Music and Revolution is a phenomenal study "that uses the performing arts as a means of examining larger processes of revolutionary change” (xiii). This survey of Cuban popular and folkloric music considers the major figures and forms that have arisen within the island’s socio-political matrix since 1959. It is the product of nearly a decade’s worth of research by ethnomusicologist Robin D. Moore on the Cuban state’s role in cultural planning.
Considering the often awkward nature of this topic, where opinions offered by communist sympathizers and opponents tend to vary considerably, Moore’s is a relatively impartial perspective. Moreover, his work is extremely well researched. He does a magnificent job revealing the subtle and abrupt cultural changes that have shaped Cuba’s rich musical traditions, all the while contextualizing the larger social processes at work. Music and Revolution is a sincere attempt “to broaden the dialogue about lessons to be learned from the revolutionary experience” (xiv).
The book is filled throughout with vivid black-and-white photographs, musical transcriptions, translations of lyrics, and a wealth of related bibliographic data. It would however benefit from an accompanying compact disc for those who are unfamiliar with Cuban music. The author’s work is limited in a few other respects, which he admits to from the start: “I devote scant attention to important musical forms such as rock and rap […] readers should be aware that most of my field research has been confined to the Havana area” (xiv-xv). Still, it is impressive that he has managed to synthesize such a wealth of material, given the considerable challenges he faced while conducting his research; as a result of longstanding and contemporary issues, both U.S. and Cuban state agencies limited Moore’s access to critical data on the island.
From the outset, Moore makes it a point to contextualize Marxist ideology and the place of aesthetics therein. The author urges scholars to consider additional research in these areas for the benefit of both socio-political relationships and musical studies. He states: “A central goal of this book is to explore the ‘slippage’ or disconnect, between what state socialist societies ostensibly strive for through the arts and what they actually do, using Cuba as a case study” (2).
Chapters One to Three present a rough-and-ready summary of the social trends that have transpired since the onset of the revolution. Moore manages to explain, quite adequately in such a short amount of space, the most influential elements of B.C. (Before Castro) Cuba on A.C. programming. He documents the decline of the Cuban music industry, its progressively politicized nature, and government agencies’ lack of inclusive evaluation. The author makes an earnest attempt to reconstruct the last fifty tumultuous years, where artists found themselves performing in a “revolution,” and fairly poses to the reader the advantages and disadvantages of being a musician within a socialist state.
Chapters Four to Seven consist of cultural case studies that focus on particular genres and the most influential groups and performers with which they are associated. Moore takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride following dance-repertoire politics, protest songs, folkloric ensembles, and sacred ritual as they dip and rise in popularity along sudden curves of rejection by the state and demand by the international market. Throughout these generic evaluations, he skillfully interweaves the shifting aesthetics articulated by the words and deeds of popular bands, old and young trovadores, bearers of Afro-Cuban rumba traditions, and devout practitioners of religious music.
In Chapter Eight, the author assesses the island’s more recent reactions to the socio-economic crises surrounding the collapse of the Soviet Union and the pressures of the U.S. embargo. This portion stresses the importance of musical tourism, considers the development of the music industry, and ponders the societal confusion which contemporary compositions tend to reflect. And Moore leaves us to contemplate more in the conclusion.
He truly demonstrates the value of such a study through a review of the typical controversies surrounding Cuban music, which has come to serve as a weapon in the ideological battle being waged against the impoverished nation by the U.S. government and conservative Cuban Americans. The author equally recognizes the harsh restrictions Cuban agencies have put not only on artistic expression, but also on life itself. This investigation is a celebration of the role of music as “an enjoyable experience [...in a place where...] enjoyable experiences have been in short supply” (260).
Ultimately, Moore’s book is a thoughtful and thought-provoking assessment of revolutionary Cuba through a musical lens. Other authors’ assessments of the political and cultural situation in Cuba often tend to be limited noticeably by their personal biases. It is also one of very few detailed ethnomusicological accounts in English of post-revolutionary Cuba that attempts to consider the impact of politics on various genres. English readers must still be anxiously awaiting a comprehensive study that will include a look at the island’s evolving contemporary and fusion musics--and one can only hope it is as thorough and telling as Moore’s.
While essential for any Cuban music buff’s collection, this book should not be pigeon-holed by the geographical scope of its material. Robin Moore’s Music and Revolution will serve as a vital reference for anyone with the desire to appreciate socialist discourse and its effect on performers’ lives. It should also be considered a seminal text for those interested in what can be achieved with historical ethnomusicology.
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[Review length: 891 words • Review posted on April 26, 2007]