Friday, April 3, 2015

Week 10: Corridos Mexicanos

Hoja Volante -- Printed Broadside (ejemplo de corrido sobre Emiliano Zapata)


























In the aftermath of that remakable--and sometimes difficult--evening we just spent with los padres de los estudiantes normales de Ayotzinapa, I think it's a good idea we turn to the corridos. Una manera central--y muy mexicana--de compartir--y sentir--la historia. En forma de canción.  Los eventos del pasado--y necesariamente, de hoy mismo.

Corridos are story songs. That is, they tell of real events. In the time before media-ization of pretty much everything. These songs were a a kind of social memory. Vivid in their imagery, enjoyable to sing--and thereby a good way to hand down the stories. The tradition began in the 19th century (and probably before) reaching it's height during the years of the Revolución Mexicana (roughly 1910-20). (La Rielera, La Valentina, Carabina 30-30, La Adelita y muchos otros.) The tradition continues with more contemporary events and stories--like those of the Zapatistas (see Fer's links below), and the corridos by Los Tigres del Norte (see examples from from Adrián, below).  And the "narcocorridos" by Chalino Sánchez and others.

Note that the download itself  includes historical corridos--and several examples of more local (and thereby less well knownsongs )--telling of real events from a close-up point of view for a close-up audience (exemplo: Corrido de Inez Chávez García). The letra were often distributed in the form of inexpensive printed broadsides (hojas volantes)--an interesting historical tradition in itself (remember the prints of José Guadalupe Posada!)

Also in the download--several (beautifully sung) corridos por Cuco Sanchez. All traditional from the time of the Revolución.

And I've included one older century corrido, based on the life of Heraclio Bernal (18955-1888) a vivid historical figure from Sonora, depicted as a bandit--and at the same time a challenge to the authorities (including Porfirio Díaz).

Here's the DOWNLOAD:

https://berkeley.box.com/s/m6hd1kgz4vhr647ze4vghqf3hkkyz99y


Emiliano Zapata


























Emiliano Zapata, of course, was the legendary revolutionary leader (1910ff).  There are dozens of corridos based on his life. For example, in the download, General Emiliano Zapata. Here's another, from online:   http://www.bibliotecas.tv/zapata/corridos/corr10.html   More recently, the Zapatistas (in Chiapas, starting in 1994) organized in his name--demanding local, indigenous government. Their struggle reflects the essential issues in Bonfil Batalla's México Profundo. Una lucha que sigue.

READING: Of course, continue Bonfil Batalla, México Profundo. We'll dsicuss next time. I want you to be able to recapitulate both his central ideas--and some of the examples of the way he supports these ideas from his work in the field. (Bonfil Batalla was a prominent anthropologist.)

PROJECT. For this week, work from one of the corridos (your choice). I also mentioned starting on your some corridos of your own (!)--working in pairs. Think about last night, and events from your own experience.If you base your new song on one of the old ones, Adrián and I can probably accompany you musically. Or you yourselves! We'll build in these corridos nuevos as they happen. I'm the thinking for the following week. (We'll discuss more next week.) And I do want a visual project from everyone. But you may get inspired--so I'll leave this a little open!
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LET'S CONCENTRATE ON THESE for singing together:
La Carcel de Cananea  (El Corrido de Cananea)   (I gave you letra sheet in class.)
Juan Charrasqueado (Chavela's version, cancionero)
Himno Zapatista (Fer nos va a enseñar)
Carabina 30-30  (you'll need to find la letra)
El Desterrado  (cancionero)
La Adelita (cancionero)


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Tres Veces Mojado (Los Tigres del Norte)

















Here, from Adrián, unos corridos populares de Los Tigres del Norte, with his comments:


La Camioneta Gris:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6iW4YAr34qY

El Circo:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3Zj3OfpvvqU
Dice Adrián: There's a lot of sociopolitical commentary in the song about Carlos Salinas de Gortari and a lot to look at there too.

La Jaula de Oro talks about being undocumented in the US and Somos Mas Americanos talks about the history of California and states before the Mexican-American war, and the legacies of the Mexican-American War. Topics of immigration are also talked about in both songs.

La Jaula de Oro

Somos Mas Americanos

Note from Tony: A good book on these new corridos is Martha Chew Sánchez, Corridos and Migrant Memory. See course bibliography. Her personal story--and its connection to the songs--is compelling as well. On the narcocorridos, there's  Elijah Wald's Narcocorrido: A Journey into the Music of Drugs, Guns and Guerrillas, (2002). And a very good general source remains Steve Loza, Barrio Rhythyms: Mexican American Music in Los Angeles (1993).

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Los Zapatistas























And from Fer--this selection of Corridos Zapatistas. El Himno Zapatista is based on an older corrido, Carabina 30-30 (here in downtown version version by Los Lobos. Let's learn to sing both the older version--and the Zapatista Himno. Con su comentario.

El Himno Zapatista esta inspirado en una cancion revolucionara, Carabina 30-30, aqui hay una cancion de los lobos:

Los Zapatistas convirtieron esta cancion en su propio himno, aqui el video:

Y aqui un video en vivo de un canto al himno zapatista (mueve mi corazón)

Los Zapatistas




















Otras canciones muy buenas que conozco estan en un disco llamado EZLN: El Fuego y La Palabra, Dignidad, el cual esta entero en este video de Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNniK7bmcvs

También de Fer:

https://berkeley.box.com/s/miq9waccmo4ni34j6hty63u1u9y3abhm

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