guaracha

The guaracha () is a genre of music that originated in Cuba, of rapid tempo and comic or picaresque lyrics. The word has been used in this sense at least since the late 18th and early 19th century. Guarachas were played and sung in musical theatres and in working-class dance salons. They became an integral part of bufo comic theatre in the mid-19th century. During the later 19th and the early 20th century the guaracha was a favourite musical form in the brothels of Havana. The guaracha survives today in the repertoires of some trova musicians, conjuntos and Cuban-style big bands.

The accompaniment of Guaracha was done with the guitar and the tres, sung by traditional Cuban folk singers of songs such as boleros. Guaracha has a more upbeat air to it and a rhythm that is akin to that of tango. For this reason, Guaracha was seen as a more picaresque or satirical expression while the song, on the contrary, as lyrical expression, though it can definitely be defined as song. This means that it does not possess a rhythm of its own and follows the same guidelines of tango. Modern Guaracha starts with an initial lyrical development and then continues with a more traditional formula of an inspirational chorus. The development of this formula, which occurred with Cuban Son as well, brought it closer to Cuban music.