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| Fiesta de Guadalupe |
Bueno. Good class last night... I like the way you're involved with each other's work. And many of the projects lo merecen... You're being thoughtful in what you're doing.
Week 4: FIESTA / TRISTEZA
La fiesta--y su opuesto. The fiesta and it's opposite. (It's counter-image--la cara oscura...) The dark side of the moon... I want you to consider both. Don Octavio offers several possibilities. (Read carefully Chapter 3, Todos Santos, Día de Muertos.)
fiesta/pobreza fiesta/muerte fiesta/duelo fiesta/tristeza (just for starters)
Make it the subject of your project for the week, and add your thoughts on this to your online notebook, with your images. I chose TRISTEZA not because I want you to be sad, but because it's such a crucial words in the songs. In a sense, it offers a bridge between the notion of MASCARA and that of FIESTA. Consider again the letra for Ella. Why does José Alfredo take on the persona that he does? And listen to Arrieros Somos (by Cuco Sánchez). Remember, I'm not thinking literally here--but rather, at the worlds behind the words...
Ella - Chavela Vargas - YouTube ("ellas quiso quedarse cuando vío mi tristeza"--we listened to this last night...). Compare José Alfredo's own version:
Jose Alfredo Jimenez - Ella - YouTube
Think of FIESTA in relation to place. This is a good week to open up Frances Toor's book. Look at (browse) Section Two, Society / Custom / Fiesta. She describes Mexican fiestas relative to calendar year AND place. These descriptions, remember, come from her own experience in México in the 1930s and 40s--they're invaluable. I don't expect you to read all of this at one go--use it more as a geographical encyclopedia of sources. We'll return to this book numerous times this semester.
Here's another song to consider for the word tristeza. Arrieros somos, by Cuco Sánchez. Chavela sings a beautiful version, on your download. And La Prieta Linda offers a good contrast. Listen up so we can sing it together...
CUCO SÁNCHEZ - ARRIEROS SOMOS - YouTube (la canción es de Cuco Sánchez)
LA PRIETA LINDA Y LOS HERMANOS ZAIZAR, ARRIEROS SOMOS - YouTube
Chavela Vargas version. You have the file on your music download (I didn't find it on YouTube)
We'll continue with the Arrieros theme in the week following...