Maracas (maraki) - an ancient percussion instrument of the natives of tropical islands. Mexican musical instruments were very popular among the population of Central America.
Design
Initially, the maracas were made exclusively from the fruits of the calabash tree, also known as the iguero tree. The ripened fruits are torn off, a hole is made in them, the pulp is removed, crushed pebbles are poured, after which the handle is attached and, in fact, the musical instrument is ready. It is noteworthy that only fruits of small size and regular shape are used. These Mexican musical instruments are very similar in appearance to a banal children's toy. In the course of its ancient history, visually maracas have not changed too much, but their popularity around the world has grown many times. The case is painted in bright colors, sometimes a picture is cut out in it. It has a round or oval shape. Modern tools are made not only from the fruit of the Goryanko tree, but also from coconuts, metal, plastic, woven twigs, leather and pumpkins. Maraki is filled with peas, pellets, beans, seeds, small stones, and beads. The handle, as a rule, is either wooden or plastic. They make it twist, which allows musicians to independently adjust the tonality and volume of each instrument, adding or pouring out filler. Maracas wooden or plastic is always a paired tool.
Using
Portuguese, Brazilian, Portuguese, Native American, Mexican music and a wide variety of styles (salsa, Bosanova, sambo, rumba, cha-cha-cha, merengue and others) cannot be imagined without the sound of maracas. Any musical group playing Latin American music, among other instruments, must have maraca in its arsenal. They are often used in symphony orchestras to give color to individual pieces. The sound of maracas is present in the music of bands such as Monkees, Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones. And it is these Mexican musical instruments that are the first that children use during their first steps in music, applying them on holidays in day care centers.
Story
Since ancient times, people have been using musical instruments, including percussion, among which are Mexican musical instruments. It is likely that among them was some kind of rattle - a prototype of modern maraca. It is not known for certain where and how this tool originated. But there are two theories of its origin. According to the first version, maracas were identified among the Indian Taino and Arawak peoples who inhabited the territories of modern Cuba, Puerto Rico and Jamaica. Judging by another theory, maraks were brought to Cuba from Africa in colonial times. Although there is evidence that the instrument from Central America was mentioned in the 15th century, and existed in parallel with its "relative" from Africa. These Mexican musical instruments were brought directly to Russia in the early years of the 20th century by Sergey Sergeyevich Prokofiev from his trip to Paris. He used them in some of his works, for example, in the ballet Romeo and Juliet. Maraca and other composers included in their works: Leonard Bernstein, Malcolm Arnold and Edgar Varez.
In our language, the definition of these Mexican musical instruments is used incorrectly, borrowing the Spanish word in the plural (maraca, maracas - plural). The correct form will be "maraka" - the feminine word in the singular.