Violín and hybrid worship practices in contemporary Cuba

Violín and hybrid worship practices in contemporary Cuba

From The Clave Chronicles by Rebecca Bodenheimer

January 22, 2026 · 1h 5m

About this episode

Rebecca Bodenheimer interviews ethnomusicologist Robin Moore about the role of violín in contemporary Cuban worship practices.

Ethnomusicologist Robin Moore joins Rebecca to discuss the subject of his forthcoming book, Violín: Mediating Musical Style and Devotional Practice in 21st-Century Cuba. As music used to accompany ceremonies for the ancestors and orishas, violines have been growing in recent decades in Cuba, and are an example of an increasingly hybrid musical approach to worship in Cuba. Songs played (all by Orquesta Estrellas Cubanas except where noted): Ave Maria Plegaria a Obbatalá Two versions of S...

People in this episode

Host: Rebecca Bodenheimer

Guest: Robin Moore

Topics covered

  • Cuban music
  • ethnomusicology
  • hybrid worship practices
  • violín
  • devotional practices

Keywords

  • Cuba
  • violín
  • music
  • worship
  • ethnomusicology
  • hybrid practices
  • Orquesta Estrellas Cubanas

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Orquesta Estrellas Cubanas

Books & works: Violín: Mediating Musical Style and Devotional Practice in 21st-Century Cuba

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