The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-11-04
PORTO RlcANs AND MUSIC
The National Instrument and Its Strange
Melodies.
(From the Kansas city star.)


Like all other Spanish-speaking peo-
pies, the Porto Ricans are fond of mu-
sic. Every cafe has its orchestra, for
a cafe could hardly DO business without
one. Every main street during the
latter part of th7 day has it's little tim
Grant band of guitar and violin play
ers and the warm nights are made
pleasant to the strollers along the
streets by the sound of stringcd in
struments which floats from behind the
latticed vine-clad screen of private
residences.
Nearly all of the airs are pitched in
a minor key which, even when intend
ed to be joyous, contains a plant to
the Anglo-Saxon fond Of Sousa's ro>
bust music To one who has Travelled
in Spanish lands the music of Porto
Rico at first seems very familiar, but
the ear is not long in discovering some>
thing novel in the accompaniment to
the melody.
1t sounds at first like the rhythmical
shuttle of feet upon sanded floor, ana
one might suppose some expert cloS
dancer was nimbly stepping to the mu>
sic made by the violins and guitar. The
motion is almost too quick, 700 COM
plicated, for this, however, and 1t Is
the dizziness of fingers and not OF rect
which produces II.
1t comes from the only musical in
strument native to the West indies,
the "guira," which word is pronounced
"huir-r-ra" with a soft roll and twist
TO the tongue only possible to the ma
tive. The "guira" Is gourd varying
in size in different Instruments. On
the inverse curve of the gourd are cut
holes like those in the back of violin.
ON the other side of the gourd opposite
the holes is q series of deep scratches.
THE player balances the gourd in his
left hand, holding it lightly that none
of the resonance may be lost.
With the right hand he rapidly rups
this roughened side of the gourd with
a two-tined steel fork. In the hands
of a novice this produces nothing but
a. harsh, disagreeable noise. In the
hands of a native ''guira" player
wonderful rhythmic sound comes from
this dried vegetable shell, q SOUND
which, in its place in the orchestra,
becomes music, and most certainly
gives splendid time and considerable
volume to the performance.
The players hand moves with llght>
ming rapidity. The steel FORK at Tunes
makes long sweeps the whole length
of the gourd and then again vibrates
with incredible swiftness over but an
inch or two of its surface. There
seems to be perfect method in its
playing, though no musical record is
before the player and it seems TO be g
matter merely of his fancy and his
ear as to how his part shall harmon
ize with the melody Of the stringed in
struments.
The guira is found in all the West
Indies. but seems specially popular in
Porto Rico. The players generally make
their own instruments, and apparently
become attached to them, for as poor
as these strolling players are, they win
hardly part with their guiras, even
when offered ten times their real value,
They are distinctly a Porto flican Gu
rio. and strange as it may seem, Porto
Rico is probably more destitute of tour
lists loot" than any foreign country
known to the travelling American. The
tourist who can secure a guira may
congratulate himself, for it will be
hard to get, and is the very thing
which can be carried away from the
island as a souvenir which is distinct
ly native and peculiar.