Afrodescendant religious music in the Caribbean and Latin America typically foregrounds drumming and centuries-old songs of praise to spirit deities. In recent years, a new form of worship, known as a violín or toque de violín, which features the violin alongside the guitar, electronic piano, and/or other instruments commonly associated with popular music, has gained popularity in Cuba. Violines can be understood as loosely defined spaces for performance that developed in a context of cultural oppression and dominance. They can be viewed as a concession to Eurocentric and secular tastes, or as a blackening/creolizing of those same practices, or both. They express religious faith in pluralistic ways, incorporating repertoire from various Black religions alongside influences from folk Catholicism, and classical, commercial, and folkloric music. Drawing from an encyclopedic knowledge of Cuban music, ethnographic work, and interviews, Robin D. Moore's groundbreaking book is the first to explore the compelling violín ceremony in detail.

‘In Violín, Robin Moore, the leading scholarly authority on Cuban music, provides a groundbreaking, readable, holistic, and rigorous exploration of the music of Cuban Espiritismo, illuminating the devotional practices of this widespread, ever-changing, and under-studied religion.’Peter Manuel, Professor Emeritus, City University of New York

‘Violín is a sophisticated and innovative study of Cuban devotional music rooted in a mélange of cultures, aesthetics, and religious practices. Robin Moore’s deft analysis shows how performances of toques de violin express shared loss, joy, and liberation through the swaying voice of the violin. The sonic textures that connect divinity, ancestors, and community move through the book’s pages in a profound testament to Afro-Cuban sacred artistry and innovation.’Solimar Otero, author of Archives of Conjure, Professor of Folklore and Gender Studies, Indiana University