A formal ballroom couple-dance in rondo form derived from the contredanse and the habanera traditions of the 19th century, both considered part of the flowering of Cuban musical nationalism in the late colonial period when a distinctly Cuban light classical music arose. When Spanish colonial rule was replaced by North American hegemony, many composers reacted by turning to proletarian non-European artistic sources, most notably African. A sophisticated Afro-Cubanism arose, exemplified by the work of Amadeo Roldán (1900–39) and Alejandro García (1906–40). The Cuban danzón developed in part from the French contredanse which arrived on the island from Haiti, evolving the danza and danzonete forms. Written in 2/4 metre, it is slower, more cadenced and varied than other related forms. Its inclusion in the repertory of urban charanga and tipica orchestras resulted in greater contrast between the first and second parts of its overall binary structure. Most specifically, African percussion textures, instrumentation and rhythms, including extensive use of symmetrical cinquillo and tresillo patterns, were staggered rhythmically to create complex instrumental cross-rhythms; while flute or clarinet, violin or brass, developed virtuoso passages. The first premièred example was Miguel Failde's Las alturas de Simpson in Matanzas in 1879. In the 20th century danzón interacted with other Cuban genres, feeding into son, and to the development of the mambo and cha cha cha. The dance itself is extremely formal with the set footwork working on syncopated beats, and involving elegant pauses when the couple stand and listen to an instrumental section. At the end of the 20th century, it was still danced in Cuba and Mexico, albeit by an older generation; and it formed part of the repertory of various popular musicians and orchestras who continued to compose new pieces.
A. Leon: ‘Of the Axle and the Hinge: Nationalism, Afro-Cubanism and Music in Pre-Revolutionary Cuba’, Essays on Cuban Music: North American and Cuban Perspectives, ed. P. Manuel (Lanham, MD, 1991), 267–82
WILLIAM GRADANTE/JAN FAIRLEY