‘Ritual & Folk Music’ of Northern New Mexico at MRM
FOLK MUSIC truly is a tradition with its own lexicon; carrying the stories and secrets of centuries, oral histories passed down through generations.
A vessel for memory, beginning with early Homeric traditions that weave a thread through history, connecting the Troubadour origins to Spain before the Renaissance flowered in Italy — picking up the thread of Arabian poetry, steeped in mystical knowledge, it contains deep roots where cultures collided and connected on paths traversed over millennia.
Folk Music is a loose term used to describe musical, oral and cultural traditions from all over the world. From the German word, volk, meaning the people, Folk Music truly is the music of ‘the people.’
Beginning in the late 19th century, a movement to collect and document folk music arose, which continued into the 20th century, creating a culture of ‘folk’ as a distinct musical genre. It is now common to associate folk music, not only with particular regions, but also with specific composers and musicians — sheet music and tablature being freely available on the internet. But the essentially democratic nature of folk music has also cast it in a political light that persists today.
The Folk Music of Northern New Mexico has roots in both Spain and the Americas, a confluence of cultures; Manifest Destiny’s child.
Spain’s traditional music is a melange of its long and colorful history, made plain when one travels the entirety of the Iberian peninsula from region to region. The traditional music of the Canary Islands still contains influences from the mysterious indigenous Guanche civilization, while the bagpipe music of Galicia and Asturias speaks to these northern regions’ rich and ancient Celtic heritage, while the mournful Faro of Portugal echoes the song of the sea. Traditional Spanish music throughout Spain’s vastly diverse regions flourished while the country was under Moorish rule. For 800 years during Spain’s Golden Age, Christian, Jewish and Muslim communities coexisted peacefully, sharing knowledge, poetry and song. With the Reconquest, the development of traditional Spanish music came to a temporary standstill when the monarchy banned Sephardic and Islamic music. The Renaissance, with its Troubadours tradition curiously took root in Italy after thousands of fleeing Jews arrived from Spain at the Port of Naples, bringing their songs and stories with them.
This region’s Hispano folk traditions are the direct result of that history, along with the multi-layered histories of this land.
Spanish conquistadors brought, not only colonial rule, but the music, art and architecture that were already a confluence of Arabic, Celtic and Hebraic traditions. Over the course of centuries in el Norte, the Folk Music traditions of the settlers were influenced by the Indigenous peoples of the region.
This history has resulted in unique New Mexican Folk traditions and a musical genre that has come to be known as música buena.
If you want to know a people, get to know their songs, and this Mother’s Day, you have the opportunity to hear them from a curator of the aforementioned genre.
Dr. Cipriano Vigil and La Familia Vigil return to the MRM to perform ritual and traditional folk music and songs of Northern New Mexico on Mother’s Day. Vigil has been honored by several cultural organizations for his role in preserving and spreading the music of Northern New Mexico. His appearance at the MRM is part of the museum’s current exhibition, “Following the Manito Trail,” and is supported by a grant from the New Mexico Humanities Council. Bring your family to hear this wonderful musical ensemble.
Free admission for Taos County residents on Sundays. (Free-$12 admission; members, veterans, children under 12 free everyday).