# Music of Honduras

Music of Honduras is very varied. Punta is the main "ritmo" of Honduras with other music such as Paranda, Bachata, Caribbean salsa, cumbia, reggae, merengue, soca, calypso, dancehall, Reggaeton and most recently Afrobeats widely heard especially in the North the Department of Atlántida, to Mexican rancheras heard in the interior rural part of the country.

## Overview

Honduras' capital Tegucigalpa is an important center for modern Honduran music, and is home to the College for Fine Arts.
Folk music is played with guitar, marimba, Congas and other instruments. Punta is popular in Honduras. Popular folk songs include La ceiba and Candú.
There is an Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Honduras (a national orchestra) in Comayagua.

## Punta

Punta is the main genre heard around Honduras. Punta originated through the Garifuna tribe. The Garifuna peoples origins trace back to the enslaved West Africans blending with the Indigenous populations of the Caribbeans. This blend of cultures can be demonstrated through their music. Punta is not only a genre of music but also a lively form of dance as well. Like many Latin genres, Punta form through slave trades and this tribe creating this music as a way to dance and celebrate. Today Punta has evolved into various different styles with the most popular being Punta Rock which came in around the late 1980s-1990's.
Early Punta started as a ritual or used in celebrations and moved towards folk and poetic music to the Garifuna tribes. Garifuna tribes began to immigrate to Latin American countries around the late 1700s landing in Honduras by the end of the 18th century. Punta was often performed by females which equates to the movement of the dance. Punta dance is described as a sensual dance, moving the hips and shaking their bottoms. This dance moves the lower half while keeping their upper half almost stagnant. Though men can also dance Punta, oftentimes it is women who are dancing together in a circle while the men watch. This dance is also competitive and it may be seen that the dancers will try to outdo each other.
Punta is typically done in a 2/4 time signature, starting with two eighth-note and the following beat being a quarter note. This beat is kept by the drums and allows for different variations of beats in order to change the pace of dancing. When it comes to dancing, it is fast pace movements with every eighth-note being a step in the beat, in order to take a break or rest during dancing they will transition to having every beat being a step. Since this is a fast pace movement this allows dancers to take a break without stopping the rhythm of the music.
Punta has been seen in various different types of context. Punta can be danced at festivals, celebrations and even funerals. Punta uses traditional musical instruments deriving from the roots of Garifuna tribes. The drums are one of the most prevalent instruments that can be heard in any Punta song followed by strings and wind instruments. As time moves on more modern instruments have been added to add more depth to the music and fit modern taste however the standard instruments have stayed through all the musical trends.
Punta and has developed different subcategories of Punta. These subcategories include: Punta rock, Traditional Punta, Folkloric Punta, and Urban Punta. Punta rock added a modern twist becoming popular in 1990's with one of the most known artist being Andy Palacios. Traditional Punta emphasizes the drums and its call and response element to lyrics used. Folkloric Punta focuses more on the tradition instruments used by the Garifuna people and has a story-telling element to its lyrics and dance. Lastly Urban Punta mixes hip-hop elements and digital elements while maintaining traditional beats to modernize the style.

## Notable musicians

* Banda Blanca
* Aurelio Martinez
* Javier Monthiel
* Polache
* Guillermo Anderson
* Moisés Canelo
* Grupo Kazzabe
* Los Rolands
* Los Silver Star
* Chicas Roland
* Los Profesionales
* Los Gatos Bravos
Reggaeton has been popular in the country for many years, and Honduras has emerged as a leading producer of artists.