Son: Throughout the 19th Century, a fusion takes place in the countryside of Oriente between Hispanic and African musical elements, to which French music is added, this latter addition brought over by the colonists escaping Haiti. Toward the end of that Century, this mixture takes on a more stable form and begins to appear among the musical forms used by the trovadores in Santiago de Cuba and Havana. According to some musicologists, the Cuban son is what the blues are to the U.S.: with a simple form and whose basis is firmly tied to its cultures of origin; Spanish melodies framed by African rhythms, alternating between verses and choruses in a question-answer form between the main singer and the chorus, simple lyrics that sum up everyday life. The son is definitely influenced by its countryside "childhood". Even today it still prefers simple and portable instruments, fixed up guitars and light, easily built percussion instruments.
