Transcript Pinata - TeacherWeb

Marichi Music
& History
By :
TimoTeo Sargent
a.k.a. Tyrone
History
Miguel Martinez
The roots of the Mariachi go back hundreds of
years. It was the music of country people; music
that celebrated the joys, the struggles, and the
triumphs of the Mexican people. The Mariachi
was a version of Spanish theatrical orchestra
containing violins, guitars, and a harp. Groups
were small and not generally known outside of the
region from which they came.
Corrido
The mariachi corrido is similar musically to the
ranchera. The distinguishing characteristic
between the genres lies in the lyrics. The corrido is
a narrative song type and its verses relate a series
of events. Corridos deal with historical events such
as the Mexican Revolution or with personal
experiences of significance. A whole body of
corridos is devoted to famous horses, while more
recently, drug or people smuggling has been a
favorite topic. Not all corridos are appropriate for
students. Some well-known corridos appropriate
for student groups are Siete Leguas, Carabina
Treinta Treinta, and El Caballo Blanco.
Polka
The polka is very effectively rendered by the
mariachi and several examples should be part of
every group’s repertoire. As an instrumental
genre, polkas allow singers a chance to rest—an
important consideration for student mariachis
that may rely heavily on one or two solo singers.
The polka may require fairly advanced
technique from the trumpets and often the
violins, but there are some examples that can be
successfully played by intermediate mariachi
students: Jesusita en Chihuahua, Las Perlitas,
and El Garabato.
Popurri
With the proliferation of the mariachi festivals
during the past 25 years, top-level
professional mariachis have been pitted
against one another in large venues ever more
frequently. To maximize limited time slots,
these groups frequently create medleys
(potpourrís) from segments of well-known
songs. These arrangements have become ever
more elaborate and virtuosic, both
instrumentally and vocally.