Research Catalog

Plena is work, plena is song

Title
Plena is work, plena is song [videorecording] / produced by Pedro A. Rivera and Susan Zeig in association with El Centro de Estudios Puertorriquẽnos, Hunter College.
Publication
New York : Cinema Guild, 1989.

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Details

Additional Authors
  • Rivera, Pedro, 1939-
  • Zeig, Susan.
Description
1 videocassette (37 min.) : sd., col.; 1/2 in.
Summary
The plena is a Puerto Rican song form said to have developed in the early 1900's in a barrio in Ponce among peasants, farmers and artisans. Its verses consist of "incidents of all sorts -love, jail, prison, deception, rip-offs..." In the words of one aficionado: "The plena tells stories newspapers don't print." Plena is a blend of African and Spanish idioms and is akin to the African-American blues in that it is a popular musical expression in which romance, tragedy and daily news become the target of satire, and in which protest and mourning become celebration. The plena achieved widespread popularity in the 20's and 30's. In the 1950s, plena reached the peak of its commercial popularity overflowing into the barrios and ballrooms of New York City. The great performers of this period - Cortijo, Canario, Ismael Rivera and Cesar Concepcion - are seen in rare performance footage. Attempts to preserve the plena in New York and Puerto Rico are discussed.
Subject
  • Music
  • Music, Puerto Rican
  • Hispanic Americans
  • Spanish language films
  • Puerto Rico > Social life and customs
  • Caribbean Area > Social life and customs
Note
  • In Spanish and English with English subtitles.
Credits (note)
  • Producers, directors, Pedro A. Rivera, Susan Zeig; editors, Susan Zeig, Pedro A. Rivera, Gary Winter; narration written by Pedro A. Rivera, Juan Flores.
Title
Plena is work, plena is song [videorecording] / produced by Pedro A. Rivera and Susan Zeig in association with El Centro de Estudios Puertorriquẽnos, Hunter College.
Imprint
New York : Cinema Guild, 1989.
Credits
Producers, directors, Pedro A. Rivera, Susan Zeig; editors, Susan Zeig, Pedro A. Rivera, Gary Winter; narration written by Pedro A. Rivera, Juan Flores.
Performer
Sandra Maria Esteves.
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Added Author
Rivera, Pedro, 1939-
Zeig, Susan.
Branch Call Number
VTH 1984 P
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