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el_toro_viejo.docxEl Toro Viejo
The name of the song is El Toro Viejo. The song is performed by a group of performers who are collectively known as El Mariachi de Vargas de Tecalitlan. This group of musical artists has a long history and first started composing music toward the end of the 19th-century under a conductor known as Gaspar Vargas Lopez. Currently, the conductor who heads the group is Ruben Fuentes.
The primary instruments are a vihuela (a stringed instrument), guitar, guitarron (a Mexican guitar), trumpets, and violins. Specifically, the vihuela is similar to a guitar and has five strings. It is commonly played in mariachi groups. The guitar is also commonly found in mariachi music as is the guitarron. The guitarron is a large instrument that has 6 strings and is used to play the acoustic bass. In some ways it is similar to the guitar, but it is different in the sense that it is plucked and not strummed as the guitar is. Finally, the trumpet and the violin are also common and are used to create a “buzzing” sound and to add melody, respectively.
The music is generally slow and is punctuated by the trumpet sound in the background. As for the singing, it is faster and is done in a call-and-response form in which one artists sings and then another answers him. During the singing, most of the instruments are muted or low so that the voice of the singers is loud and can be clearly understood. Once the singing ends, the music comes in and, again, the trumpet and violin can be heard. The switch between instrumental and singing takes place throughout the entirety of the song. Finally, some of the lyics include:
Por ay viene el caporal cayéndose de borracho (* 2)
diciéndole a los vaqueros: échenme ese toro gacho (* 2)
apa toro que allá va: lázalo!! ya lo alazé
amárrale hombre!! ya lo amarré
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