Huapango is a corruption of the
Nahuatl word
huapanco that textually means on top of the wood platform according to the dictionary of the
Real Academia Española ("huapantli", wood table; "pantli", row; and "co", place, on) . Today huapango is a type of musical style that originated and is played throughout
La Huasteca region in Mexico. It is interpreted in different forms, the most common forms are the classic huapango interpreted by a trio huasteco, the huapango norteño interpreted by a conjunto norteño, and the huapango de
mariachi.
Huapango típico (son huasteco)
The classical trio huasteco brings together a
violin , a
huapanguera and a
jarana huasteca. The classical huapango is characterized by a complex rhythmic structure mixing
duple and
triple meters which reflect the intricate steps of the dance. When the players sing ( in duo, on a falsetto tone ) the violin stops, and the
zapateado (heels hitting the floor) softens . The huapango is danced by men and women as couples. A very popular huapango is
El querreque, in which two singers alternate pert and funny repartees.
Huapango norteño
The huapango norteño is a fast dance piece in 6/8. This dance style and rhythm was included in early conjunto
norteño . It is performed by
conjunto norteño (northern groups). The instrumentation of this type of ensemble consists of
accordion,
bajo sexto,
double bass,
drums and
saxophone.
Huapango de mariachi
The huapango in mariachi has...
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