Mariachi

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A mariachi group at the Guadalajara Mariachi Festival
Mariachi play in Plaza Garibaldi for their paying audience

Mariachi is the name for a typical Mexican music formation from the state of Jalisco . Mariachi music is one of the many facets of Mexican folk music, which is very different from region to region. Outside of Mexico, mariachi music is the most famous of the many Mexican musical trends. It was included in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2011.

Instruments

A modern mariachi ensemble usually consists of 7 to 12, occasionally up to 20 members - with guitars , vihuela , guitarrón , violins , trumpets , harp and sometimes maracas and singers. The instrumentalists take on choral roles in many of the songs, but also solo parts.

Styles of music

Mariachi is not a separate type of song, as can often be read, but a formation that traditionally plays different styles of dance music. What is commonly referred to as "mariachi music" is made up of an abundance of different regional styles, the Son Jaliscense, the Canción Ranchera, the Corrido , Huapango (or Son Huasteco), Bolero and Son Jarocho, occasionally also Paso Doble , Danzón and Vals Mexicano , which in turn have been influenced in different ways by Spanish and French styles and the music of the indigenous people. Between the 1930s and 1960s in particular, numerous songs were composed especially for mariachi ensembles, some of which are based on regional styles. What distinguishes mariachi music is not so much the repertoire that the mariachi often share with regional formations, but more the instrumentation: the typical mariachi sound with (often striking third) trumpets, stringed instruments and, if necessary, the alternation of solo voice and polyphonic singing as well as the associated costume.

etymology

The origin of the word "mariachi" is disputed. According to a widespread explanation, which was brought into circulation by Alfonso Reyes among others , the word "mariachi" comes from the French " mariage " (wedding); it was coined during the occupation of Mexico by the French in the 1860s. Even if this derivation can be found in various dictionaries, it has now been refuted because, according to more recent findings, the term “mariachi” was already in use before the French intervention. What is certain is that at the beginning of the 19th century on the coast of Nayarit, one of the regions of origin of traditional mariachi, there were various settlements with the name “mariachi”, and that the indigenous people of the same region knew a ritual dance called “mariachi”. The term comes from their language, a variant of Nahuatl ; but the meaning of the word has not yet been clarified.

dress

Until the 19th century, mariachi did not wear a special costume, but the simple clothes of the farmers. Since the 1940s, her trademark has been the fine suit of the charro , the wealthy haciendero from the 19th century: pointed cowboy boots , a wide-brimmed, decorated sombrero, tight trousers with embroidered borders or silver fittings and an equally richly decorated, vest-shaped jacket. Originally these suits were black with silver fittings (which is why the Charros are also called "plateados"), today mariachi also wear beige and wine-red suits.

One of the first occasions on which mariachi appeared in a charro suit was a "garden party" held by the Mexican dictator Porfirio Diaz in 1907 in honor of a US delegation. The so-called orquestas típicas, classical orchestras with academically trained musicians who played music from different regions of Mexico, especially in front of a concert audience, already wore this costume. The charro suit established itself as a typical costume of the mariachi when the mariachi became a national symbol in the 1930s and 40s with the emergence of the record industry and cinema.

history

In the mid-19th century, when the term first appeared, the term mariachi was used for ensembles in western Mexico, especially in Nayarit, Colima, Jalisco, Michoacán and Guerrero. These ensembles usually consisted of three or four musicians and used violin, harp, guitar / viuhela and occasionally percussion instruments such as drums or triangles. The repertoire of these ensembles differed greatly from region to region and consisted essentially of traditional dance songs from the respective region. On secular occasions they played sons of the region, on religious occasions they played minuettes.

As a result of the Mexican Revolution and subsequent urbanization, more and more ensembles came from the countryside to cities such as Guadalajara and Mexico City, where they performed as street musicians for money. Some ensembles, such as the Vargas de Tecalitlán , also appeared at political and social events. They took on professional musicians and integrated trumpets into the ensemble. This is how the mariachi sound, which is still typical today, arose, as we can hear it in the almost classic prelude to “La negra” or “Guadalajara”. With the Vargas de Tecalitlán, the charro suit also established itself as a typical mariachi costume.

This new, consciously artistically designed music and the theatrical appearance corresponded to the needs of the emerging Mexican cinema from the 1930s to the 50s. Mariachi accompanied splendid musical performances or appeared in street scenes. The Vargas de Tecalitlán appeared in over 200 films, and the most popular actors of the time, such as Jorge Negrete or Pedro Infante , took over the vocal part in these films. The film productions of the so-called Golden Age of Mexican cinema created a new, broad repertoire of mariachi music that incorporated many regional styles. The films made the mariachi famous beyond the borders of Mexico. As the mass media and the record industry spread, standardized versions of the previously often improvised sons emerged.

Mariachi embody a living musical tradition that is constantly evolving. Some ensembles are now including new forms such as the cumbia in their repertoire, and while this appears to critics as a break in style, they are merely continuing the tradition of mariachi as a symbol of Mexican culture. With singers like Luis Miguel , music based on mariachi has also found its way into pop music.

In the past there were also well-known female mariachi, including the violinist Rosa Quirino (1891–1969) and the singer Irma Vila. For several decades, mixed and all-female Mariachi groups have become more common. Today the musicians wear suits with long skirts, the embroidery and fittings of which are based on the suits of their male colleagues.

Mariachi in Mexican culture

In Mexico, especially in the central highlands, mariachi music is an integral part of popular culture to this day. There is no reason not to play mariachi. They play at engagements, weddings, baptisms, celebrations on Mother's Day, St. Joseph's Day and other occasions, they sing in masses and church processions and they appear in public places, in restaurants, cafés, cantinas or at the inauguration of shopping centers. At many funerals, a group of mariachi joins the funeral procession and plays “Las Golondrinas”. The serenata tradition is still popular: young men order a group of mariachi in front of their lover's house early in the morning (usually at 2 a.m.) to serenade her. Families often brought mariachi with them to pick up loved ones from the airport, but because of the crowds, this has been banned for several years. In Mexico City, a popular meeting place for mariachi is the Plaza Garibaldi in the north of the center, and clients often hire the mariachi there for their performances.

Not only are the mariachi the epitome of popular Mexican music, they have also influenced classical composers. The string quartet "El Huapango" (1941) by the Mexican composer José Pablo Moncayo is a good example of the mutual influence of so-called popular and high culture. The piece is a reworking of three traditional Veracruzan Son Huasteca, which were unique pieces to the mariachi repertoire. Moncayo's rhythmically complex piece, which was choreographed for classical ballet by Gloria Contreras, quickly advanced to become the popular second national anthem and is now part of the standard mariachi repertoire.

Mariachi in commercial music

The US music industry in particular made mariachi music popular for the US and world markets. The first recording is the single Mexico with trumpets, marimbas and maraccas, recorded quite authentically by the Bob Moore Orchestra in Nashville on June 19, 1961 , which reached number 7 in the US pop hit parade, but was even more successful in Europe (9 weeks place 1 in Germany) and sold more than 2 million copies. In 1962, Herb Alpert & His Tijuana Brass took its cue from this , and with this style was regularly able to occupy top positions in international charts .

Characteristic songs

Well-known ensembles

  • Mariachi Coculense
  • Mariachi México
  • Los Vargas de Tecalitlán
  • Mariachi Sol de Mexico

Well-known soloists

literature

Web links

Commons : Mariachi  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ UNESCO, Representative List , RL = 00575 , English, accessed on December 1, 2011
  2. ↑ compare Jáuregui, pp. 168–200
  3. ↑ Jáuregui, pp. 134–166