Course Information Overview
- CHS 310 Regional Musics of Mexico (18078)
- Class Time and Day(s) TuTh 12:30-1:45PM
- Siera Hall 198
- CHS Writing Lab 142 818.677.7881
- CSUN Oviatt Library Music & Media818.677.2211
Course Description
CHS 310 studies the cultural, instrumental and musical aspects of predominant regional musical styles of Greater Mexico from Pre-Cuahtemoc to contemporary times. However, ethnomusicologists agree that regional musics today are difficult to define cogently, whereas local is not as precise because it denotes a community bounded by a village or valley. According to ethnomusicologist Mark Slobin, “region is a somewhat larger zone of contiguous territory.” He proposes a more flexible sense of region, in part because of the reach of broadcasting and recordings. Within regional musics, traditional local styles coexist alongside transregional musics crossing ethnic, class, and racialized boundaries, even becoming continental, world, or global musics. As we find this category of regional music increasing rapidly due to the mediascape, at any moment technology can push a music forward so that a large number of audiences can make the choice of domesticating it. Because music and all the activities and beliefs associated with it are a part of culture, we will use the ethnomusicology concept “music-culture” to refer to “a group of people’s total involvement with music” (Slobin and Titon 1992: 1). Since a large population of Mexican (both longtime natives since before 1848 and more recent immigrants) reside within the United States, and because the Southwest Borderlands were once were former Northern states/provinces of Mexico, New Spain, and Anahuac we use the geographic notion of Greater Mexico to refer to Mexico de Adentro (within the official national boundaries of the Mexican Republic) and Mexico de Afuera (outside the national boundaries of Mexico’s political borders) to refer to the Hispana/o, Latina/o, Chicana/o, Mestiza/o, Coyota/e, Blatina/o (Afro-Chicana/o, Mulatto, or Afro-Latina/o), indigenous (Meso-American and Southwest Indian) communities and populations with historical, linguistic, and cultural ties to Mexican heritage or ancestry. These heterogenous populations and communities speak and sing in numerous varieties of the Spanish, English, indigenous (Nahuatl and other Indian dialects), and hybrid languages including patoís, pocho, and bilingual mixtures. Regional or local languages heard throughout the Southwest and Mexico include: 1. Northern Mexican Spanish (known as Español correcto, among other labels); 2. Popular Spanish (known as Mejicano or Chicano Spanish with regional variations heard in South Texas, Northern New Mexico/Southern Colorado, Southern Arizona/Northern Sonora and Alta/Baja California); 3. Mixed Spanish (known as Español regüelto, Spanglish, or Tex-Mex); 4. Caló (known as Pachuco talk), 5. Standard or academic Spanish, 6. Standard or academic English, or 7. working class and slang English.
Once upon a time the winged serpent Quetzalcoatl ruled the air and the waters, while the god of war ruled the land. Theirs were rich days, full of battles and the exercise of power, but there was no music, and they both longed for a decent tune. The god of war was powerless to change the situation, but the winged serpent was not. He flew away towards the house of the sun, which was the home of music. He passed a number of planets, and from each of them he heard musical sounds, but there were no musicians to be found. At last he came to the house of the sun, where the musicians lived. The anger of the sun at the serpent's invasion was a terrible thing to witness, but Quetzalcoatl was not afraid, and unleashed the mighty storms that were his personal specialty. The storms were so fearsome that even the house of the sun began to shake, and the musicians were scared and fled in all directions. And some of them fell to earth, and so, thanks to the winged serpent, we have music.
Salmon Rushdie from The Ground Beneath her Feet
Course Prerequisites
Specific musical and dance case studies will be presented through readings, videos, live performances, and musical and dance events and festivals on and off campus. Indigenous musical performances include Native American pan-ethnic powwows, urban and rural Guelaguetza, danzas, and Indian sacred ceremonies and popular musics from various tribes and nations. Transregional Hispana/o, Chicana/o, Latina/o, Mexicana/o and immigrant musical communities throughout Greater Mexico and the Southwest borderlands are also presented through studies of ballet folklorico, danzón, son jarocho, mariachi, conjunto/norteño, Tex-Mex, rap (Hip-Hop), rock en Español, narcocorridos, quebradita and reggaetón. Music-culture is discussed in vocal and/or instrumental terms as composition, form, style, genre, performance, song, and dance; including aesthetics, appropriation, and more recent hybridity and syncretism with Black (African-American), Asian-American (Mexipino and Japanese-American), and White (Anglo/Irish/Scottish/French/German-‘Euro’-American) music-cultures. Students read current scholarship devoted to the role of music-culture in the expression of ethnicity, class, critical race, gender, sexuality, and nationalism over several political generations of Mexican, Latina/o, and Chicana/o people. Enrollment involves a commitment to regular class attendance, written and music theory assignments, informed group discussions, essay writing, singing, composition, and musical performance. Fluency in Spanish is useful but not required.
Musical activism from the 1960s Civil Rights Struggles, The Chicano Movement, and Nueva Cancíon are covered and discussed in relation to very recent political protests over immigration and the militarization of the border. Ethnomusicologist Michael Tenzer explains “as stated, there are many justifications and goals for analysis, but today one of them surely ought to be activism—the development and promotion of a relevant and timely musicianship in accord with international and cross-cultural nature of contemporary music creation.
Required Written Reports of Music Lectures, Dance Workshop, Music Concert, and/or Dance Performance: Attendance of at least two live Latina/o, Chicano/a, Mexican, or Native American music lectures, dance workshops, cultural performance, or other artistic events involving music, dance, musical theater, or rap. These may include music concerts, theater/dance performances and community based cultural events like salsa, Tex-Mex, Latin Jazz, Rap/Hip-Hop, Rock en Español, Powwow, or similar musical events. These concerts may be on or off campus and if you are uncertain of whether a particular event is appropriate, check with instructor before you attend. Students must provide proof of attendance and are expected to attend the entire production. Do not leave early or arrive late, this is poor etiquette. Students will submit a ticket stub, program, flyer or other evidence such as photograph that indicates attendance along with a brief two page typed/word-processed (DOUBLE spaced) reaction to and summary of the event that critiques the production, performance, direction, including emotional impact and meaning to audience. Paper should also discuss how you interacted musically with the performance: listening, singing, dancing, clapping rhythm or a combination of activities. Describe the meaning of the performance and explain if it was or was not emotionally moving? Describe the surrounding context of the venue and the acoustics. Describe the audience and how they experienced the musical event. What are the motivations for attendance? Did the performance meet expectations in terms of quality, duration, hype, and aesthetics? What instruments were used and can you identify any of the hits or songs/dances performed? Late work is accepted but docked for each day up to one week.
Class presentations over assigned literature-- students prepare a 5 to 6 slide powerpoint presentation leading the class in a group discussion over the reading assignment which will also be posted on Moodle. Please label the file with your last name followed by (student number) and title of the article in quotation marks you are covering. The first slide should include your name, class information and the full citation of the article or chapter you are presenting. Title (in quotes), author's name, and book or volume title (italicized) should all be centered. The second slide should include a brief (one or two paragraph) overview of the article and some meaningful quotes. The remaining slides ought to explain vocabulary, illustrate important musical or dance concepts, or review and critique various cultural or ritual theories used in the scholarly analysis. Your presentation should also include important internet links, photos, audio footage, youtube, or additional media and cool video files that are related to the case studies or illustrate the cultural and art forms you are presenting. Your final slide may include some of the discussion and study questions provided in the syllabus or you may prepare new questions with class discussion open for general platica (conversation). However, you should NOT provide the answers to the questions but lead a discussion and following the conversation then provide answers to the study questions and notes.
Assessment: Students are expected to use theory and language learned in readings and media assignments in written reports and in class discussions and artistic masterclasses. Students will also be assessed regarding how well they are prepared to discuss the daily reading materials and participate regularly in class activities. (15 points).
Week 1: Prehistory, Geography and Music-Culture
[Day 1] Tuesday: Introduction, Syllabi, Course Requirements
Student and Class Introductions
Syllabi and Course Explanation, Textbooks and Articles
--ethnomusicology, comparative musicology, musical folklore
--music-culture
--popular/folk/high/traditional/commercial
--aesthetics, performance, vocal and instrumental, composition,
--region/local/Greater Mexico
--language
Discuss: Mythological origins of Mexican Music and Aztec belief systems.
Read: Royball, Jimmy Newmoon “Danza” (pp. 218-220) in the Enyclopedia of Latino Popular Culture 2004, Volume 1. Connecticut: Greenwood Press. Cordelia Candelaria, Arturo Aldama and Peter J. Garcia, editors.
Vocabulary: Los Voladores, Quetzalcoatl, Totonac, La Fiesta de San Salvador
Study Questions: Which Native Indian group performs “los Voladores” and during which festival include place and date? What is the choreographic, spiritual, and cultural meaning and importance of the dance? Describe the music including instruments, rhythm, choreography, symbolism, context, and gender roles of dancers and musicians.
View: Pacho Lane’s Danza Trilogy: “Tree of Life”
[Day 2] Thursday: Aztec Danza
Read: Elisa Diana Huerta “Embodied Recuperations: Performance, Indigenous Line of Descent” in Dancing Across Borders: Danzas y Bailes Mexicanas
Discussion Leader:
Read: Maria Teresa Ceseña “Creating Agency and Identity in Danza Azteca” in Dancing Across Borders: Danzas y Bailes Mexicanas
Discussion Leader:
Vocabulary: Aztec/Mexica, Olmec, Toltec, Huehuetl, Danza Azteca, Danza Conchero, huipil, maxtli, penacho
Study Questions: How has Danza Azteca survived and changed since the Spanish conquest and what does it mean today? What is the difference between danza and baile folklorico? Provide some details regarding the costumes. Where is death located according to Aztec worldview and from which side of the circle do the danzantes enter? Explain why? Explain and describe the different types of instruments that accompany Voladores, Aztecas, and Concheros.
View: Danzante 1992 Miguel Grunstein PBS Video
Week Two: Spanish Colonialism: Auto Sacramentales, Christianity, and History
[Day 3]: Zapopan Dancers/Danza Conchero
Read: Renée de la Torre Castellanos “The Zapopan Dancers: Reinventing an Indigenous Line of Descent” in Dancing Across Borders: Danzas y Bailes Mexicanas
Discussion Leader:
Vocabulary: Aztec/Mexica, concha, Danza Conchero, huipil, maxtli, penacho, mestizaje, casta, promesa, manda, ofrenda, compromiso
Study Questions: What is the difference between Conchero and Azteca dancers? Can past civilizations be revived, ancestral languages relearned, and cultures reinvented? If so what role would ancient ritual such as danza have in reviving contemporary Aztec culture?
Read: Xóchitl C. Chávez “La Feria de Enero: Rethinking Gender and Ritual in Festival” in Dancing Across Borders: Danzas y Bailes Mexicanas
Discussion Leaders:
Vocabulary: parachico danzantes, chunta, comidera, chiapaneca, prioste, artesano/a, doble zapateado, liminality, rite of passage, communitas, separation
Discussion Questions: Discuss the ritual theories of Arnold Van Gennep and Victor Turner in relation to the festival and how the ritual danza is a liminal space. Discuss how gender boundaries are renegotiated through the danza.
View: Pacho Lane’s Danza Trilogy: “Eagle’s Children”
[Day 4]: “Los Matachines”; “Juegos de Moros y Cristianos”
Read: Norma E. Cantú “The Semiotics of Land and Place: Matachines Dancing in Laredo, Texas” in Dancing Across Borders: Danzas y Bailes Mexicanas
Discussion Leader:
Read: Brenda M. Romero "The Matachines Danza as Intercultural Discourse" in Dancing Across Borders: Danzas y Bailes Mexicanas
Discussion Leader:
Read: Peter Garcia “Bailando Para San Lorenzo: Nuevo Mexicano Popular Traditional Musics, Ritual Contexts, and Dancing during Bernalillo Fiesta Time” in Dancing Across Borders: Danzas y Bailes Mexicanas
Discussion Leader:
Vocabulary: autos sacramentales, Moros y Cristianos, La Danza de Los Matachines, La Malinche, El Monarca, El Toro/Viejo, Los Danzantes, Abuelos, ritual, dance, choreography, improvisation
Study Questions: What is the historical significance of Moros y Cristianos in Iberia and the Americas? How was it used to Christianize Indian and African people during colonial times? In what ways is Los Matachines similar to and different from Moros y Cristianos? Name the characters in Los Matachines and describe their unique ritual attire and accoutrements. Discuss the various levels of meaning in the performance, community, and devotion? Is ritual danza an effective medium used to exorcise evil or negative energy within the Chicana/o and Mexican communities?
View: Los Matachines de la Santa Cruz
Week 3: Baile Folklórico, Indigenous Identity, Gender, and Politics
[Day 5]: Baile Folklorico and Tourism
Read on e reserve: Royball, Jimmy Newmoon “Baile Folklórico” (pp. 52-55) in the Enyclopedia of Latino Popular Culture 2004, Volume 1. Connecticut: Greenwood Press. Cordelia Candelaria, Arturo Aldama and Peter J. Garcia, editors.
Read: Olga Nájera Ramirez “Staging Authenticity: Theorizing the Development of Mexican Folklórico Dance” in Dancing Across Borders: Danzas y Bailes Mexicanas
Discussion Leaders:
Read: Sydney Hutchinson "The Ballet Folklórico de Mexico and the Construction of the Mexican Nation Through Dance” in Dancing Across Borders: Danzas y Bailes Mexicanas Discussion Leaders:
Read: Rudy F. García “Dancing Culture: A Personal Perspective on Folklórico” in Dancing Across Borders: Danzas y Bailes Mexicanas
Discussion Leader:
Read: Russel Rodríguez “Folklórico in the United States: Cultural Preservation and Disillusion” in Dancing Across Borders: Danzas y Bailes Mexicanas
Discussion Leader:
Vocabulary: cuadro, Amalia Hernandez, ballet, Rafael Zamárripa, Miguel Belez, region/geographical area, dance techniques and costuming such as closed talus movements, audibly rhythmic step style, choreography, abstract expressionism, folk realism, folklórico (folk/folklore)
Study Questions: What is a cuadro and how many dances are included in this set and what are the criteria that determines what goes into the performance? Who was Amalia Hernandez and what is the significance of Ballet Folklórico Nacional de México? What was the influence of Rafael Zamárripa and Miguel Belez following the Mexican cultural renaissance? What are some of the debates and arguments discussed by Newmoon-Royball regarding folklórico in the United States and the influence on Mexican folk dance? Why do critics of U.S. based folklórico believe that Chicana/os serving as ambassadors of Mexican culture yet are not from Mexico somehow distort what folklórico actually is?
Check Out: Ballet Folklorico Aztlán de CSUN
View: Excaret Mexico de Noche: Noche Espectacular en el Gran Tlachco
[Day 6] Zapotec Identity, Gender Relations, and Politics in Guelaguetza
Read: Adriana Cruz-Manjarrez "Dancing to the Heights: Performing Zapotec Identity, Aesthetics, and Religiosity" in Dancing Across Borders: Danzas y Bailes Mexicanas
Discussion Leader:
Vocabulary: sones y jarabes Yalaltecos, gwan, guelaguetza, braceros, Zapotec Communities in Los Angeles: Barrio San Juan and the Dance of Los Huenches, Barrio Santa Catarina—The Dance of San Jose, Barrio Santa Rosa de Lima—The Dance of Los Negritos, Barrio Santiago—the dance of los Cuerudos
Study Questions: Discuss Zapotec migration since the 1940s and their communities and festivals in Los Angeles. How does the Zapotec system of mutual aid expressed through the exchange of economic and symbolic goods? Discuss the transformation of space in the Zapotec festival and what role does music play in this transformation?
Read: Chris Goertzen “Dance, Politics, and Cultural Tourism in Oaxaca’s Guelaguetza” in Dancing Across Borders: Danzas y Bailes Mexicanas
Discussion Leader:
Vocabulary: Guelaguetza, chinas, gigantes, sones, jarabes, sesquialtera, danza de la pluma
Study Notes: Provide a history of guelaguetza and the traditional ingredients of the fiesta. What impact has tourism had on the festival?
Read: Alberto Zárate Rosales "Traditional Dances of the Sierra Norte of Puebla; Identity and Gender Relations" in Dancing Across Borders: Danzas y Bailes Mexicanas
Discussion Leader:
Vocabularly: Negritos, Toreadores, Santiagos, Voladores, Quetzales, Moros y Cristianos
Study Questions: Explain how traditional indigenous dances are fused with Catholicism and why one cannot question the dance or the ‘faith.’ Discuss how profane elements tied to dances including: alcoholism, elopements, and male sexual privilege over women. Why and how do dances fall under Mexican folkloric cultural heritage and because dances are categorized as social constructs why may they be changed?
Week Four: Dance History, Identity, and Politics
[Day 7] Corn Dance, History, Identity and Politics of Place, and Guelaguetza
Read: José Sánchez Jiménez "El Baile de los Elotes: The Corn dance" in Dancing Across Borders: Danzas y Bailes Mexicanas
Discussion Leader:
Read: Shakina Nayfack "Por Qué Estás Aquí?: Dancing through History, Identity, and the Politics of Place in Butoh Ritual Mexicano" in Dancing Across Borders: Danzas y Bailes Mexicanas
Discussion Leader:
Vocabulary: Ankukoh Butoh, Kazuo Ohno, Byakko-Sha, Diego Pinon, la Pregunta, ofrenda, reunion
Study Questions: How does the Butoh ritual Mexicano reconstruct the identity of the town in relation to history? Discsus the ofrenda and reunion as a sense of belonging and contribution to the community and as a dialoguye about the future of Tlapujahua as a globalized town that maintains its tradition and roots in regional customs?
[Day 8] Modern Dance, Danzón,
Read: Nancy Lee Chalfa Ruyter “Gender as a Theme in the Modern Dance Choreography of Barro Rojo” in Dancing Across Borders: Danzas y Bailes Mexicanas
Discussion Leader:
Vocabulary: modern dance, concert dance, kinesthetic, choreography, feminism, aesthetic
Study Questions: Does the work of Barro Rojo succeed in demystifying assumptions about women’s experiences, traditional gender roles and/or biological functions of women? Many of Barro ROjo’s pieces are choreographed or co-choreogrpahed by Francisco Illescas, can men perceive truths about women’s experience?
Read: Susan Cashion “The Mexican Danzón: Restrained Sensuality” in Dancing Across Borders: Danzas y Bailes Mexicanas
Discussion Leader:
Vocabulary: danzón, Miguel Faílde, “Las Alturas de Simpson,”
Study Questions: discuss the characteristics of danzón and how race, class, and gender play into the development of Cuban social dance following the War of Independence with Spain. How was danzón used in post-revolutionary Mexico as a new popular cultural expression of modernity? Discuss the 1990s reemergence of danzón as a popular dance craze in Veracruz.
Week Five: Fandango and Son Jarocho/Mariachi and Son Jalisciense
[Day 9] Zapateado Fandanguero
Read: Martha González “Zapateado Afro-Chicano Fandango Style; Self Reflective Moments in Zapateado” in Dancing Across Borders: Danzas y Bailes Mexicanas
Discussion Leader:
Vocabulary: Jarocho, fandango, son jarocho, tarima, improvisation, call and response, estribillo, zapateado, mundanza
Study Questions: Discuss the popularity of son jarocho, zapateado fandanguero, and Afro-Chicano elements within the music and dance. Discuss the popular jarocho group Quetzal and their recent recordings and music history. How does González describe her combination of movements and overall musical experience and familiarity with African genres to compose zapateado.
Read: Loza, Steven “From Veracruz to Los Angeles: The Reinterpretation of the Son Jarocho” Pp. 179-194 in Latin American Music Review, Vol. 13, No. 2 Fall/Winter 1992. University of Texas Press
Discussion Leader:
Vocabulary: Los Lobos, “El Canelo,” son jarocho, R&B, rock ‘n’ roll, Conjunto de Lino Chavez, Mono Blanco, Toñia la Negra
Study Questions: What instruments comprise a typical jarocho ensemble and where are its origins? Discuss the poetic, musical, and performative elements in son jarocho. Discuss Los Lobos interpretation of Jarocho music. Explain Loza’s model used in his analysis of tradition and innovation.
View: Chicano Rock: The Sound of East Los Angeles
[Day 10]: Corridos and Narcocorridos
Recommended Read: García, Peter J. “Violent Ballads as Border Representations: The Aesthetics of Violence in the Mexican and Chicana/o Corrido” in Bad Subjects: Political Education for Everyday Life Issue#61 September 2002.
Read: Simonett, Helena “Narcocorridos: An Emerging Micromusic of Nuevo L.A.” Pp. 315-337 in Ethnomusicology @2001.
Discussion Leader:
Listen: El Corrido de Gregorio Cortez (Sparx Cantan Corridos Vol. 1)
El Corrido de Juanito, (Sparx Cantan Corridos Vol. 1)
El Contrabandista, (Chalino Sanchez)
Tragedia en Nueva York, (As de la Sierra)
Vocabulary: Sparx, Lorenzo Antonio, Narcocorridos, Chalino Sanchez, Los Tigres del Norte, 911 Corridos,
Read: Edberg, Mark “Narcocorridos: Narratives of a Cultural Persona and Power on the Border.” In Transnational Encounters: Music and Performance At the U.S.-Mexico Border.
Discussion Leader:
Study Questions: Discuss Mexican corridos in terms of poetic, narrative, and musical composition, performance, and recordings. Discuss the legendary status of Chalino Sanchez and the musical career of Los Tigres del Norte. Who are the protagonists in narcocorridos? How does Simonett distinguish between commissioned and commercial corridos? Does the composer/performer of Tragedia en Nueva York blame the United States for the terrorist attacks?
Week Six: Cantantes y Cancíones
[Day 7] Cancíon Ranchera, Juan Gabriel and Jose Alfredo Jimenez
Read: Gradante, William “El Hijo del Pueblo”: José Alfredo Jiménez and the Mexican Canción Ranchera” Pp. 36-59 in Latin American Music Review, Vol. 3, No. 1 Spring/Summer 1982. University of Texas Press.
Discussion Leader:
Vocabulary: bel canto, aria, opera, estribillo, José Alfredo Jiménez, Pedro Infante, Jorge Negrete, Vicente Fernandez, Alejandro Fernandez, Lucha Villa, Lola Beltran, charros, bel canto, Canciones de Mi Padre, Linda Ronstadt, Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan, ,
Study Questions: Discuss the lyrical content of the compositions and describe the musical career of José Alfredo Jiménez. What was the appeal of the Mexican idol Pedro Infante? What contributes to Pedro Infante’s legendary success as a former celebrity, singer, and actor and why does he remain as such a major sex symbol in Mexican popular culture? How are Mexican women portrayed in the canción ranchera? Describe the musical origins of the songs.
Read: Geirola, Gustavo “Juan Gabriel: Cultura Popular y Sexo de los Angeles” Pp. 232-267 in Latin American Music Review, Vol. 14, No. 2 Fall/Winter 1993. University of Texas Press.
Discussion Leader (Spanish article):
Vocabulary: Juanga, Rocio Durcal, boleros
Study Questions: Discuss the neutral pronouns in the lyrical compositions of Juan Gabriel. Does gender ambivalence indicate a reliable marker of sexual preference or orientation? Does Juan Gabriel’s sexuality matter to his audience? How are his music recordings, concerts, and collaborations regarded in Mexico and the United States? What nationality was Rocio Durcal and why was she so popular in Mexico? Describe her musical collaborations with Juan Gabriel.
View: Canciones de Mi Padre
[Day 8] Boleros and Cancion Romantica
DUE: Music Event Report Due on moodle no later than 5:00PM.
Read: Pedelty, Mark “The Bolero: The Birth, Life, and Decline of Mexican Modernity” Pp. 30-58 in Latin American Music Review , Vol. 20, No. 1 Spring/Summer 1999. University of Texas Press.
Discussion Leader:
Vocabulary: Luis Miguel, Agustin Lara, Maria Felix, El Salon Mexico, Mexican Revolution, habanera rhythm
Study Questions: How does the Mexican bolero express the Postrevolutionary Mexico urban experience? How did El Salon Mexico reflect class division in Mexican society. List at least 3 classic boleros composed by Agustin Lara and critique Luis Miguel’s interpretation of the genre in his 3 recent “Romances” recordings.
Read: (Espinoza) “Tanto Tiempo Disfrutamos . . .: Revisiting the Gender and Sexual Politics of Chicana/o Youth Culture in East Los Angeles in the 1960s” Pp. 89-106 in Gaspar de Alba’s Velvet Barrios: Popular Culture and Chicana/o Sexualities.
Discussion Leader:
Study Questions: Discuss Ersi Arvizu’s interpretation of Sabor a Mi and why it was a hit during the 1970s? How did romance and brown love return during the Chicano movement?
Vocabulary: El Chicano, Ersi Arvizu,
Week Seven: Mariachi and Midterm Exam
[Day 9] Los Mariachis y Linda Ronstadt
Read: Sheehy, Daniel “Mexícan Mariachi Music: Made in the U.S.A. Pp. 133-154 in Music of Multicultural Americas: A Study of Twelve Musical Communities. Eds. Kip Lornell & Anne Rasmussen. New York: Schirmer Books, 1997.
Discussion Leader:
Vocabulary: corrido, cancion ranchera, bolero, son: Jalisciense, Jarocho, Huasteca, huapango. traje de charro, sombrero, la bamba, guitarrón, vihuela, Mariachi Sol de Mexico, Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles, syncopation, contratiempo, sesquialtera,
View: Canciones de Mi Padre
Study Questions: Why is mariachi music a national symbol of Mexican culture and how has it changed in the United States? Discuss Linda Ronstadt as an American “pop” singer and Mexican mariachi cantante. Describe the use of baile folklorico in the production of Canciones de Mi Padre. Who is included in the genealogy of sexy charro singers from the 1950s to the present including Alejandro Fernandez? Describe the stereotypical qualities embodied in the singer and the songs. How does the traje de charro construct an erotic, sensual, idealized masculinity? Describe the traje de charro (Mexican tuxedo) including sombero and how it negotiates gender politics through masculine aesthetics. Define machismo and in which songs from the repertoire do we most find it expressed lyrically? Know the names of the musical instruments and repertoire including: huapango; son (jalisco, jarocho, and veracruzano types); bolero, ranchera, and corrido
Read: Jaquez, Cándida “Meeting La Cantante Through Verse, Song, and Performance” Pp. 167-182 in Chicana Traditions: Continuity and Change Eds. Norma Cantú & Olga Nájera-Ramirez Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2002.
Discussion Leader:
Vocabulary: lo ranchero, música ranchera, el grito, la cantante, Plaza Garibaldi, la bamba, Mariachi Sol de Mexico, Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano, Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles, Mariachi Mujer, Mariachi Diva, "Ay Jalisco No te Rajes," Pedro Infante, Jorge Negrete, Miguel Aceves Mejia, Vicente Fernandez, Alejandro Fernandez (el Potrillo de Mexico), Nydia Rojas, Lucero de Mexico, Lola Beltran, Pablo Montero, Pepe Aguilar
Notes: Discuss the meaning behind the traje de charro (mariachi suit) including sombero and its ties to the hacendados (wealthy land owners) and charros of Mexico. Know the names and origins of the musical instruments and reportoire including: huapango; son (jalisco, jarocho, and veracruzano types), polcas, boleros, rancheras, and corridos. What is bel canto singing and where did it come from? Why is mariachi music a national symbol of Mexican culture and how has it changed in the United States? Describe the macho elements in mariachi music including the ensemble sound, image of the musicians, and specific song types that are gender specific. What gender struggles have women musicians encountered within the male-dominated mariachi world? How does the introduction of higher women’s voices change the character of the art form and the overall sound? How has the introduction of mariachi ensembles to high school and university music programs helped Chicanas and Chicanos learn about Mexican culture and reclaim the heritage and identity?
Read: Henrigues, Donald “Mariachi Reimagninings: Encounters with Technology, Aesthetics, and Identity” In Transnational Encounters: Music and Performance At the U.S.-Mexico Border.
Discussion Leader:
[Day 10] Midterm Exam
Week Eight: Tejano, Nuevomexicano and Transnational Border Musics
[Day 11] Tejano Music
Read: José Limón “This is Our Música, Guy!”: Tejanos and Ethno/Regional Musical Nationalism” In Transnational Encounters: Music and Performance At the U.S.-Mexico Border.
Discussion Leader:
Read: Margaret E Dorsey and Miguel Díaz-Barriga “Patriotic Citizenship, the Border Wall, and the “El Veterano” Conjunto Festival” In Transnational Encounters: Music and Performance At the U.S.-Mexico Border.
Discussion Leader:
Read: Cathy Ragland “From Pistol-Packing Pelado to Border Crossing Mojado: El Piporro and the Making of a “Mexican” Border Space” In Transnational Encounters: Music and Performance At the U.S.-Mexico Border.
Discussion Leader:
View: Songs of the Homeland
Vocabulary: accordion, bajo sexto, Beto Villa, Lydia Mendoza, Little Joe Hernandez, “Las Nubes”, Sunny (Ozuna) and the Sunglows, Carlos Santana, conjunto/norteño, orquesta tipica, R & B, rock ‘n’ roll, Country Western, Flaco Jimenez, Narcisso Martinez, Valerio Longorio, polka
Study Questions: Tejano music is a broad genre consisting of several styles including conjunto, orquesta, R & B, Country Western and Mariachi. Be able to identify the most important musical instruments, musicians, and singers for each expression. Why is regional identity so pronounced in Texas? What do musical styles reveal about particular social classes among Mexican people in Texas? Describe how Tex-Mex is transforming from an organic regional symbol of identity to a commercial commodity with mass pan-Latino appeal?
[Day 12] New Mexico Music and Selena
Read: Brenda Romero New Mexico and ‘Manitos at the Borderlands of Popular Music in Greater Mexico” in In Transnational Encounters: Music and Performance At the U.S.-Mexico Border.
Discussion Leader:
Read: Lilian Gorman “Todos me Llaman El Gringo”: Place, Identity, and Erasure within the New Mexico Hispano Music Scene.” In Transnational Encounters: Music and Performance At the U.S.-Mexico Border.
Discussion Leader:
Read: Vargas, Deborah “Cruzando Frontejas: Remapping Selena’s Tejano Music “Crossover” Pp. 224-236 in Chicana Traditions: Continuity and Change. Eds. Norma Cantú & Olga Nájera-Ramirez Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2002.
Discussion Leader:
Vocabulary: A.B. Quintanilla, Kumbia Kings, Los Dinos, Chris Perez, Jennifer Lopez, Barrio Boyz, cumbia, Selena Quintanilla-Perez, Thalia, Paulina Rubio, Banda el Recodo, Pablo Monero, Ana Barbara, Shakira, parallel and relative major and minor scales.
View: Selena Remembered
Study Questions: What styles and genres are mixing with conjunto music? Who are the leading acordeanistas in the contemporary Tejano scene? Discuss the erotic elements in Selena’s musical performances and videos as a Latina pop star including choreography, singing style, songs, fashion, visual images, and hair. Describe the high points of Selena’s musical career and identify at least 3 of her greatest hits. What is the lasting legacy of Selena and her musical influence on today’s Mexican, Latina/o, and Chicana/o music cultures?
Week Nine: Cumbia, Monterrey Alternative Music Scene, and Reggae on the Border
[Day 13] Cumbia, Monterrey, Reggae, Celia Cruz and Salsa
Read: Jesus A. Ramos-Kittrell “Transnational Cultural Constructions: Cumbia Music and the Making of Locality in Monterrey” In Transnational Encounters: Music and Performance At the U.S.-Mexico Border.
Discussion Leader:
Read: Ignacio Corona “La avanzada regia: Monterrey’s Alternative Music Scene and the Aesthetics of Transnationalism” In Transnational Encounters: Music and Performance At the U.S.-Mexico Border.
Discussion Leader:
Read: Luis Alvarez “Reggae on the Border: The Possiblities of a Frontera Soundscape” In Transnational Encounters: Music and Performance At the U.S.-Mexico Border.
Discussion Leader:
Recommended Read: Frances R. Aparicio “The Blackness of Sugar: Celia Cruz and the Performance of (Trans) Nationalism” Pp. 361-376 in The Chicana/o Cultural Studies Reader
Recommended Read: Lisa Sánchez González “Reclaiming Salsa” Pp. 340- 351 in The Chicana/o Cultural Studies Reader
[Day 14] Quebradita, Waila, and Reggaetón
Read: Sydney Hutchinson “Breaking Borders/Quebrando fronteras: Dancing in the Borderscape” In Transnational Encounters: Music and Performance At the U.S.-Mexico Border.
Discussion Leader:
Read: Joan Titus “Waila as Transnational Practice” In Transnational Encounters: Music and Performance At the U.S.-Mexico Border.
Discussion Leader:
Read: Ramón H. Rivera-Servera “Dancing Reggaetón with Cowboy Boots” In Transnational Encounters: Music and Performance At the U.S.-Mexico Border.
Discussion Leader:
Recommended Read: James Robbins “The Cuban Son as Form, Genre, and Symbol” in Latin American Music Review, Vol. 11, No. 2 (Autumn/Winter 1990)
Recommended Read Jorge Duany “Popular Music in Puerto Rico: Toward an Anthropology of Salsa in Latin American Music Review Vol. 5, No. 2 (Autumn 1984).
Week Ten: Rap and Hip-Hop
[Day 15] Rap and Hip-Hop
Read: Delgado, Fernando Pedro “Chicano Ideology Revisited: Rap Music and the (Re)articulation of Chicanismo” Pp. 95-113 in Western Journal of Communication, Vol. 62, No. 2 Spring 1998.
Discussion Leader:
Read: Helena Simonett “Re-Localized Rap and its Representation of the Hombre digno” In Transnational Encounters: Music and Performance At the U.S.-Mexico Border.
Discussion Leader:
Recommended Read: Rafael Pérez-Torres “Chicano Hip Hop and Postmodern Mestizaje” Pp. 324- 349 in The Chicana/o Cultural Studies Reader
Recommended Read: Pancho McFarland “Here is Something You Can’t Understand . . . “ Chicano Rap and the Critique of Globalization” Pp. 297-315 in Decolonial Voices: Chicana and Chicano Cultural Studies in the 21st Century
View: Chicano Rap Underground
Vocabulary: Kid Frost, Lighter Shade of Brown, Chicano2dabone, rap, hip/hop, poetry, melodic types, texture, sampling, tracks, scratching, break-dancing, graffiti, tatuaje,
Study Questions: How has MTV influenced how people experience music? Do rap lyrics represent the unofficial voice and gripes of the poor and oppressed? What kind of themes are expressed in Chicana/o rap music? Distinguish between the different styles or sounds of various rap artists.
[Day 16] Banda and California Popular Music
Read: Kun, Josh “What is an MC If He Can’t Rap to Banda? Making Music in Nuevo L.A.” Pp. 741-758 American Quarterly
Discussion Leader:
Study Questions: Describe the popularity and politics behind Banda music today? Discuss the political issues and recordings of Ozomatli and why does their musical activism appeal to audiences today?
Read: Josh Kun “The Tijuana Sound: Brass, Blues, and the Border of the 1960s” In Transnational Encounters: Music and Performance At the U.S.-Mexico Border.
Discussion Leader:
Read: Johnson, Gaye T.M. “A Sifting of Centuries: Afro-Chicano Interaction and Popular Musical Culture in California, 1960-2000”. Pp. 316-329 in Decolonial Voices: Chicana/o Cultural Studies in the 21st Century. Edited by Aldama J. Arturo and Naomi H. Quiñonez Bloomington: University of Indiana Press.
Discussion Leader:
View: Tribute to Lalo Guerrero
Week Twelve: Land of A Thousand Dances and Disonant Divas
[Day 17] Texas and Eastside Sound
Read: Deborah Vargas “Forgetting the Alamo, Remembering Rosita Fernandez” in Dissonant Divas in Chicana Music: The Limits of La Onda
Discussion Leader:
Read: Reyes and Waldman Chapters 1-4 Lalo, Chico, and the Pre-Rock Era, R&B Comes to the Barrio, Founding Fathers of Chicano Rock ‘n’ Roll, Ritchie Valens in Land of a Thousand Dances: Chicano Rock 'n' Roll from Southern California
Discussion Leader:
Recommended Read: Hector Calderon "The Mexico City/Los Angeles Cultural Mosh Pits: Maldita Vecindad, a Chilanga-Chicana Rock Banda de Pueblo," in Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies 31.1 (Spring 2006).
Recommended Read: Guerrero, Mark Chicano Music Articles http://markguerrero.net/articles.php
[Day 18] Texas and Eastside Sound
Read: Deborah Vargas “Borders, Bullets, Besos: The Boleros of Chelo Silva” in Dissonant Divas in Chicana Music: The Limits of La Onda
Discussion Leader:
Read: Reyes and Waldman Chapters 5-8 Radio DJs Art Laboe and Huggy, The Producers, Cannibal and the Headhunters, The Premiers, and Lil’ Ray, Thee Midniters in Land of a Thousand Dances: Chicano Rock 'n' Roll from Southern California
Discussion Leader:
Read: Marie “Keta” Miranda “Dancing to “Whittier Boulevard”: Choreographing Social Identity” in Dancing Across Borders: Danzas y Bailes Mexicanas
Discussion Leader:
View: Chicano Rock: The Sound of East Los Angeles
Recommended Read: Guerrero, Mark Chicano Music Articles http://markguerrero.net/articles.php
Week Thirteen: Land of A Thousand Dances and Disonant Divas
[Day 19] Rock and Revolution and Queering Tejano Music
Read: Deborah Vargas “TexMex Conjunto Masculinity: The Queer Discord of Eva Ybarra and Ventura Alonzo” in Dissonant Divas in Chicana Music: The Limits of La Onda
Discussion Leader:
Read: Reyes and Waldman Chapters 9-11 Chicano Power, Rock in Spanish, Groovin in the Seventies in Land of a Thousand Dances: Chicano Rock 'n' Roll from Southern California
Discussion Leader:
View: Chicano Rock: The Sound of East Los Angeles
Recommended Read: Guerrero, Mark Chicano Music Articles http://markguerrero.net/articles.php
[Day 20] Eva Garza and Punk Rock
DUE: Music Event Report Due on moodle no later than 5:00PM.
Read: Deborah Vargas “Sonida de Las Américas: Crossing South-South Borders with Eva Garza” in Dissonant Divas in Chicana Music: The Limits of La Onda
Discussion Leader:
Read: Reyes and Waldman Chapters 12-13 Punk and Los Lobos in Land of a Thousand Dances: Chicano Rock 'n' Roll from Southern California
Discussion Leader:
View: Chicano Rock: The Sound of East Los Angeles
Recommended Read: Guerrero, Mark Chicano Music Articles http://markguerrero.net/articles.php
Week Fourteen: Vuela Vuela Palomita
[Day 21] Selena Remembered, Gloria Rios, Girl in a Coma and LA Groups
Read: Deborah Vargas “Giving Us That Brown Soul: Selena’s Departures and Arrivals” in Dissonant Divas in Chicana Music: The Limits of La Onda
Discussion Leader:
Read: Deborah Vargas “Epilogue: The Borderlands Rock Reverb of Gloria Rios and Girl in a Coma” in Dissonant Divas in Chicana Music: The Limits of La Onda
Discussion Leader:
Read: Reyes and Waldman Chapters Conclusion: Land of A Thousand Groups in Land of a Thousand Dances: Chicano Rock 'n' Roll from Southern California
Discussion Leader:
Read: Reyes and Waldman Chapters Conclusion: Land of a Thousand Groups” in Land of a Thousand Dances: Chicano Rock 'n' Roll from Southern California
Discussion Leader:
Recommended Read: Guerrero, Mark Chicano Music Articles http://markguerrero.net/articles.php
Week Fifteen: Despedida
[Day 22]: Ozomotli
Read: Viesca, Victor Hugo “The Battle of Los Angeles: The Cultural Politics of Chicana/o Music in the Greater Eastside” Pp. 719-739 American Quarterly
Discussion Leader:
Read: Viesca, Victor Hugo ‘Straight Out the Barrio: Ozomatli and the Importance of Place in the Formation of Chicana/o Popular Culture in Los Angeles” pp, 479-494 from Culutral Values 4.4 (October), 2000 reprinted from The Popular Culture Studies Reader, Raiford Guins and Omayra Zaragoza editors @2005 SAGE Publications.
Discussion Leader:
[Day 23] Nuestro Himno: Potluck Meal and Final Exam Review
Read: Hill, Jane. H. 2009. “English-Language Spanish in the United States as a Site of Symbolic Violence” Pp. 116-133 in How the United States Racializes Latinos: White Hegemeny & Its Consequences edited by José A. Cobas, Jorge Duany, and Joe R. Feagin.
Discussion Leader:
Final Exam: TBA