Music in Latin America is extremely diverse. Centuries of colonial interactions produced a range of hybrid cultures. European (predominantly Spanish,but in Brazil Portuguese) musical traits are incorporated with Native technology and expression. Folk versions of the violin and guitar are widespread, and the musical sound is distinctly mestizo. (Mestizos are Latin American people of mixed European and Native ancestry or culture.). Although in the past used as a racial category, it now more accurately denotes the variable incorporation of Iberian (Spanish and Portuguese) and indigenous cultural heritages.
In varying degrees the three main cultural threads in Latin American cultural including music are
Each cultural thread is characterized by the use of certain types of musical instruments, performance and compositional styles, music techniques, etc.
Indigenous (Pre-Columbian):
Instruments: Teponaztli and tunkul (slit drums), huehuetl (single-headed drum), siku (panpipes), flutes, such as kena (end-notched), pinkly (side-blown), and tarka (duct); and wakrapuku (conch shell trumpet)
Musical characterics: community oriented, "sound as one" aesthetic.
European:
Instruments: Diatonic harp; violin; Spanish guitar and local subtypes such as charango (Peruvian/Bolivian, small body, five groups of strings, and a round or flat back), vihuela (Mexican, small body, five strings, and a convex back), huapanguera (Mexican, eight strings in five courses), jarana (Mexican, small body, five strings), guitarrón (Mexican, large four or five string bass guitar with a round back), cuatro (Venezuelan, small body, four strings), tiple (Colombian, four courses of three strings each) and viola (Brazilian, five strings in double courses); and accordion (piano and button), brass instruments.
Musical characteristics: Dance forms, strophic song form, use of chordal harmonies, singing in parallel thirds or sixths, percussive stamping/tapping dance (zapateado).
African:
Instruments: Marimba (southern Mexico and Central America) drums, percussion instruments, musical bow, and lamellaphone.
Musical characteristics: Ostinato, hemiola/sesquialtera, interlocking parts, poly-rhythms.
The general category of Mestizo encompasses all three cultural threads in varying degrees and can be characterized by the use of the of the following uses of instruments and musical features
Native languages,iInstruments and genres
African American musical values
The panpipe or siku is a series of cut reeds of graded sizes that produce a variety of notes when blown across the top (like you would a soda bottle).
Among the Aymara speakers of Peru and Bolivia, the siku is played large ensembles called sikuri, along with the large bombo drum. The melodies are formed by musicians alternating notes, back and forth, in a technique known as hocket (also practice by the Pygmies in Africa). The musicians try to blend together to form a uniform sound, like a large church organ.
The following example is of a group involved in eco-activism, aiming to protect the rare bird known as the suri. The dancers are dressed like the suri, and perform a drama about hunters and the endangered species.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir2sIaMRrpg&t=2s
According to Thomas Turino in Nettl, et. al,
The fiesta in Paucartambo celebrates the Virgin Mary, a Catholic saint, but one whose significance is derived through syncretism with Pachamama, the Inca Earth Mother. Costumed dance groups tell the story, each group representing a particular class of characters. Chunchos, the “good guys,” are pitted against all possible types of outsiders––Qollas (uncivilized traders, the main enemy), Saqras (devils, the Spanish colonists), Doctores (lawyers/government officials), Negros (black slaves), Chilenos (Chileans), Chuk’’chus (malaria carriers from the jungle), Majeños (liquor traders from the city), and even hippie, camera-toting tourists. During the fiesta, the world is turned upside down and oppressors can be ridiculed. The reversible nature of the world is emphasized by the Maqtas, clowns, who serve as policemen during the fiesta.
Each dance group at the fiesta is accompanied by its own band, which plays music from an established repertoire. There are three types of ensemble: European-style brass bands, indigenous pre- Columbian ensembles of side-blown flutes and drums, and orquestas típicas, which combine European and pre-Hispanic instruments, e.g., diatonic harps, violins, kenas, drums, and accordions. Together they underline the coexistence and mixing of European and indigenous traditions. The musical style, too, combines traditions: European triadic harmonies are mixed with Andean syncopated rhythms and styles of instrumental performance (including a dense, breathy tone quality on the flute).
This first video is a procession of the chunchus. This dance tune is played by two flutes in a loose heterophonic texture. The melody consists of two parts, The drums repeat a simple rhythmic accompaniment throughout the performance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NIEvua81jk
The next video is of the Qollas, singing a traditional farewell song to the Virgen/Goddess in a mixture of Quechua and Spanish. The instruments are the end-blown notch flute called kena, accompanied by the drum called bombo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9X6yP7BgeDQ
For example, one verse from the Qollas' "Despedida" is:
Adios, Adios [A section, musical phrase/text line a]
Companeros mios [phrase/text line b]
Adios, Adios [A section repeated]
Companeros mios
(Spanish = Goodbye, Goodbye, my companions)
Hasta el ano [B section, phrase/text line c]
Venidero [phrase/text line d]
Hasta el ano [B section repeated]
Venidero
(Spanish = Until the coming year)
Ah Senorallay [B' section, phrase d, text line e]
(Spanish, Senora = lady; Hay = Quechua suffix expressing emotion)
Ay Nust'allay [B' section, phrase d, text line f]
(Quechua, nust'a = princess)
Huayno (Wayñu in Quechua) is a genre of popular Andean music and dance originally from the Andes highlands. It is especially common in Peru Bolivia and Ecuador, but also present in Chile and Argentina, and is practiced by a variety of ethnic groups, especially the Quechua people. The history of Huayno dates back to the colonial Peru as a combination of traditional rural folk music and popular urban dance music. High-pitched vocals are accompanied by a variety of instruments, including quena (flute), harp, siku (panpipe), accordion, saxophone, charango, lute, violin, guitar, and mandolin. Some elements of huayno originate in the music of the pre-Columbian Andes, especially on the territory of the former Inca Empire. Huayno utilizes a distinctive rhythm in which the first beat is stressed and followed by two short beats. (Wikipedia). This use of a rhythmic ostinato is considered by some scholars to be an African. That origin not withstanding, it is the archetypal mestizo genre in the Andes.
Notable examples: "Ojos Azules" by Manuel Casazola Huancco: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoLZRaM2vfA
"El Condor Pasa" by Daniel Alomía Robles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSwu8-ohoWs
Brazil is slightly smaller than the US, about half the size of Russia; about three-tenths the size of Africa; about half the size of South America (or slightly larger than India); slightly larger than China; more than twice the size of the European Union. Area > Land, 8.46 million sq km. Ranked 6th. 9.16 million sq km. Its climate varies from tropical rain-forests, dry grasslands, mountains, and tropical coastal regions.
Brazil's population is very diverse, comprising many races and ethnic groups. In general, Brazilians trace their origins from five sources: Europeans, Native Americans, Africans, Levantines (Syria and Lebanon), and East Asia. Slightly less than half the population is classified as only having European ancestry, with a large number having African roots in varying degrees. The musics of the country vary from the indigenous, to European, to mixtures of Afro-, Euro-, and Native characteristics.
Afro-disaporic Culture and Religion
The North-East region of Brazil, on the Caribbean and Atlantic was the location of sugar plantations, the source of great wealth for the Portuguese aristocracy in the colonial period from roughly 1500 - 1880. About four million slaves were transported from Africa--about forty percent of the total Atlantic slave trade. Slavery was not abolished in Brazil until 1888.
In addition to Catholicism, various syncretic Afro-Brazilian relgions are practiced. These share features with other such religions as Vodoun, Santería, and Palo, which mix Catholicism with African religions, putting African deities in the place of saints.
Candomblé developed in a creolization of traditional Yoruba, Fon, and Bantu beliefs brought from West Africa by enslaved captives, According the Wikipedia article:
Candomblé is a polytheistic religion and worships a number of gods:
These deities are believed to have been created by a supreme God, Olodumare (called Zambi by the Kongo people; and Nana Buluku by the Fon people).The orishas and similar figures form a link between the spiritual world and the world of humans.
In both Candomblé and the related newer religion of Umbanda, there are a number of notable orixas/orishas or spirits/deities.
Main Orixás
Like Santería in the Caribbean or the Bira ceremony in Zimbabwe, one of the main practices involves spirit possession, with a person being "ridden" by one of the orixas. Like other such practice, drumming, singing, and dancing are an essential part of the process.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeA4_01jNNk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5xvT-Y4Azg
Carnival and Samba
As in many regions in the world where Catholicism has been dominant, Carnival, the festival just before the penitent season of Lent, is popular with all segments of the population. In many places, this time of music, dancing, costumes, drinking and sexual license have been safety valves that have allowed the lower classes to blow off steam that might otherwise be directed towards the ruling classes that might be perceived as oppressive. In the modern era, Carnival and the music and dance associated with it have been adopted by the ruling classes, and given the status of a national symbol. This has served the purpose of allowing greater oversight on what is being sung and displayed, giving greater political control.
In the North-Eastern states of Bahía and Salvador, the population is predominantly African in heritage, with a great deal of cultural syncretism. African customs have been transformed by the Atlantic Crossing, evolving to suit the horrific conditions. One notable art to arise is capoeira, a mixture of maritial art, song, and dance, cultivated by slaves from Angola. The emphasis on footwork and tumbling reflects the conditions of having one's hands chained together.
The ceremony/contest is known as a roda (circle).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiehFxUskEQ
One of the common instruments to accompany the activities is a musical bow with a gourd resonator known as the berimbau. It is tapped with a stick often attached to a rattle woven of reeds called caxixi (pronounced ca-shi-shi).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YM-fVED1tI0
These types of song and dance gathering evolved in a song and dance form known as samba, of which there various sub-genres, such as Baião and Batucada. Samba is known as a regional style, not just from the North-East, but the South-East as well, in São Paulo and Rio de Janiero.
The instrumental ensemble known batería is emblematic of Samba in general, and consists of:
Here is an example of a batería led by the cuica: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmlK94QvwiA
and here is a breakdown of a samba pattern with a larger variety of instruments: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idlXh_udWug
Emigration of blacks and mixed-race people to the cities of the south led to the formation of hill-top slums known as favelas, which were the focus of Afro-Brazilian culture in places like Rio de Janeiro. Neighborhood samba groups would prepare elaborate costumes and song and dance routines for the Carnival parade. By the early 20th Century, samba had become popular as a national style, and was spread via mass media.
The first known recording was the 1917 "Pelo telefone" (Through the telephone) by Donga
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60szh6ml-E0
By the 1930s, samba had spread and started to gain international fame with artists like Noel Rosa
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=in9W6vHyI5k
During the reign of dictator Getúlio Vargas (1930-1945), samba was encouraged, while at the same time monitored to suppress political opposition. Samba clubs known as blocos became prominent in this era, and were often pushing for increased civil rights for blacks.
On the international stage, samba became popular, in great part through the performances of Carmen Miranda ( born Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha (February 9, 1909 – August 5, 1955), who was a Portuguese-born Brazilian samba singer, dancer, Broadway actress, and film star popular from the 1930s to the 1950s. One of her signature songs was "Tico tico na fuba" (The sparrow is in the tapioca flour).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFOogEdoQwo
Bossa Nova developed and popularized in the 1950s and 1960s and is today one of the best-known Brazilian music genres abroad. The phrase bossa nova means literally "new trend" or "new wave" A lyrical fusion of samba and jazz, bossa nova acquired a large following in the 1960s, initially among young musicians and college students. Much of it centered around the beach culture of Rio de Janeiro. One of the most notable songs of this era is "Girl from Ipanema" by Antônio Carlos Jobim (January 25, 1927 – December 8, 1994).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOutEZqNDho
Bossa Nova gained world prominence with the Oscar-winning movie "Orfeu Negro"(Black Orpheus), a retelling of the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. You can watch the entire movie on the library's Kanopy database.
https://jjay.kanopystreaming.com/video/black-orpheus
Tropicália , also known as Tropicalismo is a Brazilian artistic movement that arose in the late 1960s. It encompassed art forms such as theatre, poetry, and music. The movement was characterized by a combination of the popular and the avant-garde, as well as a fusion of traditional Brazilian culture with foreign influences.
Today, Tropicália is chiefly associated with the musical faction of the movement, which merged Brazilian and African rhythms with rock and roll. Musicians who were part of the movement include Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Os Mutantes, Gal Costa, Tom Zé, and the poet/lyricist Torquato Neto, all of whom participated in the 1968 album Tropicália: ou Panis et Circencis, which served as a musical manifesto. (Wikipedia).
Examples: Gaetano Veloso: "Sorte" (Luck) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVXwRjABmUA
Baden Powell and Vinicius de Moraes: canto de ossanha"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3L7jwhjou4
This song is in effect a Candomblé hymn. The Portuguese words and translation are as follows:
CANTO DE OSSANHA De: Vinicius de Moraes e Baden Powell
O homem que diz "dou" não dá, porque quem dá mesmo não diz
O homem que diz "vou" não vai, porque quando foi já não quis
O homem que diz "sou" não é, porque quem é mesmo é "não sou"
O homem que diz "tô" não tá, porque ninguém tá quando quer
Coitado do homem que cai no canto de Ossanha, traidor
Coitado do homem que vai atrás de mandinga de amor
Vai, vai, vai, vai, não vou Vai, vai, vai, vai, não vou
Vai, vai, vai, vai, não vou Vai, vai, vai, vai, não vou
Que eu não sou ninguém de ir em conversa de esquecer
A tristeza de um amor que passou Não, eu só vou se for pra ver uma estrela aparecer
Na manhã de um novo amor Amigo senhor, saravá,
Xangô me mandou lhe dizer Se é canto de Ossanha, não vá, que muito vai se arrepender
Pergunte ao seu Orixá, o amor só é bom pra valer
Pergunte ao seu Orixá, o amor só é bom se doer
Vai, vai, vai, vai, amar Vai, vai, vai, sofrer Vai, vai, vai, vai, chorar
Vai, vai, vai, dizer Que eu não sou ninguém de ir em conversa de esquecer
A tristeza de um amor que passou
Não, eu só vou se for pra ver uma estrela aparecer
Na manhã de um novo amor
The man who says "give" does not give
Because who gives even does not say
The man who says "I will" will not
Because when it was already did not want
The man who says "I am" is not
Because who is really is "I am not"
The man who says "I'm not" is
Because nobody is when you want
Poor man who falls
In the corner of Ossanha, traitor
Poor man who goes
Behind mandinga of love
Go, go, go, go, I will not go
Go, go, go, go, I will not go
Go, go, go, go, I will not go
Go, go, go, go, I will not go
That I'm nobody to go
In forgetting talk
The sadness of a love that has passed
No, I'm just going to go see
A star appears
In the morning of a new love
Friend sir, saravá
Xango told me to tell you
If it's Ossanha's song, do not go.
How much you will regret
Ask your Orixá
Love is only good if it hurts
Ask your Orixá
Love is only good if it hurts
Go go go go
Go go go go
Go go go go cry
Go go go say
That I'm nobody to go
In forgetting talk
The sadness of a love that has passed
No, I'm just going to go see
A star appears
In the morning of a new love
Tango is a social dance closely associated with Argentina and Uruguay.
According to Wikipedia
Tango is a dance that has influences from African, Native American and European culture. Dances from the candombe ceremonies of former slave peoples helped shape the modern day tango. The dance originated in lower-class districts of Buenos Aires and Montevideo. The music derived from the fusion of various forms of music from Europe. The words "tango" and "tambo" around the River Plate basin were initially used to refer to musical gatherings of slaves, with written records of colonial authorities attempting to ban such gatherings as early as 1789.
The tango consists of a variety of styles that developed in different regions and eras of Argentina as well as in other locations around the world. The dance developed in response to many cultural elements, such as the crowding of the venue and even the fashions in clothing. The styles are mostly danced in either open embrace, where lead and follow have space between their bodies, or close embrace, where the lead and follow connect either chest-to-chest (Argentine tango) or in the upper thigh, hip area (American and International tango).
Tango is often associated with bordellos or so-called dance academies, which catered to the large numbers of single men who migrated to Argentina in the 19th century, especially from Italy. Indeed, there was such a dearth of single women, that it became acceptable for men to dance together. The following example is of two brothers dancing together in one of the earliest forms of the dance, called Milonga (which also refers to any tango dance gathering).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1L0lNiBnNM
In the era just prior to the First World War, tango orchestras travelled to Europe, where the music and dance caught on, especially in Parisian high society. Becoming fashionable in Paris validated the art form in the eyes of the Argentine elite in Bueno Aires, transforming it into a symbol of national pride in the 1920s. This continued after WW II under the rule of strongman, President Juan Perón (1946-55, 1973-74).
It is traditionally played on a solo guitar, guitar duo, or an ensemble, known as the orquesta típica, which includes at least two violins, flute, piano, double bass, and at least two bandoneóns (large button accordion). Sometimes guitars and a clarinet join the ensemble. Tango may be purely instrumental or may include a vocalist.
Tango songs (canción tango) experienced a golden age in the era of the first sound movies in the 1930s and 40s. One of the great stars was Carlos Gardel. According to Wikipedia:
Carlos Gardel (born Charles Romuald Gardès; 11 December 1890 – 24 June 1935) was a French Argentine singer, songwriter, composer and actor, and the most prominent figure in the history of tango. Gardel's baritone voice and the dramatic phrasing of his lyrics made miniature masterpieces of his hundreds of three-minute tango recordings. Together with lyricist and long-time collaborator Alfredo Le Pera, Gardel wrote several classic tangos.
Possibly his most famous is "Por Una Cabeza") ("By a head"--a horse race term)., made famous in American films such as "Scent of a Woman" and "True Lies." His lyrics are usually in the porteño (Buenos Aires) low-class dialect known as lunfardo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsnDf60Dytw
Another is "A Media Luz" (In half light) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8lVzzo0yo0
Tango has gone on to become a global phenomenon, popularized by various Broadway shows such the 1985 "Tango Argentino."
According to Torino in Nettl, et al. there are a number of related genres of dance song in Mexico that blend the various cultural threads.
Mestizo musical values and musical styles: Veracruz, Mexico
In Mexico, mestizo son styles have strong regional identities. Many of these styles may be heard in cities like Veracruz, performed by ambulantes (strolling musicians) who frequent local outdoor cafés. The son is a song-dance genre that combines 3/4 and 6/8 meters (both simultaneously and sequentially) and is played in a relatively fast tempo. Texts are often strophic, using coplas (four-line stanzas), instrumental introductions, interludes, and conclusions.
Associated with the rural southern coastal region of Veracruz. The main distinguishing features are the ensemble (voices, harp, and two guitar-type instruments called jarana and requinto), a recurring harmonic/rhythmic bass pattern (compas) that uses I, IV, and V chords, and solo-chorus vocals. Typically pieces begin with an instrumental introduction in which the harp starts alone, is joined by the plucked requinto, and finally by the strummed jarana.
Examples: The most famous throughout the world is “La Bamba” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnQaICJlm5s
One version of the lyrics as done by Ritchie Valens and later Los Lobos
Para bailar la bamba
Para bailar la bamba se necesita una poca de gracia
Una poca de gracia pa' mi pa' ti y arriba y arriba
Ah y arriba y arriba por ti seré, por ti seré, por ti seré
Yo no soy marinero
Yo no soy marinero, soy capitán
Soy capitán, soy capitán
Bamba bamba
Bamba bamba
Bamba bamba
Bamba
Para bailar la bamba
Para bailar la bamba se necesita una poca de gracia
Una poca de gracia pa' mi pa' ti ah y arriba y arriba
This songs are danced in a percussive style called fandango or zapateado on a hollow wooden platform called tarima. In this performance of "La Bamba" note how there is a specific rhythmic pattern that the couples dance, each taking a turn on the limited space. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gl262_NL4v4
Other notable examples are "El Canelo" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qx9MwTaCpHA
One version of the lyrics
Donde vas Canelo, caramba! Por la madrugada
Donde vas Canelo, caramba! Por la madrugada
A cortar lechuga, Canelo, para ensalada
A cortar lechuga, Canelo, para ensalada
A la tripi-tripi caramba! tripa de cochino
A la tripi-tripi caramba! tripa de cochino
Mi mama no quiere, Canelo, que yo tome vino
Y si acaso tomo, Canelo, que sea de rufino
El amigo mono caramba! se cayo del palo
El amigo mono caramba! se cayo del palo
En el aire dijo, Canelo, "valgame San Pablo"
Y si no lo dices, Canelo, se lo lleva el diablo
A la tripi-tripi caramba! tripa de mapache
A la tripi-tripi caramba! tripa de mapache
Mi mama no quiere, Canelo, que yo me enborrache
Y si acaso me tomo, Canelo, que sea de tepache
El Canelo murio caramba! y lo van a enterrar
El Canelo murio caramba! y lo van a enterrar
Cuatro zopilotes, Canelo, y una ᧵ila real
Sepultura de oro, Canelo, y caja de cristal
A la tripi-tripi caramba! tripa de venado
A la tripi-tripi caramba! tripa de venado
Mi mama no quiere, Canelo, que coma pescado
Y si acaso como, Canelo, que sea bacalao
Y si acaso como, Canelo, que sea bacalao
A regional style from the northern Veracruz area. Distinguished by the strumming patterns of guitar-type instruments (jarana and huapanguera), use of violin, and falsetto singing. Also typical is the alternation of singers: often the first half of a verse is repeated by a second singer before the last half is completed by the first singer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gq5uVCKtTZ8&list=PLJk9VXX7_rcnF3hhAVeA3IMeBnIvIkSuG&index=68&t=0s
Mariachi began as a string band style from the Jalisco region of western Mexico. Riding the wave of post-revolution Mexican nationalism (after 1910) and taken up by the mass media in the 1930s, mariachi was adopted as a Pan-Mexican style. The ensemble was enlarged, trumpets were added, and performers began to wear Mexican charro (cowboy) outfits with large sombreros. The distinguishing feature in the ensemble is its violins, trumpets, and guitar-type instruments of various sizes.
Norteño or Norteña (Spanish pronunciation: [noɾˈteɲo], northern), also música norteña, is a genre of Regional Mexican music from Northern Mexico, hence the name. The music is most often based on a polka or waltz tempo and its lyrics often deal with socially relevant topics. The accordion and the bajo sexto are traditional norteño's most characteristic instruments. Norteña music developed in the late 19th century, as a mixture between German folk music (which was introduced to Mexico with the arrival of German migrant workers in those years), and local Northern Mexican music.
The genre is popular in both Mexico and the United States, especially among the Mexican and Mexican-American community, and it has become popular in many Latin American countries as far as Colombia, Chile, and Spain. Though originating from rural areas, norteño is popular in both rural and urban areas.
A conjunto norteño is a type of Mexican folk ensemble. It mostly includes diatonic accordion, bajo sexto, electric bass or double bass, and drums, and sometimes saxophone. The norteño repertoire covers canción ranchera, corrido, ballad, bolero, chotís, cumbia, huapango norteño, mazurka, polka, redowa and waltz. [Wikipedia].
Early stars of the style include
Lydia Mendoza (May 21, 1916 – December 20, 2007) was an American guitarist and singer of Tejano music. She is known as La Alondra de la Frontera (The Lark of the Border). One of the first real vocal stars in Mexican-American music, Lydia Mendoza was a pioneer in another way as well: she was a woman in a man's world. [Wikipedia] Her song "Mal Hombre" (Bad Man) laments mistreatment of women.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpejsYhqN7M
and here, an interview and television performance towards the end of her life.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0jqwBq1reU
| Spanish Lyrics | English Translation |
| Era yo una chiquilla todavía Cuando tú casualmente me encontraste Y a merced a tus artes de mundano De mi honra el perfuma me llevaste Luego hiciste conmigo lo que todos Los que son como tú con las mujeres Por lo tanto no extrañes que yo ahora En tu cara te diga lo que eres Mal hombre Tan ruin es tu alma que no tiene nombre Eres un canalla. Eres un malvado Eres un mal hombre A mi triste destino abandonada Entable fiera lucha con la vida Ella recia y cruel me torturaba Y más débil al fin cai vencida Tú supiste a tiempo mi derrota Mi espantoso calvario conociste Te dijeron algunos: "Ve a salvarle." Y probando quien eres Te reíste Mal hombre Tan ruin es tu alma que no tiene nombre Eres un canalla. Eres un malvado Eres un mal hombre Poco tiempo después en el arroyo Entre sombras mi vida defendía Una noche con otra Tú pasaste Que al mirarme sentí que te decía: "¿Quién es esa mujer?" "¿Tú la conoces?" "Ya la veres", respondiste "una cualquiera" Al oír de tus labios el ultraje Demostrabas también Lo que tú eras Mal hombre Tan ruin es tu alma que no tiene nombre Eres un canalla. Eres un malvado Eres un mal hombre —— |
I was still a young girl When, by chance, I met you And thanks to your worldly charm You crushed the flower of my innocence Later you treated me like all men Who are like you, treat women So don't be surprised that, now I say it to your face what you are Bad man Your soul is so wicked it has no name You are a pig. You are evil You are a bad man To my sad fate abandoned Engaged in a fierce struggle with life Suffering the depths of cruelty I was weak and finally defeated With time, you learned of my downfall How my life had become a road to hell Some told you: "Go save her" And proving who you are You just laughed Bad man Your soul is so wicked it has no name You are a pig. You are evil You are a bad man A short time later in the gutter I defended my life in a shadowy world One night, with another woman You passed by me And upon seeing my expression, she said to you: "Who is that woman?" "Do you know her?" "Soon you'll see," you replied "she's a nobody." At the hearing from your lips the abuse You were showing again What you were Bad man Your soul is so wicked it has no name You are a pig You are evil You are a bad man |
One of the great artists of Norteño is Leonardo "Flaco" Jiménez (born March 11, 1939) is a Norteño, Tex Mex and Tejano music accordionist and singer from San Antonio, Texas. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXrwwHaBrb0
On a personal note, a song I grew up on was, "Frijolitos Pintos" (Pink Beans) composed and sung by Linda Escobar (b. August 6, 1957 in Alice, Texas) when she was 7 years old. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQw8wROVJWQ
In the late 1960’s, Linda Escobar was a child singer with a gold record, “Frijolitos Pintos”. Linda now stands before a five-decade career, has been inducted into three (3) Texas Music Halls of Fame in Alice, San Antonio and San Benito, Texas, received the “Lifetime Achievement” award from the South Texas Conjunto Music Association and is one of Texas “reinas” of Tex-Mex music still alive and performing today.
Linda and her father, the legendary Conjunto Pioneer: Eligio Escobar, were a father and daughter team that toured nationwide with a caravan of stars that included: Lucha Villa, Jose Alfredo Jimenez, Cantinflas, Los Relampagos, Tony De La Rosa, Conjunto Bernal, Freddie Fender and many more. [https://www.facebook.com/Conjuntodiva/posts/1531520463557953 ]
Corrido--narrative ballads
Common throughout much of the region, corridos celebrate heroes who stand up against oppression and/or authority. This example commemorates the founder of the United Farm Workers union, César Chávez, who organized a strike of California farm workers to fight for better conditions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0i13TUqTeQ
Banda
Banda incorporates large German-style brass bands with high-energy rhythms. They often use the corrido format, setting it to waltzes, or polkas. This example talks about the legendary revolutionary Gabino Barrera.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbAFea7xCQs
Narcocorridos
Narcocorridos praise the violence and defiance of the drug lords and cartels, using the rhetoric of traditional corridos. As a form of bragging, cartels post music videos on Youtube. Some songs are fictional and may derive from movies that portray the violent culture, such as the following.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRXUWwn86FE
Era un hombre devoras valiente
Se burlaba de la policía
A su mando traía mucha gente
Su negocio se lo requería
Poderoso y también muy alegre
Como el diablo se le conocía
Donde quiera sonaba su nombre
Y tronaba su cuerno de chivo
Cada ráfaga llevaba un nombre
No fallaba era muy efectivo
Lo apreciaban mucho sus patrones
Ni se diga su gente y amigos
El dinero el poder y la fama
Son tres cosas muy afrodisíacas
Sin buscar las mujeres te sobran
Solterías viudas o casadas
A gozar de la vida que es corta
Decía el diablo rodeado de damas
Para mi la pobreza es historia
La hice añicos a punta de balas
Somos gente de el cartel de el diablo
Les decían a los federales
De inmediato les abrían el paso
Era mas que se activa la clave
Saben bien que si no hacían caso
Sus cabezas volarían al aire
En la mafia también hay escuela
Fue maestro y ejemplo de varios
Le atoraba de frente a cualquiera
Fueran leyes o fueran contrarios
Los dejaba como coladeras
Enojado era el mismito diablo
Lo valiente se hereda no hay duda
Lo que somos lo aprenden los hijos
Las ofensas mas grandes perduran
No se olvidan ni por un ratito
La venganza fue de gran altura
Mis respetos para el muchachito
Con un cuerno dejo a su familia
No dejo a nadie vivo el diablito