In the Dominican Republic, bolero repertoire from Mexico and elsewhere inspired the music now referred to as bachata. The history of this bolero variant demonstrates the ways in which international music traditions often become “localized” over time. As documented by Deborah Pacini Hernandez, bachatae merged in shanty towns on the edges of Santo Domingo in the 1970s. Early artists performed for dances and parties on acoustic guitars with small ensembles featuring the bass, bongo, and maracas, or metal scraper. At that time, the term “bachata” was used to refer to all music performed by the urban poor, including boleros and acoustic merengues.

Since the mid-1980s, however, bachata has come to represent a distinct genre, developed in part by musician Blas Durán. Modern bachata is performed at a slightly faster tempo than standard boleros and adopts a more percussive sound, although its harmonies tend to be simpler. Bands now feature electric guitars and additional percussion including drum set and drum machine. An electric guitar with a flange effects box typically plays instrumental melodies, often outlining chords in quick runs. A unique dance step has developed as well that involves taking three steps to each side in alternation followed by a distinctive hop-like motion. It is performed by couples who hold each other in a tight embrace, swinging their hips markedly.

Bachata lyrics for many years employed colloquial forms of expression, “street slang,” rather than the refined lyrics of earlier boleros, and reflected a decidedly male perspective on love and relationships. Bachata lyrics often express despair, suffering, indignation, longing. Bawdiness and sexual double entendre are common as well. As one might imagine, the repertoire initially struck middle-class listeners as rather crude. Of course, since the music has gained a broader public its lyrical content has conformed more to that of other international popular music. The Bronx-based Dominican group Aventura represent one of the most successful recent groups, performing at the White House in 2009 and modernizing the image of the genre. Consult the internet and library resources to learn more about bachata’s history, the sound of the music, and its dance style.