"El Caballito" by Los Camperos de Valles

            The music that comes to my ears is cheerful, confident, and quick. The singers sing in Spanish and various instruments start to play a fast melody. With a bit of a research I find the instruments most likely consist of the guitarra quinta, but also possible a Jarana Huasteca, violin, etc. It seems the song is of the Son Huasteco style which is one of the original Mexican musical styles where the singer uses a falsetto register, the music is flamboyant, and the violin solos drawn out. This is also a huapango so with it comes dancing on top of a wooden platform. It is led by a trio of singers/players.

“El Caballito”/”The Pony” by Los Camperos de Valles would be used to occupancy a folk dance. This would mean it is performed at social events, maybe by common people, anyone who wants to perform. It is not necessarily designed for a public performance, rather more personal and social. It is routed in Mexican tradition and most likely has stayed the same for centuries. Younger people can learn from these events and this is how the tradition lives on. Therefore, the musicking involves everyone. The trio who plays the instruments, the singers, the dancers, the on lookers, the listeners. Traditional folk events include a community all together in celebration and musicking in harmony whether you play, dance, or just listen.

The meaning of the song “El Caballito”/”The Pony” is a bit more difficult to distinguish as I could not find any translation of the lyrics beyond the title. However, judging by the title it is a happy song. A pony does not strike a depressing image or feeling, does it? Usually, ponies are equated with happiness. Not only the title, but the upbeat melody of the song gears me towards believing the meaning is a celebratory one. I did some research on the song itself and while I didn’t find the lyrics I found other interesting material. Generally, huapangos are noted to have melancholy themes such as longing, love, and nature. This is despite the playful melodies. This makes me question my analysis above. Perhaps, the lyrics could be melancholy after all, I suppose I won’t ever know unless I read the lyrics in English.

But why melancholy? I read that huapangos were used during times of colonialism for the Mexicans to perhaps find strength in themselves and stick proudly to their own culture. What does this mean? Of course—they used huapangos as an assertion of their identity. When faced with oppression, with obstacles trying to disrupt your life, the natural instinct is to stick to your ownself, your identity, and that’s what this music could be about. That’s why it’s important. That’s why Mexican people have chosen to transmit this music, to pass it on for generations and generations to celebrate heritage and nationalism and identity.

As for personal views, I enjoyed the song. I liked the cheerful mood of it, because it keep me in a positive, get-to-work mood. The voice of a falsetto was nice as I always think higher voices are more pleasant, whether with female or male. I could see how this song could be used for Mexican culture and celebration easily.