when the rural guajiro often
of Canary descent and employed as a farmer, cowboy, or tobacco grower, lived in isolation
socially, geographically, and economically of the Afro-Cuban from the sugar cane field, the dock, and the city. How

Yes, then, the decima is so present in the lyrics of the rumba, this unequaled Afro invention.
Cuban that combines the vocal style of Spain with the African ensemble of three drums?

The theories can be classified by the century of transmission. One places it at the beginning of the 20th century.
Another attributes it to the first half of the 19th century. And some suspect that Afro-Cubans have
known the décima since its introduction on the island. We will briefly examine each theory in
order.

Jesus Orta Ruiz (the Indio Nabori) assured me that Afro-Cubans learned the décima from the
peasants in the outhouses of Havana during migration periods to the capital at the beginning of
century. Juan Campos Cárdenas (Chan), a respected rumbero and lead singer of the group
Habanero folkloric Yoruba Andabo supported this thesis and told me that the old rumblers in the
field learn tenths from the farmers and the same people sing punto and rumba.

José Luís Gómez, a participant in the Saturday rumba events organized by Rogelio.
Martínez Furé in Havana in the 1970s also argued in favor of an adaptation
relatively recent, based on migration. He explained that in his hometown of Sancti Spíritus,
there were open musical exchanges between the white guajiros playing their regional variant of

P. Pasmanick Décima and rumba v. 3.4 [ 04-04-2000 ] p. 8

. point, and the Afro-Cubans. The espirituano point uses claves, bongos, and botija and maintains a rhythm.
constante de 6/8. El uso de la clave fija facilitó el uso de estas canciones, siempre décimas, entre los
wandering groups of decorum and clave, composed of whites and blacks. In fact, the best musicians
of any race participated equally in the choir and clave groups, the point groups, and the
comparsas (associations for carnival). Although rumba itself was not popular in Sancti Spíritus, the
tenth was prominent in the musical consciousness of Afro-Cubans in the area, and when
circumstances forced migrations to the sugar cane fields of Matanzas, they found the rumba columbia
very suitable for singing décimas in its accustomed 6/8 tempo. Meanwhile in Havana,
where black people were excluded from the point groups, the guaguancó was a rhythm
natural to sing the décimas that had already been adapted for their choir and clave groups.

Maria Teresa Linares cites documents that clearly show that by 1830, the servants
Afro-Cubans in the capital sang llanto, a preliminary version of punto cubano using the tiple.
(a small guitar) and the güiro, and their songs were frequently décimas [Linares,
personal communication]. The verb decimar, meaning to improvise a decima, was used in these
times by Afro-Cubans of Congolese origin. The rumberos still say ten in reference to the
poetic improvisation even when the form is not a decima as such [León 1991, p. 15]. These
evidence seems to place the décima among Afro-Cubans long before the appearance of rumba
properly speaking.

However, María Teresa Linares asserts that the blacks probably dominated the décima and
all the popular forms since the early years of slavery [Linares 1995, p. 4]. The
the first Africans brought to Cuba (the so-called "curro blacks") did not come directly from
Africa, but from Seville, where they were undoubtedly immersed in the Hispano-Moorish culture of this city.
Andalusian. The presence of a wide variety of décima structures in rumba suggests that the
Archaic forms of the tenth were popular in Spain and spread in Cuba before the rise.
from the espinela [Mendoza 1957, pp. 17-19].

The great Cuban folklorist Fernando Ortiz does not directly address the acquisition of the décima by
the Afro-Cubans, but it does point out that while the African cultures represented in Cuba valued
highly the inventiveness and verbal improvisation in their native languages [Ortiz 1965, p. 118], the rhyme,
so vital in the décima, it does not have an important role in African singing and poetry [Ortiz 1965, p.
From there, it can be deduced that Africans brought some of the aesthetic and linguistic values.

P. Pasmanick Decima and rumba v. 3.4 [ 04-04-2000 ] p. 9

necessary to appreciate the tenth, but they had to acquire new skills, such as rhyme (and
the mastery of Spanish), to create it.

It is also documented that Afro-Cubans sang Spanish ballads in Havana in the

17th century, creating an original form called zarabanda, which, like the rumba and the son that
they would emerge centuries later, adapting Spanish melodies to African rhythms. This music returned to
Spain became popular, with the displeasure of the priests and poets like Cervantes, Góngora, and
Lope de Vega [Carpentier 1987, p. 42]. The presence of the zarabanda in Spain during the Century of
Gold shows a mutual influence between Afro-Cuban and Spanish for a long time.

In the end, it may be impossible to accurately ascertain the antiquity of the decima in Afro music.
Cuban. But it is undeniable that at the beginning of the 20th century, the décima was heard sung in the groups
decor and clave, predecessors to the rumba, that could accommodate up to 150 people. While the
they co-evolved into the contemporary phenomenon of rumba in the 1920s, the décimas
they continued to be important for the singer-songwriter. Numerous rumberos gained fame.
as improvisers of the décima, and the sung décima was firmly established as part
of the Afro-Cuban artistic spectrum.

Rumba - basic aspects

The rumba in Cuba is a kind of musical party, a jam session with percussion, singing, and dancing.
it has nothing to do with rumba, a popular ballroom dance in the U.S. in the 1940s and
unknown in Cuba. It is a distinctly Cuban style born from African and Spanish influences
[Acosta 1991, pp. 52-53].

The instruments are three conga drums, claves, and yguagua, that is, two sticks that are
hit the side of a drum or a piece of bamboo. Some boxes made for that purpose can
replace one or more of the drums, and if necessary, any sound object is struck,
from the door of a house to the hood of a car. It can be added with a lock.
(bell) yshékere (a dry gourd covered with a net loaded with beads), but in its appearance
folkloric rumba does not admit melodic instruments. A choir of three or four men and women.
at a minimum, a solo singer provides the melodic, harmonic, and textual elements.

The two deeper drums support a foundation of repetitive rhythmic melodies combined with

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improvised conversations, all strictly in time with the rhythm. The sharp drum, the
fifth, take into account the singer, the solo dancer, and the conversations of the other two drums
to inspire your solos and fillers. Today, three rhythms endure, each with its own dance;
guaguancó, elyambú, and lacolumbia. The rhythms showcase African characteristics such as
polyrhythm, the emphasis on offbeats, and an implicit "metronomic" sense [Waterman 1967,
pp. 211-214]. See Acosta 1991, Antolita 1984, Daniel 1995, and Urfé 1982, for more on rumba.

The singing in the rumba

Most rumba songs, and especially the guaguancós, develop in the same way.
way: first, an introduction without words called dianolalaleo, with the alternation of only and
duo that characterizes many Cuban musical styles [Linares 1974, p. 87]. Sometimes a singer
Specialized adds musical ornaments called flourishes. It follows the body of the song, called
inspiration, where the décima appears if it exists; finally the montuno, characterized by a
refrain repeated by the choir, while the soloist improvises short phrases in a call-and-response pattern
answer.

The melodies of the rumbas are as varied as the textual structures, but for the rumba.
tenth, like the tenth in Cuban punto, the melody is not of primary importance. The call
the tune of the presosha has been, in its multiple variations, a lasting melody for the décima in
guaguancó since the 1940s at least [Millán Rodríguez, personal communication]. There is another
Characteristic melody for lacolumbia. Chan told me that the soloist can choose or improvise one.
tune for your verse, as long as it works well with the song's meter and rhythm
characteristic of the key. Frequently, each line of the decima starts on the second note of the
key, and the seventh syllable falls on the first note of the next phrase of the key.

Typical themes include praises, picaresque tales, nonsense, and social commentary.
The inclusion of religious phrases in 'language' is frequent, especially in the cumbia rumba.
Good solo singers know how to "take the pulse" of any rhythm [see Friedman 1978] and choose
the best songs to stimulate dancing, music, and everyone's participation at the party
1982, p. 97]. It also requires great memory, verbal agility, and an absolute sense of timing.
from the key.

Although the improvisation of the soloist or 'gallo' is very important during the montuno, nowadays the

P. Pasmanick Tenth and rumba v. 3.4 [ 04-04-2000 ] p. 11

Improvisation of the proper décima within the rumba is seen very rarely. In my 20
In years of participating in parties, I have seen a group of Cuban dancers improvise only once.
tenths and creating a type of controversy, in an ecstasy of creativity that left everyone astonished
presents. María Teresa Linares describes an improvisation in tenths that she observed only once in
a festival in Matanzas [Linares 1995, pp. 10-12].

Structural variations and musical role of the décima in rumba

The décima maintains a foreground in today's rumba. Of more than 100 songs in 10
folkloric recordings with décimas that I studied, I noted that approximately 40 percent were
tenths. It is interesting to compare this figure with an analysis of 10 comedies from the Golden Age, which
reveals only six percent of decima espinela among its verses; 38% are redondillas and 34%
romance [Alpern and Martel, 1939, p. xxix]. However, in contrast to the Cuban point, where the
the espinela tenth is the exclusive form of the text, the tenth in rumba encompasses a wide variety of
styles. That is, the Afro-Cuban tends to use the term much more broadly than the guajiro or the
academic poet. For traditional rumberos, for a song to be considered 'décima,' it must approximate
the special cadence of the espinela, and the essence of this cadence is in the quintilla, which is characterized
for two rhymes, one that appears twice, and the other three. The rhymes of the quintillas, unequal but
regulares, crean un efecto rítmico anólogo a los patrones básicos de la tumbadora y el segundo, los
drums that mark the basic rhythm of the rumba. Therefore, after removing the texts that do not
They have quintilla in absolute, I have identified and named four variants of décima that we will study.
Next, I offer an explanation of the four styles and their criteria, and after the four
{"descripciones":"descriptions","ejemplos de cada uno":"examples of each one"}

A. The classic espinela respects the rhyme and meter of the original espinela. My analytical study of
Recordings show that this style is popular; 13 out of 45 rumba décimas were sung precisely.
in the style that took the Spanish literary world by storm in 1591. The classical espinela is presented
in a variety of contexts:
1) songs with a espinela stanza
2) songs with multiple stanzas of espinela
3) songs with an introduction, typically a quatrain

B. The modified tenth allows for variations of rhyme within the 10-line stanza. Variants
Common are abbaa ccdcd and ababb ccddc; note that in both cases a classic quintet is maintained.

P. Pasmanick Dixie and Rumba v. 3.4 [ 04-04-2000 ] p. 12

at the beginning or at the end, respectively. Other variants allow more or less than the four rhymes that
It has the espinela, and there are also forms of 12 lines.

C. Octava, or 'abbreviated tenth', compresses the 10 lines into eight. Feijóo refers to this style
Cuban quatrains [Feijóo 1982, p. 33]. The most rigorous pattern, which I would call 'classical octave'
It has eight octosyllabic lines with three rhymes: abbaacca.

abbaacca abbaacca a b b a a var. 1

a a b b a var. 2
Classic octavilla seen
Classic octavilla view
like two redondillas Classic octavilla seen as
like two quintillas that
that share a rhyme two quintillas apart, each
they share a rhyme (and two
from the 10 lines of the one of a and b. They share the
espinela last two lines at the end of
quintilla var. 1 and the firsts
two of quintilla var. 2

Notice that the first five syllables are abbaa (quintilla var. 1); read the last five as aabba.
(quintilla var. 2) and there is the espinela seen as two quintillas: abbaa aabba. Thus the 10 lines of the
decima is present with only eight lines and three rhymes. It is the style that José Martí uses in his
famous collectionSimple verses for “I cultivate a white rose…” that is also sung in the
riddle [Lázaro Pedroso, personal communication]. The classic octava, as in the case of the espinela
classical, it has its variants (for example abbaaaba), but to be considered an octavilla it has to
to conserve a quintet at the beginning or at the end.

D. Open decima refers to songs, often columbian, that maintain the feeling and the
cadence of the tenth but when analyzed, they show neither tenths nor octaves, but rather a mixture
apparently arbitrary coplas (aa), romances (abcb), redondillas (abba), and quintillas. Sometimes it
it defines a proper espinela in the midst of this "free verse," as characterized by María.
Teresa Linares [personal communication]. The "open" variants give a more improvised flavor,
less predictable, in the inspiration. Typically they are columbias and add phrases in language
fragments of various songs. What the song loses in rigor and structural elegance, it gains in
rustic invention and popular flavor. The open décima creates in the listener a sweet suspense.
anticipating which of its rhymes will repeat. Due to its appearance free of regular patterns, it is more
analogous to the fifth, the improvising drum.

Here are two examples of each style. The transcriptions are partial; for clarity and economy of
I have eliminated almost everything Diana, duos, introductions, choruses, etc.
P. Pasmanick Décima y rumba v. 3.4 [ 04-04-2000 ] p. 13
A.1. Classic espinela - a single verse in inspiration
The famous tenth of the Trabuco dog is sung with columbia, the most intense of the three rhythms of the
rumba. I have heard the song in at least three variations. With his talking and ironic dog, he suggests the
genre of nonsense, but it also reflects a tendency towards the fantastic narrative to critique social issues.
This version is by Justi Barreto [Guaguancó '69, Justi Barreto and his folkloric group Gema LPG
3072].

The tenth to the right is also well-known for singing in the guaguancó, and it exists in variants.
what we will see ahead. This version is from Yoruba Andabo [The Alley of the Rumberos Vols. 1 & 2
Classic Collection PMRecords 1993 MCPm 4039 and MCPm 4040.

The Trabuco Dog Sing well

I sent my dog Trabuco a The guaguancó is the most sublime a

to the mountain to hunt for jutiá b to entertain the soul b
he told me that he couldn't b should die b
walking through the vines a he who does not consider it good a
look dog, I will look for you a I sing to cheer you up a
a firm and dense mountain c and that they pay attention to me c
No, my love, it's not for that. c we sing from the heart c
you know what is happening, d come to my call d
that you eat the dough d that a well-sung rumba d
and it leaves my bones. c always gladdens the heart c

A.2 Classical and modified Espinelas--two stanzas

The first poem is sung with iambs, the softest rumba. The text exists in many variations.
I learned this in the traditional way, that is, orally from my fellow dancers in the park,
therefore I cannot identify the author of this version. I know that Carlos Embales has recorded one.
similar version.

The second rumba was collected in Havana by David Millán Rodríguez. It is a décima.
modified that repeats its pattern of abbcc ddeed twice. The second half of the decima is the
quintuplet in its second variation (aabba). Use some assonant rhymes. Notice that in both
Examples repeat the first two lines of each stanza, a common feature in Cuban punto.
I am unaware of the title and author of these décimas.

Today it is enclosed in this rhythm to - They say that santería a -

a paradise full of flowers b - 2x is in vogue in Havana b - 2x

P. Pasmanick Decima and Rumba v. 3.4 [ 04-04-2000 ] p. 14

for you, thousands of honors b that is why it adorns me b
I love you more than myself let's see that lady c
in my words without selfishness a with that nice shawl c
Sure, I'm going to sing to you c all dressed in white d
with my sincere friendship c may she cover me with her mantle d
I am a righteous man. d why not say it like this e
My affection goes to you d May everyone pray for me e
and my sincere friendship. c at the foot of all saints d

I wish I had been born a Many times desperate a

When was Micaela born? b I pray to Yemayá b
to show it off at school b Olofín, Obbatalá b
how well I deserved it a and to the Charity of Copper c
because I give it the sound a Let them put on their noble mantle c
how is the habanero c in the hands of uniyabó d
sensitive leather notes c let's see if this changes me d
that sweeten the atmosphere d the way I live e
and that only feels d don't let it be forgotten e
who was born a rumbero. c I beg you for Changó d

A.3. Classic and modified espinelas with introduction

The first example is a cultured décima written for the guaguancó by Professor Isidoro Mauleón.
The description of Cuba as a crocodile is very old and quite controversial [Feijóo, p. 115-124].
It comes from the album Towards Love by John Santos and the folkloric choir Kindembo [1995, Xenophile]
Xeno 4034], a folk group in the San Francisco Bay area, California. Presents
some variants; the same quatrain is repeated twice, and the quatrains have more than eight
syllables. Patriotism is, of course, an important genre.

The second example is from the Muñequitos de Matanzas [Rumba Caliente 88/77 Qbadisc 1992, without
number] and it is also a guaguancó; in fact, my study showed that 28 of the 44 décimas that
I heard they were guaguancós. The first redondilla and the first espinela are modified forms.
the tenth is abbaa cdeed; it preserves the first quintain.

Land of my dreams The controversy

In my dreams there is a place (2x) to a

I would like to sing with you
Rustling of graceful palms b as long as you understand me b
Where life dreams with souls b besides that you are my friend a
And there is no room for sorrow a and I know that you understand me b

P. Pasmanick Décima y rumba v. 3.4 [ 04-04-2000 ] p. 15

Fiery Cuba, beautiful Cuba a The wise Solomon says a
Asleep in the arms of a sea b that they kill the man b
That one doesn't get tired of kissing b they are the jealousy that seizes b
Your body of lily and rose a life and the heart a
What drove you, green goddess? a For this same edition a
To exchange your sky one day c they call us champion warrior c
For the light and freshness c I am looking for a poet. d
From tropical gardens? d that my lyre will listen to me e
Earthly yearnings d that he/she would not sing lies e
Celestial melancholy? c nor nonsense either d

In my dreams there is a place (2x) to You know that I'm starting to like it. a
Rustling of graceful palms b upon hearing your inspiration b
Where life dreams with souls b and it gives me satisfaction b
And there is no room for sorrow. a continue singing with you a

Cuba, green and long spurs a If I sang at the desk to

From a broken necklace of islands b of the Holy Child of Atoche b
Sugar loaf licked b If I made it through a night b
For tongues of a bitter sea; a to the wake saints a
Caiman of immobile lethargy a And Saint Gregory told me a
The lightning comet c that praised my virtue c
Legion of upright palms c San Pedro bought me a lute. c
On guard of a clear sun; d and he gave me a bunch of keys d
Tower of Spanish pride d and he told me take this key d
Besieged, not surrendered c Where are we going, you and I? e

C. Octava lesser, or 'abbreviated' tenth of eight lines.

The first octava is sung by Patato and Totico [Totico and his rumberos, 1992 Montuno Records MCD
We have already seen another version of this feeling of praise for the rumba itself (see above, A.1,
Sing well). This octosyllable varies from the form abbaacdc but maintains the initial quintilla.
(abbaacdc).
The second example is a classic pamphlet with an introductory quatrain. It also comes from the
the previously mentioned Yoruba Andabo disk.

Hey my songs And the party is already formed

Guaguancó is the most sublime a Guaguancó is the most sublime a

to entertain the soul b to entertain the soul b
should die b should die b
he who does not consider it good he who does not consider it good
song to cheer you up a

and you pay attention to me c The rumba is special a

a well-sung rumba d from the domains of Apollo b
always brings joy to the heart c it is a single element b
from the universal council a
In this, it has no rival. a

P. Pasmanick Tenth and rumba v. 3.4 [ 04-04-2000 ] p. 16

 for the beautiful and the fruitful c
if in this great world c
nothing like it has been seen before a

D. Open tenth

These two guaguancós are from the Afro-Cuban Guaguancó album with Roberto Maza and the folk choir.
by Alberto Zayas [Panart LP 2055]. It tells the beginning and end of the same story, and they use the
the same melody. But the structure varies greatly between the two texts, which makes me suppose that in
In this case, and perhaps in all, there is no hidden structure to rationalize so much loose rhyme. My
The way of grouping the lines is not the only one that would allow the song, but quintillas always appear.
in any variant that I tried.

He lives well The cook ran away.

In this beautiful Havana a What bad luck I had a

where I met her b with that cook b
I fell in love with her one morning a she became a party girl b
she told me yes b and with another one he ran away a
I told her like this: b it's only what I feel a
that it was very good with me c
We will get married a dinner always looked for me c
we will live very happily a and even bought me a suit a
in our blessed room. b
we will eat from one bread a And this other one that he found a
and with what you work c and that spoke with currency b
I will be able to buy myself a suit. c he made sense of it in his own way b
And on Sundays we will go out. a

and when you make yourself beautiful a and took her out of the room a
and you come from the kitchen b he invited her to the beach a
and bring me the bar b he bought her a wristwatch c
and the soup in a bottle a they got drunk c
I will tell you that you are my star and the black woman did not return. a

and I love you very much a And I come to the conclusion

you will come with the money a
There is no woman without money. a
because that is the first thing a
from the first installment a that in life you have to have b
You are married to me. a to be able to sustain b
to the woman I love the most
What is yours belongs to me. a
Come here every month. a

without touching the guano at all. a

and to the great day a
You will say that I am very good. b
we will live very happily b
but me without doing anything. a

P. Pasmanick Decima and Rumba v. 3.4 [ 04-04-2000 ] p. 17

Reflections

We have seen that the décima, historically identified in Cuba with academic poets and the
Spanish/Canarian peasantry (that is, 'white') is also present in the rumba, a product
cultural of the Afro-Cuban. But scholars of Cuban literature and popular music (with the
except for María Teresa Linares) have paid little attention to the phenomenon of the décima in rumba.
When my researcher David Millán Rodríguez, a veteran of the National Folkloric Ensemble of
Cuba presented a preliminary version of this study to the Provincial Municipality of Culture of the
Havana on May 30, 1996, reported great interest and surprise among cultural workers. How
Does this emptiness explain itself?

The reasons seem to be social. For some writers, the rumba simply seems vulgar to them.
too erotic, or if not too dangerous and in any case from the lower classes
The Muñequitos cited in Durán 1990, p. 3; see also Waxer 1994, p. 144 and Moore 1995, p. 189
for more about the low social status of rumba]. The "primitive" drums; the dance, characterized
for a symbolic sexual courtship in the guaguancó and male rivalry in the columbia; the energy
bustling of a neighborhood party, heightened by rum and fierce competition; the rejection of the
rumba through the mass media of Latin communication such as Univisión and Telemundo; the fact
It is evident that rumba is practiced almost exclusively by poor black people; all these
factors fuel the classist and racist trends that are so prevalent and persistent in societies
post-colonial and post-slavery.

Secondly, if writers do not want to know about the party because it is too primitive, too 'lumpen', too
Black, for the specialists in the African influence on Afro-Cuban culture, the décima is very Spanish, very

colonialist, very white. There is also a tendency to underestimate singing in Spanish as

less interesting and "authentic" than dance and percussion. But there is no rumba without singing, and I have seen
rumblers stop the party, visibly upset, when the voices are unsuitable. The connection
the prominence of the verbal and musical expression is evident in the music of Africa and its derivatives [Walser

1995, p. 208], and one cannot understand rumba without taking into account the songs. The old
Cuban rumba musicians recognize the Iberian influence, and it does not take away from the roots and aesthetic values.

Africans, the study and appreciation of the melodic and textual Spanish heritage.

P. Pasmanick Decima and rumba v. 3.4 [ 04-04-2000 ] p. 18

For some, it may be more gratifying to identify the African survivals in the Americas.
I celebrate the invention of new expressions that combine elements of very different traditions, in
another example of the noble human ability to develop, despite cruel barriers, creations
original and sublime.

Recognitions and acknowledgments

I want to thank David Millán Rodríguez, my guide and researcher; María Teresa Linares,
director of the National Museum of Music of Cuba; Jesús Orta Ruiz, the Indio Naborí, the dean of
the Cuban décima and author of 21 books; the brilliant décimists of UNEAC, Waldo Leiva and Alexis
Pimienta, an extraordinary improviser; donChan, solo singer of the folklore group Yoruba
Andabo; the folk exponents Lázaro Pedro are the late Librada Quesada. Thanks to my
companions, the rumberos of San Francisco, especially to Rick Ananda for so many records
loaned, and thanks to my electronic correspondents Pedro Saavedra, Blanca Ortiz-Torres, and
Gilbert Walker. Of course I am grateful to the National Endowment for the Humanities.
(NEH) for the grant that made the trip possible, and to my family for granting me the necessary time to.
travel, read, listen, and sing décimas for a whole year. I thank my father, Kenneth
Pasmanick, recently retired after 50 years as the principal bassoonist of the Orchestra
National Symphony Orchestra of the U.S., for its support and cultural influence. I especially thank
to my colleague Susana Baldwin for her careful review of my first version in Spanish, and Michael
Stone, John Escobedo, Julian Gerstin, and Jerry Roberts for their suggestions. Thanks to Gerard.
Behaguey Latin American Music Review, which published the English version in its edition of
winter of 1997. The companions of the Caribbean Music and Dance Program facilitated all the
aspects of my stay in Cuba. To others--librarians, musicians, drivers, and contacts that have
Loaded packages between San Francisco and Havana, thank you very much. Aché!

Tenth and rumba: bibliography

Acosta, Leonardo
The rumba, the guaguancó, and Tío Tom
in Manuel, Peter (ed.)
Essays on Cuban Music--North American and Cuban Perspectives
University Press of America

P. Pasmanick Tenth and rumba v. 3.4 [ 04-04-2000 ] p. 19

Lanham, Maryland, 1991

Alpern, Hyman and José Martel (eds.)

Ten comedies of the Golden Age
Harper and Brothers
New York, 1939

Antolitia, Glory
Cuba: Two Centuries of Music
Cuban Letters Publishing
Havana, 1984

Aretz, Isabel
Synthesis of ethnomusicology in Latin America
Monte Avila editors, C.A.
Caracas, 1980
Armistead, Samuel G.
The Spanish Tradition in Louisiana; Isleño Folkliterature.
Juan de Cuesta
Newark, 1992

Batlle, Joan
Calendar for the Year 1933
La Neotípia Printing House
Barcelona, 1933

Bravo-Villasante
The Book of Fables
Miñón, S.A.
Valladolid (Spain), 1982

Carpentier, Alejo
Conferences
Cuban Letters Publishing
Havana, 1987
That, Camilo José
Dictionary of Eroticism
Grijalbo
Barcelona, 1982

Crook, Larry
A musical analysis of Cuban music
in Latin American Music Review
Volume 3, #1, Spring/Summer 1982
University of Texas Press
Daniel, Yvonne
Rumba-dance and social change in
contemporary Cuba
Indiana University Press
Bloomington, 1995

Durán, Lucy
Notes for singing wonderfully
The Little Dolls of Matanzas
Ace Records Ltd. CDORB 053
(no city) 1990

P. Pasmanick Tenth and rumba v. 3.4 [ 04-04-2000 ] p. 20

Feijóo, Samuel
Lyrical Critique (volume 1)
Cuban Letters Editorial
Havana, 1982

Fernández, Olga
Pure Guitar and Drum
Oriental Editorial
Santiago de Cuba, 1993

Franco Lao, Méri

Enough! Songs of Testimony and Rebellion from Latin America
Era Editions
Mexico City, 1970
Friedman, Robert
If you don’t play well they take the drum away - Performance, communication and acts in guaguancó
In Discourse in Ethnomusicology, Essays in Honor of George List
Edited by Caroline Card, John Hasse, Roberta L. Singer, and Ruth M. Stone, pp. 209-223
Indiana University Ethnomusicology Publications Group ed.
Bloomington, 1978

Hernández, Prisco
Decima, Six, and the Art of the Puerto Rican Troubadour within the Modern Social Context
in Latin American Music Review
Volume 14, #1, Spring/Summer 1993
University of Texas Press

Hernández, Santos and Francisco Otero

Campesino Festival and The Pearl and the Eagle
Cuban Letters Editorial
Havana, 1982

Hidalgo Alzamora, Laura

Esmeraldian Decimas: collection and socio-literary analysis
Central Bank of Ecuador
Quito, 1982

León, Argeliers
Of Song and Time
Cuban Letters Editorial
Havana, 1984

Linares, María Teresa

Music and the People
Editorial People and Education
Havana, 1974

Linares, María Teresa

The Décima and Punto in Cuban Folklore
in Manuel, Peter (ed.)
Essays on Cuban Music--North American and Cuban Perspectives
University Press of America
Lanham, Maryland, 1991

Linares, María Teresa

Notes for Hot Rumba

P. Pasmanick Tenth and rumba v. 3.4 [ 04-04-2000 ] p. 21

The Little Dolls of Matanzas
Qbadisc 1992 New York City

Linares, María Teresa

The decima in four Cuban musical genres
unpublished paper (Havana 1995)

López Lemus, Virgilio (introduction)

Isidrón, Chanito
Manuel García, King of the Fields of Cuba and Camilo and Estrella
Cuban Letters Publishing
Havana, 1989

Manuel, Peter (ed.)

Essays on Cuban Music--North American and Cuban Perspectives
University Press of America
Lanham, Maryland, 1991

Mendoza, Vicente T.
Glosses and Decima Poems of Mexico
Economic Culture Fund
Mexico City, 1957

Navarro Tomás, Tomás

Spanish Metric--Historical and Descriptive Review
Editorial Labor, SA
Barcelona, 1986

Orta Ruiz, Jesús

The Garden of Thorns
The Best Hispano-American Tenths of the 19th and 20th Century
Council of Culture, Junta de Andalucía and Padilla Books
Seville, 1990

Ortiz, Fernando
Africanity of the Folklore Music of Cuba
University Publisher
Havana, 1965

Ortiz, Fernando
The Dances and Theater of the Blacks in the Folklore of Cuba
Cuban Letters Publishing
Havana, 1985

Paredes, Américo
Folklore and Culture on the Texas-Mexican Border
CMAS Books
Center for Mexican American Studies
University of Texas at Austin, 1993

Pérez, B.
The Judiciary is investigating whether a judge disrespected the citizens due to his
humiliating resolutions or in gravel
April 6, EL PAIS Newspaper, Madrid

Randall, Margaret and Angel A. Navarro

Dreams and Realities of the Guajiricantor
Twenty-First Century Publishers

P. Pasmanick Tenth and rumba v. 3.4 [ 04-04-2000 ] p. 22

Mexico City, 1979

Wheel, Manuel in
From the Caribbean (Magazine) Year V No. 14
Santiago de Cuba, 1989

Urfé, Odilio
“Folkloric, popular music, and the bufo theater.” Culture in socialist Cuba.
Cuban Letters Editorial
Havana, 1982

Vitier, Cintio
The Cuban in poetry
Book Institute
Havana, 1970
Walser, Robert
Rhythm, Rhyme, and Rhetoric in the Music of Public Enemy. Ethnomusicology vol. 39, no. 2
(spring/summer) 1995 University of Illinois
Bloomington, 1995

Waterman, Richard Allen

[1952] African Influence on the Music of the Americas. In Acculturation in the
Americas: Proceedings and Selected Papers of the XXIX International Congress of
Americanists. Sol Tax, ed. pp 207-217
Cooper Square Publishers
New York: 1962

Waxer, Lise
Of Mambo Kings and Songs of Love; Dance Music in Havana and New York From the 1930s to the
1950s. "Latin American Music Review vol. 15, no.2 (fall/winter)"
University of Texas Press
Austin, 1994

List of interviews:

María Teresa Linares: 10 de agosto, 1995, en su casa, la Habana

Jesus Orta Ruiz, 'the Indio Naborí': August 10, 1995, in his house, Havana
Waldo Leiva and Alexis Pimienta: August 3, 1995 at the National Union of Cultural Workers
(UNEAC), Havana
Chan (Juan Campos Cárdenas): August 2 and 9, 1995, at the National School of Art, Havana
David Millán Rodríguez: August 3, in ENA, August 12 at a party in Marianao, Havana
José Luís Gómez: March 15, 1997, at Alice Arts Theatre, Oakland California, USA.
Discografía: 10 discos con décimas en rumba

Alberto Zayas
Afro-Cuban Guaguancó with Roberto Maza and the folk choir of A. Zayas
Panart LP 2055

Número de canciones: 12 Número de décimas: 7

open tenth:

P. Pasmanick Tenth and rumba v. 3.4 [ 04-04-2000 ] p. 23

He lives well [G] (guaguancó)
The cook was replaced [G]
classic espinela
Tata perico [C] (Colombia)
Chapalera [G]
modified espinela
Yambú of the neighborhoods [Y] (yambú)
Don't touch me.
She was a great lady.

Justi Barreto
Guaguancó '69 Justi Barreto and his folkloric group
Gema LPG 3072

Número de canciones: 9 Number of tenths: 7

open tenth:
Tin tin bell [C] (possibly)
Amalia Amalia [G]
In other times Bethlehem [G]
classical espinela
Divine woman [Y]
Sublime Guaguancó [G]
To New York [C]
modified espinela
• Congratulations [G] (10 lines ababb, ccddc)

Yoruba Andabo
The Alley of the Rumberos Vols.1&2
Classic CollectionPmRecords 1993 MCPm 4039 and MCPm 4040

Número de canciones: 13 Number of tenths: 5 +

octavilla: (abbaacca)
And the party has already formed [G] "the rumba is the most sublime..."
• Sing well [G] another variation of 'the rumba is the most sublime...')
Tawiri [G]
Brief space [G]
classical espinela
• María Rafaela [C] (two verses)
• Forgiveness [Y?] (seems like classical espinela)

John Santos and the folkloric choir Kindembo

Towards love
rec. 1990 Xenophile xeno4034

Número de canciones: 14 Número de décimas: 1

classical espinela:
Land of my dreams [G] (two espinelas)
Papín and his rumberos and Conjunto Guaguancó Matancero
Guaguancó vol. 1
Recorded pre-1960, Antilla records, CD 565

Número de canciones: 13 Number of tenths: 8

P. Pasmanick Tenth and rumba v. 3.4 [ 04-04-2000 ] p. 24

open tenth
The people are happy [G]
I assure you [G]
I am Cuban [G?]
classic espinela
The drunken ones [G] (preceded by a quatrain)
octavilla:
My fifth [G]
White daisies [G]
Wonderful singing [G]
Hey my cousin [G]
Papín and his Rumberos and Conjunto Guaguancó Matancero
Guaguancó Vol. 2
Recorded pre-1960, Antilla records, CD 595

Número de canciones: 12 Número de décimas: 5

leaflet
Francicua [G] (variant)
open tenth
I had a woman [G]
A touch of bembé [?] quintillas, tongue
classic espinela
In this rhythm [G]
modified espinela
The flag of my land [G] (abbaa ccdcc)

Clave and guaguancó

Songs and dances
1990, Xenophile GLCD 4023

Número de canciones: 10 Número de décimas: 3

(not analyzed)
We have it as a rule
Tawiri
classic espinela
I love this island [C] (?)
Long live Changó (seems to be a sung point like rumba)

Eugenio Arango (Totico), Orlando Ríos (Puntilla) & Encarnación Pérez

Totico and his rhythm players
1992 Montuno Records MCD 515

Número de canciones: 9 Número de décimas: 3

Open tenth
• Arere [C] (not analyzed)
Hey my songs [G] version of 'the guaguancó is the most sublime...'
The community [C]

The Little Dolls of Matanzas

Hot Rumba 88/77
Qbadisc 1992 (no number)

P. Pasmanick Decima and rumba v. 3.4 [ 04-04-2000 ] p. 25

Número de canciones: 15 Number of tenths: 2

classic espinela
The controversy [G]
It seems like a lie [G] (a beautiful variation of the 'prisoners' tune')

Various artists
Real rumba
1994 Corason COCD 110

Número de canciones: 11 Número de décimas: 3

open tenth
Roncona [C]
I remember Malanga [C]
modified espinela:
• Greeting to Matanzas [G] (2 verses abbaa ccdcd)

Analysis:

Number of disks: 10
Number of songs: 118
Total number of tenths: 45

by rhythm: guaguancó 31
Columbia 9
Yambú 2
unknown 3

by structure: pamphlet 10
open tenth 14
classic espinela 13
modified espinela 8

version in English, with a wide anthology of diverse décimas:

[Link]/~ntama/articles/pasmanick/

END

P. Pasmanick Tenth and rumba v. 3.4 [ 04-04-2000 ] p. 26