Music of The North Nortena

Question 1

Musica Nortena

Answer 1

From northeastern mexico
SE United States

Question 2

Late 19th-early 20th c Musica Notena

Answer 2

Monterrey, commerce, industry
Cultural influence
Was the richest city there
Over NE mexico
Over southern texas
Musica Nortena: music of the borderlands

Question 3

Core of Musica Norteno

Answer 3

Accordion
Bajo sexto ( 12 string bass/rhythm guitar)
One or two voices in harmony
Pass a particular way of a mission using a different kind of vocal skills such as nasal, high pitched
Very beginning of norteno is polka, corrido
Very often the double bass is added when possible called tololoche ( double bass)
Los cascabeles - the bells

Question 4

Nortena
(1930-1950)

Answer 4

Los Alegres de Teran (Eugenio Abrego and Tomas Ortiz)
Added to Notena: two voices, harmony nasal
Corrido, ballad
Cancion-corrido expression of feelings
Lyrical (ranchera) plus narrative ( corridos)
“Carta Jugada”
The Austente; Accordion intro, theme, according fill

Question 5

1950’s-70’s

Answer 5

Ramon Ayala groups: Los relampagos del Norte
Los Bravos del Norte
added drum set and electric bass
Accordion: less bass, virtuosic melody ( following tejano style)
Keep emphasis on lyrics unlike tejano style
“Un rinconcito en el cielo”

Question 6

Ramon Ayala groups

Answer 6

Crossed over to US from N mexico
Toured migrant circuit in the US
Collected lyrics from immigrants for corridos,ranchera and ballads
Ramon ayala, “ Central Camionera”

Question 7

1970’s-1980s
Nortena ensembles

Answer 7

Larger ensembles
Stage personas and outfits
Pop concert format
Tigres del Norte
Hurricanes de Norte
Increased repertoire: Rock and pop, cumbia
Keyboards and electric guitars
Los Tigres del Norte

Question 8

1970’s

Answer 8

1970’s
Out of california, into migrant circuit
Continued tradition of corrido
Immigrant corrido
Political critique
Narcocorrido

Question 9

Los Tigres on Immigration

Answer 9

Mojado as counter- “Vivan los mojados” hegemonic term
(Long live the mojados)
Other Latin American migrants “Tres veces mojado” (Three times mojado)
* Reflection on migration:
Defiance and non-assimilation
Nostalgia for Mexico
Transnational identity
“El Otro México” (The other Mexico)
“La Jaula de oro” (The golden cage)

Question 10

Narcocorridos 20th-21th c

Answer 10

Smuggling of narcotics
Borrowed ethos from earlier corridos
Protagonist changes: not good role model
Not always a real person
Enemy is not longer police but gangs and snitches
Glamorize drugs and violence

Question 11

Narcocorridos

Answer 11

Common to nortena and banda
Increasingly explicit and violent
Drug cultivation and processing
Roots: poverty, big market in the US
Drug related crimes
Lifestyle: drug lords, families
many singer Ties to drug cartels
Commision corridos
Fiction and reality
“Contrabando y traicion” Tigres del Norte is fiction
“ El crimen de culiacan” is real by Chalino Sanchez