Habanera Rhythm
The basic habanera rhythm follows a four-beat unit that skips the second pulse, instead sounding on the second half of the beat. This anticipation of the third beat is common in music throughout Latin America and can be heard with variation in many styles, including samba (see Chapter 5) and tango. Perhaps the most widely known use of the habanera rhythm in “classical” music is from the 1875 opera Carmen, written by Georges Bizet (1838–1875), in which the main character sings over a continuous repetition of this rhythmic motif in the aria “L’amour est un oiseau rebelle,” which is simply known as “Habanera.” [SEE TABLE FROM BOOK - PAGE 64]
