Taino, Ciboney, and Arawak people are considered as the naives of Cuba.
They are known for their unique musical style called as areito.
With the arrival of African slaves and immigrants from Europe, Cuban music grew and was introduced to various forms such as canción, retambico, fandango, zarzuela, zapateo, and zampado.
One of the known earliest styles of modern Cuban music is Son Montuno.
It was believed to exist during the later years of 1500s.
"Son de la Má Teodora" is the oldest reported son created in 1570s and came from the Santiago de Cuba region.
Son is a combination of various musical influences like African, Haitian, Spanish, and native Cuban.
It was said to come from Oriente province, and reached Havana during 1909.
At present, the characteristics of son varied widely.
Son features a defining characteristic known as the anticipated bass, "a bass pulse that comes before the downbeat" and gives son and other derivatives such as salsa a unique rhythm.
In the later years, musical forms from northern Europe such as waltz, mazurka, minuet, and avotte have also influenced Cuban music.
In addition, the use of musical instrument cornetín chino, was introduced by Chinese immigrants.
In 1762, the invasion of United Kingdom to Cuba resulted to introduction of pianos, flutes, clavichord, and other musical instruments to Cuban music.
In addition, "Habanera" and "Contradanza" are also considered as early Cuban music and dance forms.
Habanera has greatly influenced all Latin America music forms in various countries such as Argentina, Mexico, and Brazil.