Bongo drum
A pair of bongos
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| Percussion instrument | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Bongo |
| Classification | Percussion |
| Hornbostel–Sachs classification | 211.251.2 (Sets of single-skin conical drums) |
| Developed | 19th and early 20th centuries |
| Playing range | |
| A2 – G4 | |
| Related instruments | |
| Ekué, conga, timbales | |
Bongos (Spanish: bongó) are an Afro-Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of small open bottomed drums of different sizes. In Spanish the larger drum is called the hembra (female) and the smaller the macho (male). Together with the conga or tumbadora, and to a lesser extent the batá drum, bongos are the most widespread Cuban hand drums, being commonly played in genres such as Cuban son, salsa and Afro-Cuban jazz.
The origin of the bongo is largely unclear. Its use was first documented in the Eastern region of Cuba, the Oriente Province, during the late 19th century, where it was employed in popular music styles such as nengón, changüí, and their descendent, the Cuban son.
Most sources on Afro-Cuban cultural history argue that the bongo derives from Central African (Congo/Bantu) drum models, noticeable in the open bottoms. Also a Santería influence from Yoruba culture in the symbolic "twin" drum is assumed. The strong historical presence of Africans from the Congo/Angola region in Eastern Cuba (where the bongo first appeared) makes such an influence probable. Moreover, Central African/Congo influences are also documented in the Cuban son music genre, including changüí, and initially the development of the bongo drum went parallel with these genres. From such conceptual African drum models, the bongo developed further in Cuba itself, and some historians state that the attaching of the two drums was a later invention that took place in Cuba.
Although the bongos are defined as "African in concept, but Cuban in invention" - e.g. by author Ned Sublette - some Moorish (Andalusian) or European aspects may also have shaped the bongos over time. Etymologically, Sublette traces the origin of the word "bongo" to a multi-purpose word of Bantu origin.
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