LOCAL'S CORNER: ¡Viva el Mariachi!

Mariachi music brings out strong emotions in aficionados; they are swept up in the powerful explosion of instruments that combines the sounds of trumpets, violins, vihuela, guitar, guitarrón and occasionally, a harp. Mariachi songs feature what people are thinking or living, commemorates historical events or people of Mexico; it can focus on love, nature and the ephemeral essence of life. Mariachi music itself is not limited to one specific type, it branches out into the subgenres of corridos (story-telling lyrics), boleros (soft, emotional, and romantic), rancheras (about strength, courage, and fighting enemies), sones (with busy violin passages), huapangos (with syncopated rhythms), joropos (resembles fandango, originated in Venezuela), and the danzón (slow, formal partner dance, originated in Cuba), as per Lindsay Del Valle in her article on the folkloric tradition of music of Mexico.