Regional Music of Mexico Prof. Herrera
Introduction to the Son Mexicano
Definition
The son is a Mexican musical genre that includes: a) performance on regional instruments such as huapanguera, jarana, vihuela and traditional instruments such as harp, violin, and guitar b) vocal performance of traditional or improvised lyrics, very often in a regional style c) the use of dance (foot-heel tapping) as an acoustic element.
Features
The term son (plural sones) is applied to several musical co-traditions found throughout eastern, central, and western Mexico. Although these co-traditions exhibit their own idiosyncrasies, they do share some characteristics. These include:
1) The use of regional and traditional instruments such as the ones referred to above.
2) Syncopation.
3) Improvisation in the singing, instrumental performance, and dance.
4) Rapid tempo, usually in a six beat pattern.
5) Call and response.
6) Coplas and decimas.
7) Nonsensical rhythmic fillers.
8) Dance as an acoustic element to accent the music.
9) Manicos.
10) Alternations between instrumental (beginning & end) and vocal sections within a piece.
1 1) Chord progression that includes only the tonic, dominant, and subdominant of any given key. 12) Lyrics arranged in loose verse structure and reflecting a wide variety of themes: love, music, birds, horses, occupations, etc. 1 3) Mimetic tendencies.
The son derives its uniqueness from peculiar performance technique on generic instruments such as violin, guitar, and trumpet and from the distinctive sound of regional instruments such as the vihuela, guitarra de golpe, huapanguera, jarana, requinto, and the non-pedal harp. Perhaps the most diagnostic feature of the son is its use of specific strumming patterns (called manicos) on the rhythm instruments. Every son variety employs its own set of basic patterns and allows for the improvisation of others (called floritura). The vocal style used in the son varies from region to region. Son vocalists sing lyrics in Spanish or in an indigenous language such as Nahuatl or Purepecha.
Brief History
The son is the most deeply rooted and widely disseminated traditional Mexican musical genre. Its origins can be traced to a mixture of indigenous and Spanish elements in the early 16th century. It is performed throughout central Mexico and along Mexico's Pacific and Atlantic coasts. In its earliest version, the son appeared in the 16th century as a theatrical song and dance form whose most distinctive trait seems to have been its popular and somewhat irreverent tone. By the early 1700's Church authorities found the dancing so suggestive and the lyrics so outrageous that they sought, unsuccessfully, to ban its performance. By the late 1700's the son had become part of short musical dramas presented between acts of longer plays in principal theaters in Mexico City. The sones (plural form of son), with their earthy and upbeat flavor, represented a sharp and welcome contrast to the sometimes overbearing operatic style then prevalent in Mexican theatrical productions. With the rise of the independence movement in the early 1800's, the son acquired even greater acceptability and became one of the symbols of the new national identity. Sones were commonly affectionately referred to as sonecitos de la sierra (dear sones of the land) or aires mexicanos (Mexican airs). Regionalization of the son occurred soon after in Mexico's countryside where local musicians modified the original son orchestra of harp, violin, and various guitar types, and altered lyrics and arrangements to suit their tastes. By the late 1800's several well defined regional co-traditions of the son had emerged.
Son Varieties
1. The son huasteco of the Huasteca region (central and southeastern Mexico)
2. The son jarocho from southern Veracruz.
3. The son de mariachi from western Mexico.
4. The son abajerio from Michoacan.
5. The son guerrerense from the state of Guerrero.
6. The son de marimba form the states of Chiapas, Oaxaca, and Tabasco.