Music of Extremadura

Extremadura is a region in Spain near Portugal. Its folk music can be characterized by a melancholy sound, and Portuguese influences, as well as the predominance of the zambomba drum, which is played by pulling on a rope which is inside the drum. Aragonese jota is also common, here played with triangles, castanets, guitars, tambourines, accordions and zabombas. There are few ethnomusicological recordings of Extremaduran music, with the most influentiall and well-known being by American researcher Alan Lomax. Lomax came to Spain to avoid persecution as a Communist and found some hostility from Spanish researchers, then in a period of great political upheaval. Lomax and his assistant, Jeanette Bell, did much of their recording in secret.

Extremadura has long been one of the most impoverished regions in the country. As a result, many of its people left to Latin America during the colonial area, leaving a mark on Latin music.

Traditional Extremaduran dances include:

• El baile de la pata
• El perantón
• El pindongo
• El son brincao
• El son llano
• La Zajarrona