New Mexico Mercury

This week we ask Cipriano Frederico Vigil of Chamisal, New Mexico—a renowned musician, historian, composer, and musicologist of traditional Nuevomexicano folk music—some questions about his sure-to-be-classic bilingual book New Mexican Folk Music / Cancionero del Folklor Nuevomexicano: Treasures of a People / El Tesoro del Pueblo.

New Mexico Mercury: For someone like me with no tradition of community music, your book is a revelation. These first questions feel naïve, but they are sincere ones. What are the historical and cultural roots of Hispanic folk music in New Mexico? Is there a known beginning?

Cipriano Frederico Vigil: The family tree of Hispanic folk music is vast and varied. There are many cultural threads that have come together to weave the tapestry of the unique culture found in this part of the world.

Some of these styles of music and song, such as the romances and the décimas, originated in Spain and made their way into this area known as New Mexico over four hundred years ago. In 1598, when Oñate came here, he brought with him several priest (frailes) who were versed in music and theater. These priests used their musical and theatrical knowledge as tools in their efforts to Christianize and convert the native peoples. The indigenous people that the Spanish encountered were fond of music and theater, which facilitated the teaching of Christian traditions, beliefs, and values through song and ritual. These forms of music were also known to the early Spanish settlers, and they have continued to develop here from that time to the present day.

The entregas were practiced here out of necessity, as rites of passage. Since communities were isolated and there were very few priests in the area, these rituals were used to provide a religious context that was honored in the eyes of the communities. There were births, deaths, and couples wanting to marry, but the priests that were available usually lived in the south where it was warm and only made trips to perform baptisms and weddings during the summer. If there was a couple that wanted to get married during the winter months the ritual of the entrega would make the marriage official in the eyes of the community. Then when the priest came in the summer the ceremony would take place, making it official in the eyes of God.

Styles such as the corridos, trovos, canciónes, and valonas came much later from México and, for the most part, were further developed here.

The cuandos and inditas were developed here and in other areas of the Southwest. The cuandos were developed during the time when the buffalo hunters met with tragedy or had success in the hunt. The inditas were songs and dances composed by families in memory of the loss of their daughters who were captives of nomadic Indians.

NMM: As a student of culture, you’ve created a book that is welcoming and fascinating to the general reader. Do you think music is a way to transcend cultural barriers and foster understanding, keeping in mind, as you do, that culture is always an insider’s reality?

CFV: Although music is universal, different cultural styles developed within geographically bounded horizons. Therefore, every culture has its unique cultural and musical signature. And throughout history there has been travel and conquest, new settlements, and intermarriage. Cultural and musical exchange were a part of this. This has been a gradual process, though it has accelerated exponentially in the past century. So while it is important to maintain our roots, it is also exhilarating and exciting to see these cultural boundaries open with mass communication and modern transportation. Music is a great and enormous facilitator in this process, in this vision of a world now opening to understanding and appreciation of all cultures. I feel music is so important in this role. I look at young people, Japanese mariachi bands, other musical groups who, with their musical styles, combine elements from different backgrounds. So, yes, music is a wonderful way to transcend cultural barriers.

Music has been known to have no barriers or borders. It is also considered as an international language, which can reach all cultures. What better way for all cultures to understand each other than through their music? Music is not only food for the soul, but food for the mind.

NMM: What has been the response so far to this book by musicians and the general public? Do you think it will play a role in widening the appreciation for folk music in our state?

CFV: This book has been appreciated by many musicians and by many in the general public. The response I have gotten from several people who bought the book is that it provides not only the history of the music of my people, but a cancionero (song book) everyone can use. I know that the book has already instilled pride among the younger musicians, and that it has given many people knowledge of aspects of our culture. From individuals outside the culture, I have heard comments that this book is almost a revelation. People have told me they had no idea of the richness that is right here. There has been great appreciation from and interest among outsiders. And, even more importantly, within the Hispanic culture much of this knowledge has been lost, and this community has responded with excitement and a huge interest.

NMM: Your own career as a performer and musicologist was inspired early on by mentors in your community. Did they reveal to you who their mentors were? Are there multiple musical lineages in Northern New Mexico?

CFV: I learned this music from many musicians in northern New Mexico by observation and by listening. There were many self-taught musicians in all the surrounding communities who provided many learning experiences for me in gatherings called “Resolanas.” In my young days musicians would gather on the sunny side of the home of a musician, where it was warm, to practice, learn, and share their music. They would play what they had learned or composed, and everyone else would learn by hearing them. This was not a formal teaching. Music was such a major part of the community that when people gathered for any occasion a teaching/learning process would take place almost organically. It was almost like learning a language, in that music was ubiquitous. Therefore, in a sense, the community was my mentor, as it had been for past generations. That being said, certain individuals stand out, both as mentors for me and also as the people who, one might say, were part of this lineage. Luz López allowed me to go to his house when he played. I learned by observing him. And later I was sometimes able to play with him in his band. Cleofas Ortíz taught me some of the traditional folk music for violin. He taught me songs I didn’t know. The lineage, however, was varied since it was in the music itself, and the music belonged to the entire community. This is how I learned the music and traditions I so love, that are so much a part of who I am. These musical traditions have been passed from grandfather to father to son as I am doing with my own children and grandchildren, my students, and all who read my book or come to my concerts. I hope to keep this music alive for the generations to come.

NMM: Would you reflect on your experiences with La Academia de la Nueva Raza and the roll it has played in your life’s work?

CFV: The experience I had with La Academia de la Nueva Raza showed me the importance of preserving our cultural roots in the realm of music and song. These were a part of our culture, and the need not only to save them but to share them with others gave me the initiative to continue collecting and preserving all these musical traditions.

New Mexican Folk Music / Cancionero del Folklor Nuevomexicano: Treasures of a People / El Tesoro del Pueblo is available at bookstores or directly from the University of New Mexico Press at http://www.unmpress.com or 800.249.7737.