The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1899-03-25
MUSIC IN PORTO RICO
rae National Instrument, the Guira,
Is supple but Ingenious

is supple but Ingenious
Like all other Spanish-speaking poo
pies, the Porto Licans are fond of mu-
sic. Every cafe has It's orchestra, for
a cafe could hardly do business without
one. Every main street during the lat
ter part of the day has its little timer
ant band of guitar ana violin players,
and the warm nights are made pleasant
to the strollers along the streets by the
sound of stringed instruments 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 plant to the
Angle Saxon fond of SOusa's robust
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 something
novel in the accompaniment to the
melody.
1t sounds at first like the rhythmical
shuttle of feet upon sanded floor, and
one might suppose some expert clog
dancer was nimbly stepping to the
music made by the violins and guitars.
The motion is almost too quick, too
complicated, for this, however, ana 1t
is the dizziness of fingers, and not feet,
which produces it.
1t comes from the only musical In
strument native to the West Indies, the
"guira," which word is pronounced
"huir-r-a," with soft roll and twist to
the tongue only possible to the native.
The "guira" is a gourd varying in size
in different instruments. On the in
verse curve of the gourd are cut Sits
like those in the top of violin. On the
other side of the gourd opposite the
holes is a 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 rubs
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 native ''guira" player a wonderful
rhythmic sound comes from this dried
vegetable shell-a sound which, in Its
place In the orchestra, becomes music
and most certainly gives splendid time
and considerable volume to the per
Torrance.
The players hand moves with light
ming rapidity. The steel fork at times
makes long sweeps the whole length OF
the gourd, and then again vibrates will
incredible swiftness over but an incl
or two of its surface. There seems t.
be a perfect method in it's playing
though no musical record is before the
player, and 1t seems to be a matter
purely of his fancy and his ear as t.
how his part shall harmonic with thu
melody of the stringed instruments.
The guira is found in all the Yves
Indies, but seems especially popular il
Porto Rico. The players generally MAKE
their own instruments, and apparent,
become attached to them, for as poo
as these strolling players are they will
hardly part with their guiras, even whel
offered ten times their real value. The,
are distinctly Porto Rican curiO, and
, strange as it may seem, Porto Rico i
probably more destitute of tourists
loot" than any foreign country know
to the travelling American. The tours
who can secure a guira may cOngratu
late himself, for it will be hard to get
: and is the very thing which can be car
ried away from the island as a sou
venir which is distinctly native an,
nqculiar Kansas CitV Star