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Mexican Music: Reggaeton, Mariachi, Tejano, Banda And Mexican Folk Music
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Published: November 14, 2007
As with any colonized land, Mexican culture evolved under the influence of numerous external forces. Mexican music has similarly been influenced over the years. However, Mexican music in its many forms has retained a unique character. The nation's folk music has blossomed from emotionally charged mariachi music. Mexican music has spread throughout different regions like the branches of a tree, encountering and absorbing different influences as they grow.
When Hernan Cortez arrived in Mexico during the early 16th century, the Spanish conquistador inflicted unspeakable injury to the indigenous culture. The native populations that managed to survive the diseases brought by the Europeans were exposed to Catholicism by the monks and priests who followed Cortez to Mexico. "Exposed" is perhaps not strong enough of a term to describe the transition; however, the priests brought musical instruments with them, and their presence contributed a great deal to the evolution of Mexican music.
The interaction between the Spanish and indigenous Mexicans went through generations of coexistence and intermarriage. Though it took centuries to evolve, mariachi music was born of this interaction. Initially, Mexicans of Spanish descent, or criollos, popularized mariachi music, incorporating Spanish violins, guitars and other instruments. Accordions eventually replaced violins.
The criollos were generally treated as second-class citizens due to their mixed ancestry; however, they often resisted Spanish domination, and folk music was an outlet for their frustration. The songs played by mariachi bands are known as "corridos," or occurrences. They are passionate expressions of a certain set of events. Early corridos often expressed events of resistance to Spanish oppressors. During the Mexican Revolution of 1910, corridos such as "Adelita," about a beautiful woman who followed her man into war, earned status as folk music following the war. Modern mariachi music tends to reflect occurrences of a more modern nature. "Tirabuzon," for example, sings the praises of the former L.A. Dodger's major league pitcher Fernando Valenzuela.
To continue the tree analogy, mariachi music may be considered the trunk, a sturdy trunk with folk music roots. Two branches, tejano and banda, are among the sturdiest branches on the Mexican music tree. Tejano and banda Mexican music, while grounded in Mexico, have been greatly influenced by Eastern European immigrants residing in what would eventually be the American South. Tejano describes a Mexican-Texan connection, which was where Mexican music intermingled with Eastern European music in the 1850s. This connection exposed Mexican musicians to polkas and waltzes. However, to say that tejano is simply an amalgam of Mexican music and polka would be incorrect.
Elements of tejano music have been continually influenced by cultures to the north of Mexico. Modern performances of tejano employ electric instruments. Other styles include Conjunto and orchestral tejano. Conjunto tejano is the closest to a mariachi performance, using the accordion and the 12-stringed bajo sexto, with bass and drum to generate the sound. Orchestral tejano is similar, but relies on a brass section to drive the sound. Tejano music blossomed into numerous forms, peaking in popularity in the 1990s. Today, this Mexican music is considered more of a north-of-the-border pop genre. Norteno Mexican music is perhaps tejano's counterpart that is more grounded in Mexico.
Banda Mexican music is closely related to orchestral tejano music. Indeed, many forms of Mexican music blend with and are sometimes indistinguishable from others. However, banda is unmistakable for anything else due to its heavy reliance on a section of brass instruments with intermittent percussion. The word describes the make-up of a band as much, if not more, than a genre of music. Banda became popular in Mexico in the 1960s by putting a Latin spin on various types of music.
The most recent trend in Mexican music did not come from the North; it came by way of Puerto Rico. Reggaeton music, a blend of Jamaican dancehall reggae and hip-hop style beats with Spanish lyrics, became popular among Mexican youth in the 1990s. Reggaeton music has since caught on in the U.S. Interestingly, the same mechanism that brought Raggaeton music to an American audience has also brought other Mexican music to the North. The millions of Mexicans who immigrated to the North brought their culture with them; all of the above-mentioned genres of Mexican music are commonly performed in U.S. regions where Mexicans and other Latin cultures are concentrated. It is as if the Mexican music tree has outgrown the border. It is really a miraculous phenomenon; a culture that has overcome the worst elements of cultural encroachment, today exports music that is uniquely Mexican.
Sources:
Collins, Camille. "What is Mariachi?" Mexico Connect. 12 Nov. 2007. http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/guadalajara/marhis. html.
"Music of Mexico." Wikipedia: the free encyclopedia. 13 Nov. 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Mexico.
"Tejano Music. " Wikipedia: the free encyclopedia. 6 Nov. 2007. 12 Nov. 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tejano_music.
Summers, June. "The Music of Mexico." Mexico Connect. 1994. 12 Nov. 2007. http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/musicmex.html.
When Hernan Cortez arrived in Mexico during the early 16th century, the Spanish conquistador inflicted unspeakable injury to the indigenous culture. The native populations that managed to survive the diseases brought by the Europeans were exposed to Catholicism by the monks and priests who followed Cortez to Mexico. "Exposed" is perhaps not strong enough of a term to describe the transition; however, the priests brought musical instruments with them, and their presence contributed a great deal to the evolution of Mexican music.
The interaction between the Spanish and indigenous Mexicans went through generations of coexistence and intermarriage. Though it took centuries to evolve, mariachi music was born of this interaction. Initially, Mexicans of Spanish descent, or criollos, popularized mariachi music, incorporating Spanish violins, guitars and other instruments. Accordions eventually replaced violins.
The criollos were generally treated as second-class citizens due to their mixed ancestry; however, they often resisted Spanish domination, and folk music was an outlet for their frustration. The songs played by mariachi bands are known as "corridos," or occurrences. They are passionate expressions of a certain set of events. Early corridos often expressed events of resistance to Spanish oppressors. During the Mexican Revolution of 1910, corridos such as "Adelita," about a beautiful woman who followed her man into war, earned status as folk music following the war. Modern mariachi music tends to reflect occurrences of a more modern nature. "Tirabuzon," for example, sings the praises of the former L.A. Dodger's major league pitcher Fernando Valenzuela.
To continue the tree analogy, mariachi music may be considered the trunk, a sturdy trunk with folk music roots. Two branches, tejano and banda, are among the sturdiest branches on the Mexican music tree. Tejano and banda Mexican music, while grounded in Mexico, have been greatly influenced by Eastern European immigrants residing in what would eventually be the American South. Tejano describes a Mexican-Texan connection, which was where Mexican music intermingled with Eastern European music in the 1850s. This connection exposed Mexican musicians to polkas and waltzes. However, to say that tejano is simply an amalgam of Mexican music and polka would be incorrect.
Elements of tejano music have been continually influenced by cultures to the north of Mexico. Modern performances of tejano employ electric instruments. Other styles include Conjunto and orchestral tejano. Conjunto tejano is the closest to a mariachi performance, using the accordion and the 12-stringed bajo sexto, with bass and drum to generate the sound. Orchestral tejano is similar, but relies on a brass section to drive the sound. Tejano music blossomed into numerous forms, peaking in popularity in the 1990s. Today, this Mexican music is considered more of a north-of-the-border pop genre. Norteno Mexican music is perhaps tejano's counterpart that is more grounded in Mexico.
Banda Mexican music is closely related to orchestral tejano music. Indeed, many forms of Mexican music blend with and are sometimes indistinguishable from others. However, banda is unmistakable for anything else due to its heavy reliance on a section of brass instruments with intermittent percussion. The word describes the make-up of a band as much, if not more, than a genre of music. Banda became popular in Mexico in the 1960s by putting a Latin spin on various types of music.
The most recent trend in Mexican music did not come from the North; it came by way of Puerto Rico. Reggaeton music, a blend of Jamaican dancehall reggae and hip-hop style beats with Spanish lyrics, became popular among Mexican youth in the 1990s. Reggaeton music has since caught on in the U.S. Interestingly, the same mechanism that brought Raggaeton music to an American audience has also brought other Mexican music to the North. The millions of Mexicans who immigrated to the North brought their culture with them; all of the above-mentioned genres of Mexican music are commonly performed in U.S. regions where Mexicans and other Latin cultures are concentrated. It is as if the Mexican music tree has outgrown the border. It is really a miraculous phenomenon; a culture that has overcome the worst elements of cultural encroachment, today exports music that is uniquely Mexican.
Sources:
Collins, Camille. "What is Mariachi?" Mexico Connect. 12 Nov. 2007. http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/guadalajara/marhis. html.
"Music of Mexico." Wikipedia: the free encyclopedia. 13 Nov. 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Mexico.
"Tejano Music. " Wikipedia: the free encyclopedia. 6 Nov. 2007. 12 Nov. 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tejano_music.
Summers, June. "The Music of Mexico." Mexico Connect. 1994. 12 Nov. 2007. http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/musicmex.html.
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