Mexico & Spain – Presented by Anna Dorminey and Gustavo Gonzalez
Anna Dorminey is a student of International Affairs and Modern Language at Georgia Tech. She spent the summer of 2008 in Mexico and Spain and learned a great deal about the culture, customs, and music of these two countries which made her interested in sharing them with Atlanta on Continental Drift. To help better present the music of Spain and specifically Flamenco, we invited Gustavo Gonzalez who is a flamenco guitarist, a member of the latin rock band Gozon, and a CNN Spanol senior writer to play and sing some flamenco songs live in the studio. The following is Anna’s research and script for this show which also includes the songs played on this show:
Mexico.
Indigenous—Rattles, drums, reed and clay flutes, conch-shell horns
Son—Spaniards brought violins, guitars, harps, brass horns, woodwinds… evolved into the SON, a fusion of Spanish, African, and indigenous traditions, of which there are several types. Zapateado (keeping the beat by stomping/dancing) characterizes all types.
son jarocho/veracruzano (from Veracruz), which uses the requinto and jarana (relatives of the guitar), the harp, and the pander (a Caribbean drum)… LA BAMBA (Ritchie Valens), Mono Blanco, Siquisirí, Tlen Huicani, Chuchumbé, Los Cojolites, Conjunto Jardin, Son de Madera, La Tuza (new!)
the son huasteco or huapango (from northeastern Mexico), which uses the violin, the jarana, and the quinta huapanguera (a flat-backed lute related to the guitar) … LA MALAGUEÑA, Trio Tlayoltiyane, Trio Xoxocapa, Los Camperos de Valles, Dinastia Hidalguense
the son calentano/guerrense, the son istmeño/oaxaqueño, and son michoacano are other varieties of this form.
the son jalisciense… LA NEGRA.
Mariachi—the name is derived from the name of the wood from which the stages were built that the performers danced on. Its origins, according to legend, are in the town of Cocula, in the west-coast state of Jalisco.
6-8 violins, 2 trumpets, a guitar, a vihuela (high-pitched, round-backed rhythm guitar), the guitarrón (acts as the bass), and a Mexican folk harp to follow the melody/double the base line
As with Mexican cuisine and art, the heart and distinctive feature of Mariachi music lies in its use of contrast—instruments that stand out against one another and alternation between syncopated and on-beat rhythms.
Mariachi is strongly associated with dance, the most famous of which is the Jarabe Tapatio, or Mexican Hat Dance. It’s the national dance, and comes from Guadalajara in the state of Jalisco.
ALLA EN EL RANCHO GRANDE, BESAME MUCHO, CIELITO LINDO, EL MARIACHI LOCO, LAS BICICLETAS…
Pop—Mexican pop and rock have been heavily influenced by Mariachi music and the son style. A few examples:
Carlos Santana, famous guitarist who hung out with blues and conga players, was son to a mariachi violinist. He played violin from the age of 5, and sometimes played with his father’s mariachi band. He’s had 32 singles since 1969.
Caifanes were pioneers in that they offered a style that was a little less happy and poppy. Their song “La Celula Que Explota,” off their 1990 album El Diablito, demonstrates the clear influence of Mariachi music.
Julieta Venegas is a Californian pop singer of Mexican descent. She released her first album in 1998, and has had several #1s both on Mexican and US Latin charts. Her 1994 single “Algo Está Cambiando” may not seem to bear the influence of traditional music, but the sound of synthesized trumpets comes through clearly, one of the most distinctive elements of mariachi style.
Corrido—has its roots in Mexican politics and the Spanish romantic ballad. It served in the beginning to convey political issues and spread causes to a largely illiterate population, so while some tell love stories, by the time of the Mexican War of Independence and the Mexican Revolution, the genre had acquired what some have termed “epic” tones, telling stories about heroes and battles, and sometimes spreading propaganda.
“La Martina” and “La Delgadina” are examples of corridos about romances, with clear evidence of European influence.
A popular example of the genre, truly “Mexicanized,” is the song “La Cucaracha,” a political song from the Mexican Revolution.
Narcocorrido—Today, the corrido exists in the form of the narcocorrido, the prefix “narco” referring, of course, to drugs and drug trafficking. It remains an avenue for propaganda, but has garnered a lot of criticism in recent years. Former Mexican President Vincente Fox actually tried to ban them. In any case, they’re a clear example of the evolution of traditional musical styles and their fusion with popular genres.
Los Alegres de Teran were among the first to record narcocorridos, their most popular being “El Contrabando del Paso”
Los Tigres del Norte and Rosalino “Chalino” Sanchez were well-known performers of the narcocorrido, and current artists include Los Huracanes del Norte, Los Inquietos Del Norte, Los Morros Del Norte, Los Tucanes de Tijuana, Los Amos De Nuevo Leon, Los Cuates De Sinaloa, El Potro de Sinaloa, Los Originales de San Juan, Grupo Exterminador, Tigrillo Palma, Beto Quintanilla, Los Gatos de Sinaloa, Los Canelos de Durango, and Los Razos de Sacramento y Reynaldo.
Spain.
Flamenco—The genre brings together 4 separate cultures: Gypsy, Moorish (Arabic), Jewish, and indigenous Andaluz. However, there are evidences of Indian, Persian, Western African, and Mozarabic influences. It is said that the Gypsies, or “gitanos,” migrated from India as early as the 11th century, but they were persecuted alongside the Jews and the Moors during the Reconquest in the late 15th century. In the late 18th century, laws became more accepting of other races and cultures, and the dancing and music that had been developing in Gitano barrios for 300 years was opened up to all of Spain.
There are three aspects to the flamenco: cante, baile, and guitarra, or singing, dancing, and guitar. Percussion is provided by the dancers’ stomping (I’ve seen floors destroyed by their shoes!) and clapping.
Arabian Influence—Quick history lesson: Arabians came in 711 AD and conquered Toledo and Córdoba, naming the Iberian Peninsula Al-Andalus. They had all but a small portion of the peninsula and they brought with them their technology, their architecture, their language, their religion, and their culture. The reconquest of Spain wasn’t complete until 1492, when the Christians took back Granada. This means that Spain was steeped in Arabian culture for approximately 800 years!
Celtic Music of Galicia—The northwestern coast of Spain, in the Autonomous State of Galicia, is populated with people who share a common heritage with people of the British Isles—they’re descended from the Celts. The particular people from whom these people descended are called “celtíberos,” the Celtics of the Iberian Peninsula. The people of Galicia speak a separate language, called Gallego, that’s more similar to Portuguese than Spanish, and their music sounds a bit like Irish or Scottish music. They use an instrument similar to bagpipes, called gaítas, played by gaitéros. Other instruments are involved as well. Percussion instruments (the tamboril, a snare drum, and the pandeiro, a square frame drum, as well as various rattles), stringed instruments (particularly the violin, harp, and hurdy-gurdy, or wheel fiddle), and woodwind instruments (the pitu, ocarina, and a kind of transverse flute called the requinta) are also used in this musical genre. It’s often danced with the “jota”; similar to clogging.
The oldest kind of song is the “alalá,” similar (and possibly related to) Gregorian chants. Marching tunes, called “ruadas” are also traditional to Galicia.
Milladoiro – As Fadas de Estraño Nome, Auga de Maio… Carlos Núñez – Brotherhood of Stars… Susana Seivane – Susana Seivane
Catalonian Music, North Mediterranean Region—the “cobla” is a very melodic style, played with a few woodwinds and a bass, but dominated by brass instruments—two trumpets, two horns called “fiscorns,” and a trombone. It’s popular in the small towns that surround Barcelona, and it’s accompanied with the Sardana, a circle dance. The Sardana’s performed frequently after the noon and afternoon Masses.
