Sziksai, Michelle / Music and Culture of Latin America

Latin-America

Siku panpipe music of Peru is performed during festive celebrations on feast days and other religious holidays. Afro-Latin American drumming exists in various contexts, including secular, social events, and religious festivals of the Catholic calendar or rituals of African derivation. The Colombian marimba is also performed for both secular and religious occasions such as the social currulao dance and the festival of Saint Anthony. Calypsos of Trinidad and Tobago and elsewhere in the Caribbean are often songs of derision and ridicule that regulate social behavior. They also provide joyful rhythms during the annual carnival fete, which provides a release before the solemn celebration of Lent. The European-derived music of many Latin American countries functions as entertainment or for dancing. In the lonely life of the farmer, rancher, or cowherd, such as the vaquero of Venezuela, the gaucho of Argentina, and the huaso of Chile, music serves to break the solitude. Pan-Andean music reflects the cultural past and heritages of many of its music makers and listeners. Much pan-Andean music functions as a vehicle for protest against racial, social, and political oppression. Among the happy music of Latin America is salsa. It inspires even the most inhibited people to dance and have a good time, and the texts speak about happy times and merrymaking. Certain music developed as it did because of the geographies and histories of certain areas. Search for examples of this concept, such as these that follow: Styles of Afro-Latin American music developed along the hot, humid coastal regions of Latin America and the Caribbean. Where slaves worked on sugar, cotton, and coffee plantations. These areas topographically resembled the African homelands of the slaves. In these areas, people of African descent had natural materials with which to construct instruments similar to African drums and marimbas. In cattle-grazing regions that resemble cattle-grazing regions in Spain and Portugal, many South American cowboys sing songs similar to those sung in the Old World. Geography also determines what materials are available for musical instrument construction. The charango of Bolivia and Peru, for example, was made from an armadillo shell because wood was scarce in the high elevations of the Andes mountains. History affects musical development. The Bush Negroes of Suriname have retained a greater amount of African music and culture than any other African-derived culture in the Americas because of an event in history: when the area known today as Suriname was traded by the British for the present Manhattan Island, which at that time was owned by the Dutch, many slaves took advantage of the political confusion by escaping from the plantations into the jungles to establish their own African-type villages and to preserve their culture. More recently, the steel band tradition of Trinidad and Tobago was made possible by the discarded oil drums left on Caribbean beaches during World War II. In the area of visual arts, there are two ways that Latin American music can be studied: The instruments themselves are often works of art and have earned places in museums. The beautiful ceramic instruments of the pre-Columbian cultures of Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, and Mexico, for example, are highly valued as art objects. Modern musical instruments are also often constructed and designed with visual beauty in mind. Musical instruments and musical events are often depicted in sculptures and in painting. Much can be learned about the musical contexts of ancient Latin American cultures from this "music iconography" on ceramic pots, such as those found in Peru and Mexico. Modern painting can also be an important source for seeing the contexts of music. Many paintings in Haiti and Brazil, for example, are important sources that illustrate the roles of musical instruments in daily life. Musical instruments and musical events are often depicted in sculptures and in painting. Much can be learned about the musical contexts of ancient Latin American cultures from this "music iconography" on ceramic pots, such as those found in Peru and Mexico. Modern painting can also be an important source for seeing the contexts of music. Many paintings in Haiti and Brazil, for example, are important sources that illustrate the roles of musical instruments in daily life.

Mariachi Song Forms: The music of the mariachi band is a mixture of different indigenous, as well as European and African, elements. From Europe, it borrowed many of the dance forms such as the waltz and the fandango. From Africa, it borrowed dance rhythms and melodic ideas. The forms found in mariachi music are, without a doubt, the most important element of the style. Mariachi song forms (such as the bolero, canción ranchera, son, huapango, joropo, and danzón) are always dictated by the rhythmic patterns that are performed by the guitar section of the group. This is one of the few musical genres in which text does not indicate form. The mariachi band is Mexico's only true surviving folkloric ensemble. The group itself has changed very little since the addition of the trumpets in the middle of the 1930s. The songs that the group performs have changed, but only to meet the demands of the listening public. A good mariachi band has a minimum repertory of at least one thousand songs. Top-flight groups have song lists that are two or three times as long. On top of that, a strong mariachi musician must know three or four arrangements of each of these songs. Mariachi performers are expected to know the music that is on the mind of the entire Mexican population. Several Functions: Mariachi music is one of the few styles of indigenous music that serves both a utilitarian and an entertainment function. The mariachi band is used for many different occasions, such as dances, weddings, and funerals. It is not unusual to find the group serenading a young woman on the occasion of her birthday, celebrating a saint's day, or singing to the mother of one of the band members on her birthday. People who enjoy mariachi music like it because it rekindles old memories, takes them to places that are far away, or brings back scenes of childhood. The mariachi tradition, as it is practiced in Mexico, is one of male dominance. In the United States, women are more openly accepted as performers of this musical genre; indeed, women are an important force in the American tradition of Mexican mariachi music. If it were not for Linda Ronstadt, the contemporary vocalist who popularized mariachi music in her recordings, the genre may have have been relegated to a bottom shelf in the musical lexicon of the world. Instruments: The following instruments can be found in a mariachi band: *Violin-When used in the mariachi band, the violin is not altered in any way from its traditional use. *Vihuela-The vihuela is a creation of the Coca Indians of Southwestern Jalisco in Mexico. It has five strings and a bowed back, and it is slightly larger than a ukelele. It is played with a thumb pick in the rasqueado (strummed) style and is the harmonic and rhythmic foundation of the mariachi band. *Guitar-A standard guitar is used (not altered in any way) and serves to supplement the vihuela as a rhythmic element in the mariachi band. The guitar and the vihuela play the same rhythmic patterns and keep a strong foundation for the group. Typically, a guitar is used in a mariachi band about 98 percent of the time. *Guitarrón-The guitarrón is the bass foundation of the group and is the single most important element in the mariachi band. It serves not only as the bass of the group, but it gives the group its characteristic sound. A rule of thumb is that if there is no guitarrón, there should be no performance. *Trumpet-A standard trumpet is used (not altered in any way). At various times, the trumpet players are asked to perform with cup mutes. *Other instruments-There are occasions when instruments such as the flute, French horn, accordion, and organ are used. These instruments are used for specific arrangements. The mariachi band contains the following parts: the violins and vocals are the top voice, the rhythm section is the harmony, and the guitarrón is the bass (like the baroque "basso continue"). The traditional mariachi has six to eight violins, two to three trumpets, one vihuela, one guitar, and one guitarrón.