The quinta huapanguera in the huapango arribeño and in the son huasteco: an ethnomusicological vision of this musical instrument in two traditional expressions

Abstract

The quinta huapanguera is a type of Mexican guitar that is part of the instrumental ensemble that performs music in the Huasteca, which constitutes the main musical instrument of the son huasteco and the huapango arribeño. These two musical expressions are currently recreated in the Huasteca area and in the Sierra Gorda (San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, Hidalgo, Guanajuato, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Puebla). The son huasteco and the huapango arribeño have common and different sociomusical features and functions. Therefore, the role of the quinta huapanguera varies, since it fulfills different rhythmic, harmonic and technical-musical functions, so comparing these roles will allow an analysis and systematization from a musicological perspective. Certain actions of individuals within sociocultural, historical and geopolitical contexts propitiate and define the existence of this sonorous instrument and the musical genres it performs. Identifying such anthropological issues will contribute to an understanding of the phenomena and codes that cause and make possible the genesis and development of musical instruments with their sonorous expressions. The ethnographic analysis that allows to see music as a cultural practice, the musical analysis that makes possible the definition of the structures and sonorous qualities of the quinta huapanguera and the two musical genres it plays, will allow to collect the necessary data and information to obtain a holistic vision of this sonorous instrument. The comparative analysis of the quinta huapanguera in both sonorous expressions, from the Ethnomusicology or also called Musical Anthropology, will contribute to the promotion of the cultural identity, since it will allow the understanding of these sociomusical phenomena.