II. Short Essays (25 points each)

Describe the son mexicano. Explain the general characteristics, which define this musical category, and make mention of specific features of son genres discussed in class.

           The term son (which literally means “sound”) refers to a particular type of Mexican community music from the countryside. It is applied to several musical co-traditions found throughout eastern, central, and Mexico. Although these co-traditions exhibit their own idiosyncrasies, also they share some characteristics. Its include the use of regional instruments, alternations between instrumental (beginning and end) and vocal sections within a piece; heavily syncopated rhythm most often consisting of six beat pattern in usually rapid tempo; chord progression that includes only the tonic, dominant, and subdominant of any given key; lyrics arranged in loose verse structure and reflecting a wide variety of themes: love, music, birds, horses, occupations, etc.; the use of dance used as an acoustic element to accent the music.
            The son drives its uniqueness from peculiar performance technique on generic instruments such as violin, guitar, and rumpet and from the distinctive sound of regional instruments such as the viheula, guitarra de glope, huapanguera, jarana, requinto, and the non-pedal harb. The Son Jarocho need some instruments such as; Jarana Jarocho. It as a amall flat-back, 8 strings guitar-like instrument used in the son jarocho exclusively for rhythm.

Describe the overall content of “I Am Joaquín” by  “Corky “ Gonzales and “El Plan Espiritual de Aztlan” by “Alurista”. Also, compare an contrast any similarities between these two works as sociopolitical inspiring pieces of  literature.

             Rodolfo Gonzales wrote the poem “I Am Joaquin,”  which is about the Hispanic and Indian culture, Mexican heroes, and American lives. In the poem, Joaquin express many different emotions that he had felt about his world. Overall, I think Joaquin was angry of how society was towards his culture, the fact that now he must choose between economic and his culturalidentity and where they were and now are. 
            El Plan Espiritual de Aztlan sets the theme that the Chicanos must use their nationalism as the key or common denominator for mass organization. Once we are committed to the idea and philosophy of El Plan de Aztlan, we can only conclude that social, economic, cultural, and political independence is the only road to total liberation from oppression and racism. Our struggle then must be for the control of our barrios, pueblos, lands, their economy, their culture, and their political life.