|
History of the Mariachi
The Wedding of Musical Traditions
Prior to the arrival of Cortes the music of Mexico, played with rattles, drums, reed and clay flutes, and conch-shell horns, was an integral part of religious celebrations. Quickly, however, as Christianity spread, in many areas these instruments gave way to instruments imported by the Spanish: violins, guitars and harps, brass horns, and woodwinds. The Indian and mestizo musicians not only learned to play European instruments, but also to build their own, sometimes giving them shapes and tunings of their own invention.
Music and dance were important elements of Spanish theatrical productions, enormously popular throughout the Spanish speaking world during the colonial period. The typical Spanish theatrical orchestra of the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries was comprised of violins (usually two), harp and guitars (or guitar variants). It was from this group that several of the most distinctive regional ensembles of Mexico developed, including the Mariachi.
Mariachi - What Does It Mean?
Musicologists and folklorists have argued for years over the origin of the word - Mariachi.
The explanation that appears most frequently - especially on record jackets and in travel brochures - is that it is a variation of the French word mariage, meaning wedding or marriage, and comes from the time in the nineteenth century when Maximillian, a Frenchman, was Emperor of Mexico. According to this myth the Mariachi was named by the French after the celebration with which it was most commonly associated. But this explanation, always regarded as highly doubtful by linguists, was totally discredited recently when a use of the word was found that predated the time when the French arrived in Mexico.
Currently, however, the best scholarly opinion is that the word mariachi has native roots. One theory is that it comes from the name of the wood used to make the platform on which the performers danced to the music of the village musicians. But whatever its true source - and the truth may never be discovered with absolute certainty - the word today has one meaning that is crystal clear: Mariachi means on of the most exciting and enchanting musical ensembles found anywhere in the world.
The Unique Make-Up of the Mariachi Ensemble
In the complete Mariachi group today there are as many as six to eight violins, two trumpets, and a guitar - all standard European instruments. Then there is a high-itched, round-backed guitar called the vihuela, which when strummed in the traditional manner gives the Mariachi its typical rhythmic vitality; a deep-voiced guitar called the guitarró n which serves as the bass of the ensemble; and a Mexican folk harp, which usually doubles the base line, but also ornaments the melody. While these three instruments have European origins, in their present form they are strictly Mexican.
The sound that these instruments combine to make is unique. Like the sarape, which often used widely contrasting colors side by side - green and orange, yellow and blue - the Mariachi used sharply contrasting sounds: the sweet sounds of the violins against the brilliance of the trumpets, and the deep sound of the guitarró n against the crisp, high voice of the vihuela; and the frequent shifting between syncopation and on-beat rhythm. The resulting sound is the heart and soul of Mexico.
The Beginning of the Mariachi We Know Today
Although the origins of Mariachi music go back hundreds of years, in the form we know it the Mariachi began in the nineteenth century in the Mexican state of Jalisco - according to popular legend, in the town of Cocula. The Mariachi was the distinctive version of the Spanish theatrical orchestra of violins, harp and guitars which developed in and around Jalisco. In other areas such as Veracruz and the Huasteca region in the northeast, the ensemble evolved differently. By the end of the nineteenth century, in Cocula the vihuela, two violins, and the guitarró n (which had replaced the harp) were the instruments of the Mariachi.
The principal music played by these early Mariachis was the SON, the popular music of the day. A mixture of folk traditions from Spain, Mexico, and Africa, the son was found in many regions of the country. The son from Jalisco is called the son jalisciense. La Negra is the best-known example.
Sones from other regions include the son jarocho or veracruzano, from the region around the Gulf port of Veracruz; and the son huasteco, from northeastern Mexico. The most famous example of the son jarocho is La Bamba . A typical son huasteco, also known as the huapango, is La Malagueñ a. It is interesting to note that there are some sones, such as El Gusto, which are common in all three regions and clearly date back to a common ancestor.
Mariachi and Dance
It is important to remember the son-and other types of Mariachi music- is not just music to be played and sung. From the very start it was music to be danced.
The traditional dance technique associated with both the son jalisciense and son jarocho is the zapateado, a distinctive type of footwork that originated in Spain. When dancing the zapateado the performers skillfully drive the heels of their boots or shoes into the dance-floor, pounding out swift, often syncopated rhythms which complement the different rhythm of the musical instruments. The zapateado can literally reduce even the most resistant dance floor to splinters because of the force with which it is danced.
Each of the regional variations of the son has its traditional style of dance. The huapango or son huasteco, for instance, like the son jalisciense and son jarocho, was originally danced on wooden platforms, in some areas mounted on earthen jugs. To dance the huapango the couples line up in opposing columns. The upper part of the body is held perfectly erect as the feet perform rapid, intricate, shuffling maneuvers. Today it is sometimes performed with a glass of water on the head to show off the dancer's incredible muscular control.
The lyrics of the sones frequently describe country life: in particular, the plants, animals and people of the region. These lyrics are highly suggestive, often using imagery of the courtship of farm animals to describe the relations of men and women. In the dance the movements of the performers often represent the farm-yard courtship described in the verses of the sones.
Another kind of music related to the son and intimately connected with a particular dance is the jarabe. The jarabe, which has many regional variations, is really a medley of dance pieces, including sones, danzas, jotas, and polkas. No discussion of Mariachi dance would be complete without mentioning the famous Jarabe Tapatio - the Mexican Hat Dance. Associated with Guadalajara in the state of Jalisco, it has become the national dance of Mexico. It is highly stylized, with prescribed movements and costumes. The male wears the classic outfit the Jalisco horsemen or charro, while the female the China, wears a hand-woven shawl and a bright sequined skirt.
By the 1930's Mariachi musicians had begun wearing the same traje de charro, consisting of a waist-length jacket and tightly fitted wool pants which open slightly at the ankle to fit over a short riding boot. Both pants and jacket are often ornamented with embroidery, intricately cut leather designs, or silver buttons in a variety of shapes. Prior to the 1930's, photographs show early Mariachis dressed in calzones de manta, and huaraches, homespun white cotton pants and shirts and leather sandals, the clothes worn by most peasants in Jalisco.
Coming of Age: Mariachi Vargas
Although the roots of the Mariachi go back hundreds of years, there are no Bachs or Beethovens in its early history because Mariachi music was the music of country people. Until the 1930's Mariachi groups were local and semi-professional. They were almost entirely unknown outside their own region.
This began to change about 60 years ago, when the Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán n, founded by Gaspar Vargas in 1898, went from Jalisco to Mexico City. They were invited to play at the inauguration in 1934 of populist President Lá zaro Cá rdenas, one of whose great interests was to foster the native culture of Mexico. Catching the Presidents enthusiasm, urban sophisticates took the folk arts to their hearts, and the Mariachi Vargas instantly became the toast of the town. The initial success was only the beginning. Silvestre Vargas, who had taken over from his father as leader of the Mariachi Vargas in 1928, soon hired a trained musician, Rubí n Fuentes, as musical director.
Fuentes, still actively involved with the Mariachi Vargas more than fifty years later, is one of the towering figures in the development of the Mariachi. With the help of Silvestre Vargas, he standardized the arrangements of many of the traditional sones composed many exceptional new huapangos, and wrote arrangements for many of the legendary song writers and singers of his generation, including Pedro Infante, Miguel Aceves Mejía, Lola Beltrán, and José Alfredo Jiménez. By the 1950's he insisted that all his musicians read music. These innovations changed the way Mariachi music moved from one group to another. Gone was the total reliance of the musicians on their ears to pick up new songs, and techniques.
With this giant step toward professionalism coinciding with the development of recordings, radio and film, the Mariachi Vargas was able to become the ideal that all other groups would emulate. With the addition of two trumpets, a classical guitar and more violins, by the 1950's the Mariachi ensemble had become a complete, adaptable orchestra, with the ability to retain its traditional base while it was assimilating new musical ideas and styles. The importance of Mariachi Vargas cannot be overestimated. Its arrangements have become the definitive statements of what the Mariachi should be.
The Mariachi at Special Occasions
Mariachis often help celebrate the great moments in the lives of the Mexican people. With the serenata (serenade), the Mariachi participates in the rite of courtship. In a society where the young members of opposite sexes were kept apart, the serenata was a means of communication by which a young man could send a message of love to the woman of his heart. In many areas of Mexico, it is not unusual to be awakened by the sound of Las Mañ anitas, the traditional song for saints days, or birthdays. The Mariachi is usually positioned strategically on the street beneath the window of the festejada, but the sound of its music echoes through the whole neighborhood. Mariachis are also commonly hired for baptisms, weddings, patriotic holidays, and even funerals. It is not unusual for the deceased to leave a list of favorite songs to be sung beside the grave at burial.
Mariachi music has been incorporated into the Roman Catholic Church's most sacred ritual: the Mass. The Misa Panamericana is a Mariachi folk mass, sung in Spanish, that uses traditional instruments to create vivid new interpretations of the traditional elements of the service: Angelus, Kyrie eleison, Gloria, Alleluia, Offertory, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei.
The first Mariachi Mass was the concept of a Canadian priest, Father Juan Marco Leclerc, and has been celebrated in Cuernavaca since 1966. It originally took place in a small chapel, but news of it spread so rapidly, and the crowds grew so large, that the regular Sunday Mariachi Mass had be moved to the Cathedral of Cuernavaca. It is now frequently performed throughout Mexico, and In many areas in the United States where people of Mexican origin live.
WHAT IS MARIACHI?
By Camille Collins
The only thing more Mexican than tequila is mariachi and it seems a shame to have one without the other.
Mariachi goes beyond music, it is the sum of a cultural revolution expressed through a group of musicians, dressed in popular clothing (most recently charro suits) which encompasses the essence of Mexico and its people. It is something cultural, spiritual and traditional that is unique to this country, an experience not to be missed.
The word mariachi refers to the musicians now commonly seen in restaurants or strolling the streets, dressed in silver studded charro outfits with wide brimmed hats playing a variety of instruments which include violins, guitars, basses, vihuelas (a 5 string guitar) and trumpets.
Their songs speak about machismo, love, betrayal, death, politics, revolutionary heroes and even animals (one particularly famous song is "La Cucaracha").
The mariachi originated in the southern part of the state of Jalisco sometime in the 19th century. No one is sure where the name comes from although a variety of theories have been postulated and, depending on which best fits the postulators needs, are adhered to.
The original theory held that mariachi was derived from the French word for wedding - mariage, because of the type of music played at these events. The only problem with this theory is that the music originates in a part of Mexico the French never visited and, even it they had, it began before their arrival in 1864.
Another theory states that the word comes from the indigenous name of the Pilla or Cirimo tree, whose wood is used to make guitars. If this were true then the word mariachi would be applied to the instrument itself and not to those who play it.
It has also been suggested that the name comes from a festival in honor of a virgin known as Maria H. (mah-ree-ah AH-chay) at which musicians played and that over time they were given this name.
The truth is that no one knows where the name originated, but it is one which is associated with a great deal of prestige not only in Mexico, but around the world.
The origins of the mariachi itself (the group, culture, music, etc.) are not much easier to trace. The mariachi is the sum of a cultural evolution which has taken place over the last century or so in Mexico.
Although the indigenous tribes of Mexico made music with flutes, drums and whistles, there is no clear link between the indigenous music and the mariachi. The instruments originally used by the mariachi were those introduced by the Spaniards - violins, guitars, vihuelas, harps, etc. These instruments were intended to be used during masses but the criollos (Mexicans of Spanish descent) began using them to make popular music as well, much to the chagrin of the priests, since they were used to accompany some of the more scandalous, satirical or anticlerical couplets of the times.
Mariachi music thrived with the support of the people. The criollos of the 19th century did all they could to wipe out every last trace of the Spanish presence in Mexico and, by doing so, supported the mariachi music.
Mariachis could be seen wearing traditional workmen's clothes - white pants and shirt and a straw hat, and traveling around looking for work. Most commonly they would find employment at any of the haciendas where they would earn more than the average laborer.
With the revolution, many of the haciendas were forced to let the mariachis go. They would then wander from town to town singing songs of revolutionary heroes and enemies, carrying news from one place to another.
Still not enjoying the same position they had before, the mariachis took to playing in public venues for a fee. One of the most popular of these was San Pedro Tlaquepaque in the state of Jalisco, a fashionable place for the residents of Guadalajara to spend their summers.
Since they were playing for a fee they were forced to add new elements to their music and to expand their repertoire to include waltzes and polkas.
By the early part of this century the mariachi began to regain its popularity. The most prized of the mariachis were still those from the state of Jalisco, particularly the areas of Cocula and Tecaltitlan. They represented Mexico to the people during the Independence day celebrations in Mexico City in 1933 as well as during Lazaro Cardenas' election campaign in 1936.
With the advent of radio and television their popularity continued to grow. Recording contracts were signed and they were paired with famous singers like Jorge Negrete and Pedro Infante. Due to the popularity of jazz and Cuban music the trumpet was adopted, pushing the violins into second place and, in some cases, replacing the harp.
Movies were made which represented Mexico as a place populated with truly macho men whose live revolved around the charro, tequila and, of course, the mariachi.
Today, mariachi music is played around the world in places as far away as Japan and Europe. This integral part of Mexico's culture and history is celebrated each September in its birth place, Jalisco.
El Mariachi, un Gran
Pedazo del Corazón Mexicano
Por NORMA AQUINO-RATHER
Los sentimientos más profundos del alma, las penas y alegrías de los mexicanos cobran fuerza y emoción en las canciones de un mariachi. Las notas vibrantes de la trompeta o la magia de sus violines hablan lo mismo del amor a una bella mujer que de la desesperación por la tierra lejana.
Mariachi Sol de México
La tradición del mariachi tuvo comienzos humildes, y sus raíces están perdidas en el tiempo con poca o ninguna referencia escrita que permita dilucidarlo. Pequeños conjuntos integrados por una guitarra, un violín, vihuela y arpa animaban fiestas familiares y reuniones, bautizos y bodas, de donde proviene su nombre "mariachi", que el mito popular atribuye a una semejanza con la palabra francesa marriage.
Esta teoría fue rebatida por algunos investigadores, quienes alegaban que el nombre tenía en realidad un origen indígena, versión que no pudo ser comprobada durante muchos años, hasta que en 1981 se encontró en el archivo de una iglesia una carta escrita por el padre Cosme Santa Anna en 1848. La carta iba dirigida al arzobispo de su diócesis y en ella denunciaba los escándalos ocasionados en su pueblo por los "mariachis".
La fecha de esta carta es anterior a la invasión francesa, lo cual desmiente la versión popular de que la palabra sea de origen francés.
La formación de los conjuntos tenía lugar ya en época del imperio austro-húngaro, y los instrumentos cambiaban en algunos grupos según la región. Por ejemplo en el Bajío y en Jalisco tocaban los mariachis, mientras en otras áreas estaban las bandas con instrumentos de percusión.
Así vinieron las bandas de Sinaloa que incluían clarinetes, una tuba, una tambora y ocasionalmente los trombones o cuernos de las bandas de música traídos por primera vez por el ejército francés.
Si bien el mariachi se asociaba con Jalisco, la tradición se extiende a los estados vecinos de Michoacán, Colima, Nayarit y Zacatecas.
En algunas ciudades importantes de la época, se formaron grandes bandas, tanto en la época porfiriana, como antes en la del imperio.
Tocaban en las plazas principales de las ciudades de Morelia, Guanajuato y Zacatecas llevando, dos o tres veces por semana, serenatas que congregaban al pueblo, como las de la Plaza de Armas o las del parque El Agua Azul, en Guadalajara, que alcanzaron gran popularidad, pero todas las ciudades importantes tenían sus bandas.
Entre los estilos de mariachi más famosos, se incluyen los de Cocula, Tecatitlán y La Sierra del Tigre. La primera referencia que tenemos de un grupo de mariachi en las grandes ciudades de México, data de 1905, con el Cuarteto Coculense dirigido por Justo Villa, quien grabó los primeros discos de música de mariachi en 1906.
En 1925, el Mariachi de Concho Andrade participó en la primera transmisión radiofónica en México, y al año siguiente Cirilo Marmolejo hizo las primeras grabaciones de mariachi con el nuevo sistema eléctrico.
A principios de este siglo, era inusual ver conjuntos de mariachi con instrumentos de viento. La flauta, el clarinete, el saxofón soprano, el trombón, el cornetín y la trompeta no se veían con frecuencia en los grupos tradicionalmente integrados por instrumentos de cuerda.
Fue recién en los años 30 que algunos mariachis, en la Ciudad de México, incorporaron la trompeta, que en la década de 1940 siguió cobrando fuerza hasta llegar a ser imprescindible para el mariachi. El famoso Pedro Infante grabó en 1949 las primeras canciones con un mariachi con dos trompetas, innovación que logró mucho éxito.
El uso de la trompeta en el mariachi alcanzó completa aceptación en 1952, cuando el Mariachi México, de Pepe Villa, grabó una serie de discos de gran éxito que efectuó el cambio decisivo en la instrumentación de los grupos de mariachi, que para los años 60 en su mayoría incluían ya dos trompetas.
Uno de los mariachis más famosos de México, y del mundo entero, es el Mariachi Vargas de Tecatitlán, fundado por Silvestre Vargas con amigos y miembros de su familia, a quienes enseñó a leer música; todo un avance, porque antes de esto los músicos del mariachi lo eran de oído o llamados líricos.
Vargas fue también el primero que los uniformó con traje campirano, compuesto de un calzón de manta y camisa del mismo material con un palicate al cuello.
Cuando surgieron los grandes cantantes en este siglo, como Lucha Reyes, Pedro Infante, Jorge Negrete y Lola Beltrán, entre otros, el mariachi pasó por un proceso de sofisticación que se reflejó en su indumentaria hecha ahora de paño o algodón, características de la vestimenta del hacendado. Así aparecieron los trajes actuales que recuerdan a los charros, pero llevan botonaduras y alamares, y los humildes huaraches se sustituyeron por elegantes botines.
La música de mariachi se proyectó a nivel nacional e internacional, al ser interpretada por los grandes cantantesde radio en estaciones como la XEW, la XEB y la XEQ que le dieron amplia difusión.
En su evolución, también los músicos del mariachi dejaron de ser los improvisados de antaño, para convertirse ahora en verdaderos estudiosos que ejecutan música clásica en tríos y orquestas con un profesionalismo impecable.
Y no hay espectáculo, donde quiera que sea, que a los mexicanos atraiga más que un mariachi entonando la canción: "México lindo y querido/ si muero lejos de ti/ que digan que estoy dormido/ y que me traigan aquí". Y otras igualmente emotivas y vibrantes que a los mexicanos hace soñar la tierra que los vio nacer, y al extranjero lo acerca a México aun sin conocerlo.
HISTORIA DEL MARIACHI
Por: Ramón Talavera Franco
“De Cocula es el mariachi,
de Tecalitlan los sones....”
Esta es una de las estrofas más conocidas del Son “Cocula” y decidimos usarla como inicio del presente artículo para referirnos precisamente a algo que muchos de los amantes de la música de mariachi desconocen: el lugar que le dio origen.
Existen muchas teorías. Una de ellas, quizá la más conocida, menciona que la palabra “Mariachi” proviene de la palabra francesa “marriage”, que significa boda o matrimonio y que con el tiempo se transformó en la palabra “mariachi” que hoy conocemos. La teoría que la sustenta, dice que durante la intervención francesa, los soldados franceses comenzaron a referirse como “marriage” (Matrimonio en francés) no únicamente a las bodas que ellos presenciaban en tierras mexicanas, sino a la música que se tocaba en dichos eventos, pero si esta teoría fuera cierta, querría decir que ellos fueron quienes bautizaron a este tipo de grupo musical, dando por hecho que antes de su llegada no existía ninguna palabra que los identificara. Lo cual es poco creíble.
Otra de las teorías señalan que en Jalisco y Michoacán hay un árbol de madera blanca y porosa el cual es usado para la fabricación de guitarras. Según algunos investigadores, este árbol se llama “mariachi”, sin embargo, hay mucha gente oriunda de estas regiones que desmienten que exista un árbol con dicho nombre.
Pero hay otra teoría que al parecer, es la más acertada o cuando menos la que muchos mariachis mexicanos aceptan. Esta es la que afirma que la palabra “Mariachi” se originó en Cocula, Jalisco.
Coculán es un cerro al sur de Cocula donde se asentó la tribu coca en el siglo XVI. Ellos eran descendiente de los chimalhuacanos y a su vez de los nahoas. De ellos, se afirma que tenían tanto habilidades para la música como para imitar los sonidos que les parecían agradables. Y son a ellos, a esta tribu, a los que México les debe hoy que existan los ya famosos “Mariachis”.
¿Cómo nació “El Mariachi”?
Para comprender su nacimiento, tenemos que remontarnos a la conquista española y recordar el gusto melódico de los Cocas. Cuando llegaron los frailes españoles a Cocula, se dieron cuenta de la facilidad de los lugareños para reproducir sonidos y música a través de instrumentos que ellos mismos construían y decidieron utilizar la música, como instrumento evangelizador. El Fraile Miguel de Bolonia, logró transformar antiguas melodías dedicadas a sus ancestrales deidades aztecas, en alabanzas a la Madre de Jesús y a San Miguel Arcángel y subrayó la idea de que la música era el lenguaje que Dios había decidió utilizar para comunicarse con ellos.
Así, al correr el tiempo y ser totalmente conquistados por los españoles, los músicos Cocas transformaron no sólo sus propios ritmos autóctonos, sino que adoptaron instrumentos españoles como el violín y la guitarra. En rancherías cercanas a Cocula nacieron los viejos “violines del cerro” y haciendo gala de su facilidad de crear instrumentos nuevos, el indígena Justo Rodríguez Nixen inventó la vihuela con una concha de armadillo y luego el guitarrón con cuerdas de tripas de animales, instrumentos ya actualizados sin los cuales el mariachi que hoy escuchamos carecería de su sonido característico.
Durante su proceso evangelizador, los indígenas de Cocula empezaron a adorar a la Virgen que llamaban “Maria del Río”, cuya imagen fue descubierta mientras unos campesinos araban la tierra. Este hallazgo fue el acicate que despertó la devoción de los coculeneses y en su nombre crearon una canto de alabanza, del que, según los investigadores, nació la palabra “Mariachi”.
En uno de los párrafos de la alabanza que crearon para esta Virgen, se lee “Maria ce son” que según los estudiosos significa “la Canción de María”. Al pronunciar “Maria Ce...” parecía que decían “Maria Shi” o “María She” que al pronunciarse rápido suena como “Mariachi”.
Así, según este estudio, la palabra “Mariachi” proviene en realidad un canto religioso, y no de la palabra francesa “mariage” como otros investigadores afirman.
Al pasar el tiempo y hasta principios del siglo XX, la música de mariachi era menospreciada por la aristocracia y había permanecido en su medio rural, pero en 1905 las cosas cambiaron al considerarse al mariachi como un grupo pintoresco, digno de presentarse en foros citadinos. Así, cuenta la leyenda, un grupo de mariachis fue llevado a cantar en un onomástico del presidente Porfirio Díaz. Las narraciones describen a este grupo vestido a la usanza de los hombres de campo y los instrumentos que llevaban en aquel entonces resumían aquellos con los que empezaron: violines, vihuelas y guitarrones.
Dos años después, en 1907 nuevamente Porfirio Díaz utilizó la música de mariachi para amenizar una fiesta ofrecida en honor del secretario de estado norteamericano Eliu Root. Se dice que este grupo vino ex profeso desde Guadalajara e interpretó sones y jarabes mientras dos charros acompañados por dos tapatías bailaron al compás de las arpas y de los violines. ¡Y algo importante! Se dice que ésta fue la primera vez que un “mariachi” se vistió del atuendo ya característico de charro.
Hoy en día, los “mariachis” interpretan sus melodías no sólo en México, sino en muchas ciudades de Estados Unidos y han logrado acaparar el gusto del público más exigente. Si no, que lo diga el senador Edward Kennedy, quien cantó a lado de ellos en la reciente convención del partido demócrata. |
