Hispanic Folk Music of New Mexico and the Southwest: A Self-Portrait of a People

Section M: Popular Songs

M. POPULAR SONGS Scholars usually draw a line between socalled popular songs, written and performed by professionals for money, and folk music, conceived of as a spontaneous expression of the thoughts and feelings of a people in reaction to their environment or to events of interest to that people, without commercial motivation. There are, of course, professional singers, really a part of the entertainment world, who are advertised as folk singers because they employ folk melodies. In my definition they are no such thing. The tunes are so often dressed up in the style of the contemporary popular music, including even elaborate orchestrations and sometimes cliches of the contemporary commercial music , as almost to obliterate the simple folk quality of the melody. In this section, however, I shall be dealing with a different phenomenon: songs that first saw the light of day as popular songs but have been adopted and transformed by the folk singers for their own purposes. The modifications that have taken place in the process of adoption are interesting and, as one would expect, tend to move from the style of their origin toward the style of the Hispanic folk music of the region. For instance , there is a tendency to substitute the metric signature of 6/8 for that of 2/4. A similar process of adoption and change is observable in the instrumental melodies, many of which have been taken over from other cultures. Ml. Susanita R73, Julianita Trujillo, Chimayo, N.Mex., 1949, Robb. Cf. R202. 1 Susanita se embarco en un buque de vapor, y sospirando decia, — Ipor que se me fue mi amor?— Refran iAy, Susana! no llores por mi que me voy para Alta California a traer oro para ti. 1 Suzanita went a-traveling On a steamship one fine day, But with sadness she was sighing, "Why has my love gone away?" Refrain Oh, Suzanna! Don't you cry for me For I'm off to Upper California To bring back gold to thee. 588 POPULAR SONGS Originally composed by Stephen Foster (1826-1864) and thus well over a hundred years old, Oh! Susannah is richly documented . It differs from the Negro dialect songs like Swanee River, for which Foster is most famous. They were cleverly designed to exploit the commercial market created by the then immensely popular minstrel shows, of which the Christy Minstrels were the most famous. The present fragment is an offshoot, admiringly adapted by and for a special part of the public who viewed the American scene through the colored glasses of their SpanishAmerican heritage. M2. La Luna Se Va Metiendo (The Moon Is Setting) R566, Alfred Campos, age 21, and Edwin Lobato, age 20, Albuquerque, N.Mex., 1961, Robb. 1 La luna se va metiendo y el sol empieza a brillar Apenas te estoy queriendo como te podre olvidar. Bien sabes que yo te quiero y sin ti no puedo estar dame solo una esperanza para podernos casar. 1 The moon it is slowly setting And the sun begins to shine. I am beginning to love you And to think of you as mine. You know well that I love you, Life without you I can't see. Give me just a little hope That one day my wife you'll be. 2 La luna se va metiendo y el sol empieza a brillar Apenas te estoy queriendo como te podre olvidar. Bien sabes que mis canciones Alegran los corazones Si es que te encuentro triste Yo te vengo a consolar. Refrdn Paloma que alegre canta, llegate junto al balcon. Canta, canta alegre canta Mi rendido corazon. Refran ]Bis ]Bis 2 The moon it is slowly setting And the sun begins to shine. I am beginning to love you And to think of you as mine. You know my songs bring gladness And drive away care and fear. If you're ever sad and lonely, You will know that I'll be near. Refrain Oh pigeon who sings so sweetly, Now come to my true love's door A-singing, so gladly singing, To the one that I adore. Refrain 589 SECULAR SONG TEXTS AND MELODIES This song, sung to the accompaniment of two guitars, was recorded at Albuquerque, New Mexico, on February 14, 1951, by Alfred Campos and Edwin Lobato. It is another Mexican huapango like C4 above. The huapango derives its name from itscharacteristic rhythm, rather than from its subject matter. The...