The 17th century in Cuba, in general, was a century of exchange: the exchange of products, ethnic influences, and formal schemes, in a culturally backward panorama. Alejo Carpentier stated about this period: “On the island, music always anticipated the visual arts and literature, achieving maturity when other spiritual manifestations—except for poetry—were only in their incipient phase.”1

During this period, the foundations of an indigenous way of thinking began to emerge, which would be fundamentally consolidated in the following century. Creoles became established as a majority population, both those belonging to the oligarchic and popular classes. These transformations that took place in the individual of the time, their self-awareness, their differentiation from the peninsular, are the most important achievement of Cuban culture during this period for Cubans.

Cuban music in the 17th century was part of the customs. Music was not just a part of society, but an integral part of the usual way of life of Cubans, from before the end of the 16th century and throughout the 17th century; it corresponded to the beliefs and superstitions of the time and the customary ways in which events were celebrated. Belief in supernatural powers, the popularity of supposed miracles, diabolical incarnations, and the unleashing of natural forces in the tropics necessitated the use of music in ceremonies intended to alleviate such evils.

With respect to musical manifestations, the evolution of Cuban music in the 17th century is closely linked to the musical development of the 16th century in Spain.

It is very interesting to examine the legacy of this mixture of elements to this day; that is, the state of music in Cuba in the 17th century, on the one hand, while, on the other, links can be established with the Iberian heritage that had brought the first African elements to the colonies.

1 Alejo Carpentier, “Music in Cuba.” Havana, 1988, page 51.