Collective Difference: The Pan-American Association of Composers

At only 109 measures, Rítmica No. 5 is brief. Beginning in 2/4, it is marked
“tiempo de son” (in the tempo of a son), which does not mean that this work is limited to
the folk rhythms of the Cuban son, as were Russell’s Studies. Rather than an amateur’s
experiment with son rhythms and instruments, Rítmica No. 5 is a carefully constructed
play on the listener’s expectations of how Afro-Caribbean rhythms are used. Roldán
begins the work by deconstructing the 3-2 clave in the nine-measure introduction, which
breaks down the pattern into its two component parts. Measures 1-6 present only the “3-
side” of the clave, also widely known as tresillo (Example 1.2b). Measures 7-9 contain a
modified version of the “2-side” of the clave. The purpose of Roldán’s subtle rhythmic
devices is to create startling syncopations and rhythmic dissonances between instruments,
which cause playfully disorienting sensations throughout the piece. This disorientation is
more carefully considered, however, than that of the distracting cruzao sections found in
Russell’s Cuban suite.
Roldán accomplishes rhythmic dissonance by establishing an ostinato rhythm,
only to shift it abruptly. The most striking of these situations is caused by a meter shift
from 2/4 to 3/8 for only one measure (16). This shift displaces the güiro’s cinquillo
pattern, which finishes across the barline of m. 17. The shift is, therefore, imperceptible
until it displaces the cinquillo of the maracas in m. 17. Instead of the clear downbeat
given in the score, the maracas’ rhythm sounds displaced, or what might be called a
carefully planned cruzao section (Example 1.4). By the omission of one eighth note the
“groove” of the ensemble is successfully thrown off, and syncopation abounds as
successive entrances of the 3-side and then the modified 2-side of the clave lead to a mini
climax in m. 29.
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