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música mexicana

Música Mexicana

Mexico · 1800s

Romantic Sentimental Dancing Sad Intense

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Description

Música mexicana is an umbrella term that encompasses Mexico’s traditional and popular vernacular styles, including mariachi, ranchera, norteño, banda, corridos, and various regional son traditions (such as son jarocho, son huasteco, and son calentano).

It is characterized by expressive vocals, melodic ornamentation, and storytelling lyrics, often accompanied by ensembles that combine strings, brass, and/or accordion. Rhythmic feels commonly draw from European dances like polka, waltz, and mazurka, alongside indigenous and Afro-Mexican rhythmic sensibilities and the sesquialtera (the interplay between 3/4 and 6/8 heard in music such as huapango).

The style ranges from intimate trios to full mariachi and banda orchestras, with themes spanning romance, nostalgia, identity, migration, rural life, and heroic or news-like narratives (in corridos).

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Influenced by

Polka Paraguaya

Polka paraguaya is the Paraguayan adaptation of the European polka, fused with Indigenous Guaraní musical aesthetics and rural criollo practice. It is typically lively, dance-oriented, and marked by a characteristic sesquiáltera (6/8 against 3/4) feel that produces a buoyant hemiola swing. It is most often performed by small folk ensembles centered on the iconic arpa paraguaya (Paraguayan harp), accompanied by guitars, requinto, and sometimes accordion and light percussion. Lyrics frequently mix Spanish and Guaraní (Jopará), ranging from romantic and pastoral themes to historical and patriotic subjects. While the default character is festive and bright, many classics carry a nostalgic, sentimental tone in their melodies.

Waltz is a dance-music genre in triple meter, most commonly in 3/4 time, marked by a strong accent on the first beat and the characteristic “oom–pah–pah” accompaniment (bass note followed by two chords). Emerging from Central European folk dances and adopted by urban salons, the waltz spans both functional dance repertoire and concert pieces for piano or orchestra. Tempos vary by style: the Viennese waltz is fast and flowing, while the slow/English waltz is measured and lyrical. Melodies are typically long-breathed and cantabile, with 8- or 16-bar phrases and frequent modulations to closely related keys. The genre is culturally tied to Vienna and the Habsburg lands, where composers such as the Strausses and Lanner helped codify its form, but it has since permeated ballroom traditions, art music, folk repertoires, film, and popular music worldwide.

The mazurka is a Polish folk dance and musical genre in triple meter, characterized by strong accents on the second or third beat and by distinctive dotted and syncopated rhythms. It originated in the Mazovia region of Poland and became both a social dance and an instrumental idiom. In the 19th century the mazurka moved from village floors to European salons and concert halls, where composers—most famously Frédéric Chopin—transformed it into a refined art-music genre while preserving its rustic rhythmic markers and modal colorings. Today, the mazurka exists as a living folk dance tradition and as a classical piano form, emblematic of Polish musical identity.

Bolero is a romantic Cuban song genre that emerged in the late 19th century in Santiago de Cuba within the trovador tradition. It is characterized by a slow to moderate tempo, lyrical melodies, and intimate, sentimental lyrics centered on love, longing, and heartbreak. Unlike the Spanish dance of the same name, the Cuban bolero is a vocal, guitar-led form that later expanded to trios and orchestras. Its rhythmic backbone often draws on the habanera/tresillo feel, while harmony ranges from simple tonic–dominant motion to lush progressions with secondary dominants and jazz-inflected extensions in later styles. Bolero became a pan–Latin American idiom during the 20th century, shaping the repertoire of trios románticos and crossover stylings in Mexico, Puerto Rico, and beyond, and laying crucial foundations for later romantic currents in Latin pop and ballad traditions.

Huapango is a Mexican folk genre and dance whose heartbeat is the sesquialtera: a lively alternation and superposition of 6/8 and 3/4 meters that fuels foot-stomping zapateado on a wooden tarima. It is especially associated with the Huasteca region (Hidalgo, San Luis Potosí, Veracruz, Tamaulipas, Querétaro, and Puebla) and features small string ensembles. The classic Huasteco lineup is a virtuosic lead violin, jarana huasteca (a small, high-pitched rhythm guitar), and the deeper-voiced guitarra quinta huapanguera. Singing frequently employs ornamental falsetto, improvised verses, and playful call-and-response. Beyond the Huasteca, there are related variants—huapango arribeño in the Sierra Gorda, mariachi-styled huapangos, and norteño huapangos—that adapt the core rhythmic feel to different regional ensembles and repertoires.

Corrido is a Mexican narrative ballad tradition that tells real or imagined stories about heroes, outlaws, battles, tragedies, and contemporary events. It is strophic, usually built from octosyllabic lines organized into quatrains with assonant rhyme, and features a declamatory vocal delivery designed to make the storyline clear. Musically, corridos are commonly set to dance-derived rhythms such as polka in 2/4 or waltz in 3/4, reflecting 19th‑century European influences absorbed in northern Mexico. They are performed by different ensembles—most famously norteño groups with accordion and bajo sexto, mariachi with violins and trumpets, or banda with brass and tuba—yet the poetic form and storytelling remain central. Typical corridos open with a saludo (greeting/announcement), present the narrative in chronological episodes rich with names, places, and dates, and close with a despedida (farewell or moral). Modern variants include narcocorridos and, more recently, corridos tumbados that fuse the narrative form with contemporary urban and trap aesthetics.

Ranchera is a traditional Mexican song style rooted in rural life, love, patriotism, and everyday stoicism. It is most commonly performed with a mariachi ensemble featuring violins, trumpets, vihuela, and guitarrón, though solo voice and guitar or accordion-led groups also appear. Musically, rancheras are strophic songs with memorable, singable melodies and straightforward harmony (often I–IV–V with occasional secondary dominants). Rhythms alternate between 3/4 (vals ranchero), 2/4 (polka-like), and 4/4 (march-like) feels. Vocal delivery is passionate and ornamented, frequently using belting, slides, and the characteristic grito (a cathartic shout) to heighten emotion. Lyrically, rancheras deal with romance, heartbreak, longing, pride in the homeland, and the dignity and hardships of rural life. They are a pillar of regional Mexican music and a cultural emblem within and beyond Mexico.

Mariachi is a traditional ensemble-based music from western Mexico (especially Jalisco, Colima, Nayarit, and Michoacán) characterized by violins, trumpets, and a family of plucked guitars (vihuela, guitarrón, and guitar), with the harp used in some regional variants. The repertoire blends rural son traditions with later urban song forms, performing sones, jarabes, huapangos, rancheras, corridos, and boleros. Rhythmic interplay between 3/4 and 6/8 (sesquiáltera), bright trumpet fanfares in parallel thirds, strummed guitar textures, and soaring group vocals with spirited gritos (shouts) are hallmarks of the style. While rooted in 19th‑century regional string bands, modern mariachi was standardized in the 20th century through radio, cinema, and touring ensembles, becoming a national symbol of Mexico and a globally recognized sound.

Banda Sinaloense

Banda sinaloense is a brass-driven regional Mexican style that arose in the state of Sinaloa, blending European military band sonorities with local dance and song forms. Ensembles typically feature clarinets, trumpets, trombones, alto/baritone horns, and a tuba or sousaphone, anchored by the iconic tambora (bass drum with mounted cymbal) and tarola (snare drum). Its repertoire spans lively polkas, waltzes, mazurkas, schottisches, and pasodobles, alongside Mexican corridos, rancheras, boleros, and modern cumbias. The sound is powerful and celebratory: unison brass fanfares, tight harmonized lines, and a driving “oom‑pah” low end support emotive lead vocals and energetic percussion, making it a staple of festivals, dances, and contemporary charts.

Son jarocho is a traditional folk music and dance style from the Sotavento region of Veracruz, Mexico, shaped by the encounter of Spanish, Indigenous, and West African cultures. It is performed at community gatherings called fandangos, where singers, dancers, and instrumentalists trade improvised verses and rhythms in a festive, call-and-response setting. Its core sound blends strummed jaranas (small, re-entrant tuned guitars), the melodic requinto jarocho played with a plectrum, and the arpa jarocha (harp), supported by percussive zapateado dancing on a wooden platform (tarima). Additional timbres come from the quijada (donkey jawbone), pandero, and marimbol (bass lamellophone). Sones such as La Bamba, El Siquisirí, El Colás, El Balajú, and El Cascabel feature hemiola (sesquiáltera) grooves that alternate between 6/8 and 3/4, décima-verse poetry, and a communal, improvisatory spirit.

Son huasteco (also known as huapango huasteco) is a traditional folk style from the Huasteca region of northeastern Mexico. It is performed by the trío huasteco: a virtuosic lead violin, a five‑course jarana huasteca (small rhythm guitar), and a deep‑voiced guitarra quinta huapanguera (eight‑string guitar). The style is marked by agile violin improvisation, bright strummed rhythms, and distinctive falsetto singing. Rhythmically, it pivots on sesquiáltera (the interplay of 6/8 and 3/4), which powers both the music and the zapateado dance on a wooden platform (tarima). Verses often use octosyllabic lines and can include improvised coplas that reference love, nature, regional pride, and playful duels in song. While festive and driving, the music also carries a lyrical, romantic tone.

Son calentano is a regional Mexican string-and-drum tradition from the Tierra Caliente region spanning northern Guerrero, southeastern Michoacán, and parts of the State of Mexico. It is led by a highly ornamented solo violin accompanied by strummed guitars (notably guitarra de golpe/guitarra sexta) and a small double-headed drum called tamborita. The music alternates between lilting 6/8 and firm 3/4 (hemiola), propelling couple dances with lively zapateado footwork. Repertoire centers on sones and gustos, alongside forms such as inditas, malagueñas, and valonas. Lyrics often use octosyllabic coplas with playful, amorous, or picaresque themes, punctuated by gritos and whistles. The style is virtuosic yet communal, designed equally for dancing, social festivities, and showcasing master fiddlers.

Pasodoble is a Spanish duple‑meter march and dance whose name literally means “double step,” reflecting the two steps per measure that drive its striding character. It is traditionally written in 2/4, with a strong, insistent downbeat, brisk tempo, and brilliant band orchestration that spotlights brass, woodwinds, and snare drum rolls. Closely associated with bullfighting pageantry and popular theater (zarzuela), the genre balances military‑style precision with dramatic flair. Melodies often carry a proud, declamatory contour, while harmonies favor bright major keys or minor tonalities colored by Phrygian inflections and the Andalusian cadence (iv–III–II–I). Formally, many pasodobles follow a march‑like layout—introduction, main theme(s), a contrasting trio (often modulating to the subdominant), and a rousing coda. Beyond the bullring, pasodoble became a festive staple in Iberian town bands and later a standardized Latin dance in international ballroom, where choreography evokes the interplay between matador and cape.

Son istmeño is a traditional song-and-dance style from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Oaxaca, Mexico. It blends Iberian harmonic song forms and dances with Indigenous (particularly Zapotec/Diidxazá) melodic turns, language, and community ritual practices. Characterized by lilting, danceable meters that often oscillate between 6/8 and 3/4 (sesquialtera), son istmeño is performed either by small string ensembles (guitar, requinto, violin, sometimes harp or marimba) or by Oaxacan wind bands rich in clarinets and saxophones for community fiestas called velas. Its repertoire includes emblematic pieces such as La Sandunga, La Martiniana, and Naila, with lyrics that alternate between Spanish and Zapotec and themes of love, identity, and local pride. Harmonically it is rooted in functional tonality (I–IV–V with occasional secondary dominants), supports memorable folk-like melodies frequently sung in parallel thirds, and features call-and-response refrains suited to participatory dancing.

Trova yucateca is a romantic song tradition from the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico, centered in Mérida and performed primarily by voice and guitar ensembles. It blends poetic Spanish-language lyrics with refined melodies and harmonies, often presented as serenades in plazas or intimate salons. Musically, it draws on Cuban trova and habanera rhythms, European salon forms such as the waltz, and local Yucatecan/Maya sensibilities. The result is a lyrical, tender repertoire marked by elegant guitar accompaniment, careful vocal phrasing, and themes of love, longing, and regional imagery.

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