Chapter 2
Time Music Event Source Vocal
Material
Text Translation
0 Baroque jarana
English guitar
jota
0:55 Baroque jarana
English guitar
leona
jota
1: 54 Baroque jarana
English guitar
leona
+ soloist 1
jota / son a
Por aquí pasó volando / una bella chuparrosa / y una bella
chuparrosa / por aquí pasó volando
Flying nearby was / a beautiful hummingbird / a beautiful
hummingbird / was flying nearby
2:05 Baroque jarana
English guitar
leona
+ soloist 2
jota / son b
Por aquí pasó volando / una bella chuparrosa / y una bella
chuparrosa / por aquí pasó volando
Flying nearby was / a beautiful hummingbird / a beautiful
hummingbird / was flying nearby
2:15 Baroque jarana
English guitar
leona
+ soloist 1
jota / son a’
Y en su piquito llevaba / dos claveles y una rosa /que el
viento la deshojaba / como blanca mariposa
In its little beak it had / two carnations and a rose / which
the wind was defoliating / like a white butterfly
2:25 Baroque jarana
English guitar
leona
+ soloist 2
jota / son b’
Que en su piquito llevaba / dos claveles y una rosa /que el
viento la deshojaba / como blanca mariposa
In its little beak it had / two carnations and a rose / which
the wind was defoliating / like a white butterfly
2:35
Baroque jarana
English guitar
leona, requinto,
arpa, jarana,
jota / son
a’
María Chuchena bótate al agua/ junto a la proa de mi
piragua / María Chuchena bótate al mar /para navegar
María Chuchena come down to the water / by the prow of
my boat / María Chuchena come down to the sea / to sail

marímbula
+ soloist 1
2:45
Baroque jarana
English guitar
leona, requinto,
arpa, jarana,
marímbula
+ soloist 2
jota / son
c
Y le decía: María, María / no techo la casa, no techo la mía
/ no techo la casa, no techo la mía / no techo la casa de
María García
And he said: María, María / I don’t roof the house, I don’t
roof mine/ I don’t roof the house, I don’t roof mine/ I don‘t
roof María García’s house
2:55 Baroque jarana
English guitar
leona
jota
3:31 Baroque jarana
English guitar
leona
+ soloist 1
jota / son
a’
Lucero brillante hermoso / baja del quinto planeta / baja
del quinto planeta / lucero brillante hermoso
Beautiful bright star / come down from the fifth planet /
come down from the fifth planet / beautiful bright star
3:40 Baroque jarana
English guitar
leona
+ soloist 2
jota / son
b’
Lucero brillante hermoso / baja del quinto planeta / baja
del quinto planeta / lucero brillante hermoso
Beautiful bright star / come down from the fifth planet /
come down from the fifth planet / beautiful bright star
3:51 Baroque jarana
English guitar
leona
+ soloist 1
jota / son
a’
Que yo pondré en tu peineta / un tulipán oloroso / un
tulipán oloroso / que yo pondré en tu peineta
That I will put in your comb / an odorous tulip / an odorous
tulip / that I will put in your comb
4:00 Baroque jarana
English guitar
leona
+ soloist 2
jota / son
b’
Que yo pondré en tu peineta / un tulipán oloroso / un
tulipán oloroso / que yo pondré en tu peineta
That I will put in your comb / an odorous tulip / an odorous
tulip / that I will put in your comb
4:11 Baroque jarana
English guitar
leona, requinto,
arpa, jarana,
jota / son
a’
María Chuchena se fue a bañar/ a orilla del río, cerquita
del mar / María Chuchena se estaba bañando / y el
pescador la estaba mirando
María Chuchena went to take a bath / by the river, near the
sea / María Chuchena was bathing / and a fisherman was
looking at her

marímbula
+ soloist 1
4:20 Baroque jarana
English guitar
leona, requinto,
arpa, jarana,
marímbula
+ soloist 2
jota / son
c
Y le decía: María, María / no techo la casa, no techo la mía
/ no techo la casa, no techo la mía / no techo la casa de
María García
And he said: María, María / I don’t roof the house, I don’t
roof mine/ I don’t roof the house, I don’t roof mine/ I don‘t
roof María García’s house
4:29 arpa, leona
Sporadic
Baroque jarana
and English
guitar
(background)
Improvisation
on jota
harmonic
sequence
5:49 Baroque jarana
English guitar
(playing the jota)
arpa, leona
(accompaniment)
jota
6:13 Baroque jarana
English guitar
arpa, leona
+ soloist 1
jota / son
a’
Dime que flor te acomoda / para írtela a cortar / para
írtela a cortar / dime que flor te acomoda
Tell me which flower you like / to go cut it / to go cut it /
tell me which flower you like
6:23 Baroque jarana
English guitar
arpa, leona
+ soloist 2
jota / son
b’
Dime que flor te acomoda / para írtela a cortar / para
írtela a cortar / dime que flor te acomoda
Tell me which flower you like / to go cut it / to go cut it /
tell me which flower you like

6:31 Baroque jarana
English guitar
arpa, leona
+ soloist 1
jota / son a’ Azucena o amapola / oh maravilla del mar / para cuando
vengas sola / tengas con quien platicar
Lily or poppy / Oh wonder of the sea / so when you come
by yourself / you’d have someone to talk to
6:40 Baroque jarana
English guitar
arpa, leona
+ soloist 2
jota / son
b’
Azucena o amapola / oh maravilla del mar / para cuando
vengas sola / tengas con quien platicar
Lily or poppy / Oh wonder of the sea / so when you come
by yourself / you’d have someone to talk to
6:49 Baroque jarana
English guitar
leona, requinto,
arpa, jarana,
marímbula
+ soloist 1
jota / son
a’
María Chuchena bótate al agua/ junto a la proa de mi
navío / María Chuchena bótate al mar /para navegar
María Chuchena come down to the river / by the prow of
my boat / María Chuchena come down to the sea / to sail
6:58 Baroque jarana
English guitar
leona, requinto,
arpa, jarana,
marímbula
+ soloist 2
jota / son
c
Y le decía: María, María / no techo la casa, no techo la mía
/ no techo la casa, no techo la mía / no techo la casa de
María García
And he said: María, María / I don’t roof the house, I don’t
roof mine/ I don’t roof the house, I don’t roof mine/ I don‘t
roof María García’s house
7:07 Baroque jarana
English guitar
leona, requinto,
arpa, jarana,
marímbula
Improvisation
on jota
harmonic
sequence
8:00 Baroque jarana
English guitar
leona, requinto,
arpa, jarana,
marímbula
+ soloist 1
jota / son
a’
Ya me voy flor de sabana / perfumado amanecer /
perfumado amanecer / ya me voy flor de sabana
I am leaving , flower from the savannah / perfumed dawn /
perfumed dawn / I am leaving , flower from the savannah
8:09 Baroque jarana
English guitar
jota / son
b’
Ya me voy flor de sabana / perfumado amanecer /
perfumado amanecer / ya me voy flor de sabana
I am leaving , flower from the savannah / perfumed dawn /
perfumed dawn / I am leaving , flower from the savannah

leona, requinto,
arpa, jarana,
marímbula
+ soloist 2
8:18 Baroque jarana
English guitar
leona, requinto,
arpa, jarana,
marímbula
+ soloist 1
jota / son
a’
Con el sol de la mañana / quisiera volverte a ver / como
rosa campirana / y no dejarte de oler
With the morning sun / I wish I could see you again / like a
flower from the fields / and never stop smelling you
8:28 Baroque jarana
English guitar
leona, requinto,
arpa, jarana,
marímbula
+ soloist 2
jota / son
b’
Con el sol de la mañana / quisiera volverte a ver / como
rosa campirana / y no dejarte de oler
With the morning sun / I wish I could see you again / like a
flower from the fields / and never stop smelling you
8:36 Baroque jarana
English guitar
leona, requinto,
arpa, jarana,
marímbula
+ soloist 1
jota / son
a’
María Chuchena se fue a bañar/ a orilla del río, cerquita
del mar / María Chuchena se estaba bañando / y el
pescador la estaba mirando
María Chuchena went to take a bath / by the river, near the
sea / María Chuchena was bathing / and a fisherman was
looking at her
8:46 Baroque jarana
English guitar
leona, requinto,
arpa, jarana,
marímbula
+ soloist 2
jota / son
c
Y le decía: María, María / no techo la casa, no techo la mía
/ no techo la casa, no techo la mía / no techo la casa de
María García
And he said: María, María / I don’t roof the house, I don’t
roof mine/ I don’t roof the house, I don’t roof mine/ I don‘t
roof María García’s house
Chart 1. Descriptive chart of “La Jota / María Chuchena,” from Ensamble Continuo, Laberinto de la guitarra. El espíritu barroco del
son jarocho (2004).

Companion Analyses for Chapter 2
Analysis of “La María Chuchena”
Use of hemiola
In measures 1–9 from the opening requinto solo of “La María Chuchena” one can find good examples of hemiola, especially in the
accentuation shifts on measures 1, 5, and 9 (Figure 2.6 in the book). You may notice that hemiolas do not necessarily occur in all
instruments at the same time; often, these shifts of accentuation take place independently. A closer look at the relationship between the
requinto solo, and the jarana accompanying strumming as well as the vocal melody (Figure 2.6 in the book), with continuous
syncopations and accentuations on weak parts of the bar, shows that these hemiolas are in fact examples of the complex polyrhythmic
character of son jarocho music in which 6/8 and 3/4 meters constantly coexist. This is clearer with the addition of percussion
instruments like the tarima, panderos, or quijada de burro, which exacerbate the polyrhythmic structure of the music since frequently
these instruments keep steady 3/4 accentuations throughout a given song and tend to be notated in that meter when transcribed.

Organization of the Lyrics
“La María Chuchena” shows the type of quatrain organization that is most frequent in coplas today. The rhyming pattern of the first
quatrain (abba) with the second verse repeated in the third line is a typical convention that one could find in the initial quatrain of
many sones jarochos. The lyrics of sones jarochos focus on everyday issues, with animals (particularly birds) as recurring characters;
frequently, the situations described could have a double meaning, with amorous or political overtones. In the case of “La María
Chuchena,” the lyrics are based on a traditional Spanish tongue twister for children that says: “María Chucena / su choza techaba / y
un techador / que por allí pasaba / le dijo: Chucena / ¿tú techas tu choza /o techas la ajena?/Ni techo mi choza / ni techo la ajena / que
techo la choza / de María Chucena” [María Chucena / was roofing her hut / and a roof maker / passing by / asked her: Chucena, / do
you roof your hut? / Or do you roof someone else’s? / I don’t roof my hut / neither do I roof someone else’s / I roof the hut / of María
Chucena]. Clearly, the second response, which is the refrain, follows the tongue-twister with minor variations; the other quatrains (as
well as different quatrains that one may hear in other versions of the song) are elaborations that might have been incorporated into the
song possibly through improvisation.

Analysis of “La Jota”/”La María Chuchena” as recorded by Ensamble Continuo
Listen to the recording of the piece and follow its structure as outlined in Chart 1. The jota is a Spanish dance of Arabic origin that
was first popular in the region of Aragón. Its rhythm and harmonic pattern has influenced a number of music genres in Mexico,
including the Yucatecan jarana and, as we will see, a few son jarocho songs. In this rendition, Ensamble Continuo combines de
Murcia’s “jota” with “La María Chuchena” in alternation. In the formal structure, the “jota” is used in the introduction and the
interludes; these sections are played with a jarana barroca (a newly-invented instrument that combines a baroque guitar with elements
from the jarana), which plays the main melody, and an English guitar (an 18th
-century instrument similar to the modern Portuguese
guitar) improvising a melodic counterpoint. At 0:55, after playing a few rounds of the baroque harmonic sequence, the jarana and
guitar are joined by a leona playing a bass line in son jarocho style to prepare the first vocal stanza. The rhythmic strummings and the
harmonic structures of “La Jota” and “María Chuchena” allow Ensamble Continuo to play them at the same time, as it is evident in the
first vocal stanza at 1:54. In this version, the song is divided into four parts, each of them framed by instrumental interludes. The
introduction and first interlude (2:55) avoid improvisation and present the jota as it appears in the tablature with an added bass line
played by the leona. The second interlude is divided in two sections, the first one (4:29) has the arpa jarocha and the leona
improvising on jarocho style over the harmonic sequence of the jota; the second one (5:49), has the jarana barroca and English guitar
playing the jota with arpa and leona accompaniment. Finally, the third interlude presents an improvisation by the whole ensemble. If

you compare the vocal sections in Chart 1 with those in Figure 2.6 (from the book) you may not only notice that the lyrics (with the
exception of the refrain) are not exactly the same but also that the vocal setting itself is different. Here, the verse sung by the first
soloist is repeated with a slightly different melody by the second soloist. This kind of setting is what we would normally see in a copla
duel, the difference being that in such a context the singers would be alternating improvised verses instead of repeating the same
stanza. Regarding the lyrics you may notice that although this performance incorporates stanzas that are not included in Figure 2.6
(from the book) there are also a number of lines that only change a few words (for example 1:54, 2:25, and 6:31). These differences
are the result of oral transmission and give the son jarocho tradition its coherence and diversity; in the end, it is precisely this
consistency and variety what reflects the style’s history of migration and change.