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C. Cancibn In contrast to the romance and the corrida, which are basically narrative ballads, the cancion is usually introspective in mood. Normally it is found in the form of coplas, or four-line verses. Whereas the largest group of corridas deals with death, as I have said, the cancion concentrates on love in its many forms. The canciones of my collection appear to outnumber any of the other forms of folk songs, and I have selected for inclusion in this volume only a few of the best ones or those that are the most widely diffused. Campa (Campa 2, p. 181ff.) devoted a chapter to the cancion with many examples of song texts (without music), including some from Spain and Latin America, as well as a few that he identified as of New Mexican origin. In Hispanic Folk Songs of New Mexico (Robb 13) I have discussed the cancion briefly, along with other representative types. In that volume I also included the texts and a simple musical setting for voice and piano of three songs that I classified at the time as canciones: Muchacho Alegre, Palomita Que Vienes Herida, and Sierra Nevada. In retrospect , none of these can be regarded as entirely typical, and this illustrates the difficulty of classification. Perhaps Muchacho Alegre (C48 below) is most typical in its observance of the octosyllabic lines arranged in coplas, or four-line verses, its introspective rather than narrative character, and its preoccupation with the subject dealt with most frequently in the canciones, love. It is exceptional in its lighthearted treatment of the subject. Palomita Que Vienes Herida (C14 below) may also be regarded as fairly typical, despite its unusual departure from the octosyllabic line. Sierra Nevada (B46 above) is a prisoner's song and might be classified as a corrida except that the introspective elements of the text outweigh the narrative. I incorporated all three of these melodies in my opera Little Jo. Mendoza's exhaustive volume La Cancion Mexicana (Mendoza 9g) is recommended for those who wish to pursue the subject further. Mendoza spent several months during the academic year 1945-46 as guest lecturer at the University of New Mexico. During that time he made a study of the traditional Spanish folk music of New Mexico which culminated in his "Estudio y Clasificacion de la Musica Tradicional Hispanica de Nuevo Mexico" (Mendoza 9d). Cl. Lupita R164, Mrs. Adolfo Maes, Canjilon, N.Mex., 1949, Robb. 1 Tan bonita mi Lupita cuando se sale a pasear; parece una amapolita al acabar de arrancar. 2 Ya amanece, que amanece, ya amanece, pero no. Yo me quiero ir otro rato, pero si, ya amanecio. 1 My Lupita is so lovely When she goes out for a walk; She resembles a poppy Freshly cut from the stalk. 2 Does she waken? Yes she wakens! No! She doesn't! Ah, despair! I must come a little later. Ah! What joy! Now she is there. 201 SECULAR SONG TEXTS AND MELODIES 3 De tu ventana a la mia me diras y te dire, franqueame un vaso de agua que ya me abrazo de sed. 4 No tengo vaso ni copa ni en que darte de beber, pero tengo mi boquita que es mas dulce que la miel. 5 For la luna doy un peso, por un lucero un toston; por la atencion de Lupita la vida y el corazon. 3 From your window to my own, I can say to you alone, Things like, "Give me some water For I'm as dry as a bone." 4 "I don't have a glass of water. Indeed I have not any. But I have two rosy lips That taste sweeter than honey/' 5 For the moon I'd give a peso, For a star I'd give four bits; For the favors of Lupita All my life and heart and wits. The man declares his love in poetic terms to the four winds when he is alone. When he actually has a chance to talk to Lupita in verse 3, all he can think of—or dares—to say is, "Give me a glass of water." Lupita, however, is not so timid and in verse 4 has the nerve to encourage him, so that we may surmise that everything probably turns out all right. The man in this song acts like many another lover, whose love, when still in the domain of dreams, is charming but, when confronted by reality, becomes terrifying. C2. Juanita R121, Prospero...

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