Los californios® Spanish-Language Social Music of 19th-Century Southern California Historic Culture Preservation loscalifornios.info — Site Map Spanish-Language Social Music of 19th-Century Southern California      Charles Lummis’ Spanish      Language Music Recordings      Historic Casa de Adobe      Fiesta Programs and Photographs      Historic Resources for      Spanish-Language Social Music      of 19th-Century Southern California loscalifornios.com — Site Map Home Page for Los californios®       Upcoming events The Museum Gift Shop       Recordings:           Flowers of Our Lost Romance       Sheet Music Transcriptions             Music of Early California:             NEW in 2007: Volume 9             Music of Early California:             Volumes 1 — 9 bound together             El ciego Melquíades:             A tejano fiddler of yesterday       Folk Arts Books & Wares Order Form loscalifornios.org — Site Map Home Page for Padua Hills Theatre: The Mexican Players      The Historic Physical Setting      The People — Los paduanos      The Musicians — Los músicos      The Dancers — Los bailadores      Padua Hills Plays      “Las Posadas”      “California Romance”      Behind the Scenes      The Vera Family Account      The Physical Setting Today      Other Padua Hills Resources      Related Padua Hills Links San Diego Friends of Old-Time Music, Inc. Francisco Amate A number of pieces from Francisco Amate’s repertoire are preserved on Lummis’ wax cylinders. This drawing is by Hernando Villa, a californio descendent whose own family was also featured in Charles Lummis’ recording project. Although Hernando was himself a musician and singer, there are no Lummis recordings of him. Once upon a time, in a land not so far away and a time not so long ago, a scattered population of racially mixed pioneer settlers, soldiers and ex-convicts — guided occasionally by the religious council of the Franciscan padres — sought paradise. Their children declared themselves to be “hijos del país,” thus celebrating a positive self-identity in the face of all outsider opinions to the contrary. They then proceeded to comport themselves in a manner that they perceived as representing persons of class, thereby converting themselves into the otherwise absent aristocracy. The land was called Alta California, the time was the heyday of the California missions and ranchos from the 1770s through the 1860s (more or less), and the people called themselves californios. Travelers to the area were consistently impressed by the secular music and the social dances, commenting often on the propensity of the californios to dance and sing — and particularly at times when the largely Protestant observers thought they ought not to. My object is to explore briefly a few aspects of the preservation of this California musical heritage — a largely oral tradition played by non-professional musicians with little or no formal music training. Although related to both, this California music is not by and large Mexican and it is not Spanish. It instead reflects the isolation from both the Spanish and Mexican mainstream of the settlers that played it, and their self-identity as a separate society. Some pieces did come to California with settlers coming from Mexico, bringing with them their already diverse heritage from Spanish, indigenous Mexican and African roots. And there might be the occasional pureblooded first generation Spaniard who knew pieces from the latest Italian operas or from popular zarzuelas. Some pieces came from other southwestern Hispanic and Native American settlements, such as those in New Mexico, through circuitous trade routes and marriage. Other pieces were written here, some came from the traditions of the local Native American musicians, and some came with trade from passing ships. Antonio Coronel interprets californio heritage in the late 19th century. Los Californios® Collection With the coming of the American period and the sudden immigration of great quantities of people from other places — particularly in northern California — the culture and heritage of the californios began fading away into the new dominant culture and merging into the growing Mexican immigrant community. In spite of their protestations that they were “hijos del país” — somebodies, the cultural manifestations of the californio culture were devalued and largely ignored except within the larger Mexican and Latino communities. Then came the need for the new American Californians to create for themselves a self-identity — the new equivalent to declaring themselves hijos del país — to create a “here” in California. This in a society that considered racism natural, and that was still remembering the Alamo. In such a climate it is not surprising that a movement to value the California history and heritage of both californios and of indios took a romantic “fantasy heritage” turn — describing things to be valued as “Spanish” rather than Mexican or Indian, and creating images of an idyllic past where everyone lived a life of ease, and Franciscan padres were saints. In fact, it is more surprising that the Spanish-language and indio cultures became recognized and valued at all. It’s easy to criticize this romantic recasting of California history. But it is due to this romanticization of the past that we still have today enough of the remnants of this music to be able to recreate and preserve it. And it is due to that romantic image that the persons who carried those thin threads of memory with them into the twentieth century were able to attain sufficient respect for those threads to be preserved. Continuing resurgences of these romantic revivals from time to time were able to preserve direct links to this historic past through the 1950s, such that those of us who came behind are still able to tap into those resources. Historic Resources for Spanish-Language Social Music of 19th-Century Southern California Historic photograph of an event at Olvera Street in Los Angeles Los Californios® Collection Although these events have been criticized as having been mere romantic fantasy, the participants believe they were expressing pride in their historic California heritage. Some of the most influential preservation efforts were those of one of the most active promulgators of this romantic myth — Charles Fletcher Lummis, a transplanted Californian who became a champion of the Southwest and its Native American and Hispanic cultures. Seeing value in the unique heritages found in the Southwest, he attempted to get a more general American recognition of that value. He wrote extensively about the Southwest and Mexico and, to make it accessible to this audience, described it glowingly and romantically in terms that were calculated to try to avoid the racist stereotypes that had prevented Americans at that time in history from appreciating these cultures. Charles Lummis’ Spanish-Language Music Recordings And lest one think that preserving California’s nineteenth century Hispanic heritage consists entirely of listening to Lummis recordings, I’d like to highlight briefly some of the other surviving threads. For instance, Lummis did not record the Mexican and californio dance music in California, even though he learned some of the dances, and some of the informants he recorded knew the tunes. These informants joined other descendants, like Antonio Coronel, in efforts to keep their dances alive. Maria Abundis and Rogelio Alfaro pictured at Padua Hills Theater in Claremont California. In background: José Guadalupe Rubio and unidentifie woman From the Fages Collection. Now in Los Californios® Collection This thread in turn was picked up by The Mexican Players and the Padua Hills Theatre — along with the accompanying Padua Hills Orchestra. The Claremont Community Players was founded in 1928, and in 1932 developed the Spanish-language program that would preserve the Mexican and californio dance, song, and theater traditions for another two generations. Performing Spanish-language programs for a largely English-speaking audience, they at the same time spoke to pride in cultural identity of those generations of Latinos in California. Find more information about The Mexican Players at our Padua Hills Web Site. The José Arias Troubadours with Mexican dancer (José Sr. is on the right with the big smile) Los Californios® Collection Another link in the chain is José Arias and his Troubadours, a family-based group of Mexican musicians in the Los Angeles area. Although José Arias did not come to California until about 1910, he connected up with some of the same people that Lummis had recorded. His son and grandson, also both called José Arias, still recall humorous and entertaining visits with those informants, and the band still performs pieces learned from those informants at the Ramona Pageant in Hemet. The Ruiz California Dancers From the Fages Collection. Now in Los Californios® Collection The Ruiz California Dancers in 1931 at Avila Adobe in Los Angeles: Chonita De Soto, Gabriel Ruiz, José De Soto and Matilda Sepúlveda Another link in the chain was californio descendent Gabriel Eulogius Ruiz. In the same A la California Club fiestas where Luisa Villa was performing, representing a previous generation, young Gabriel Ruiz and his dance troupe, Ruiz California Dancers (formed in 1925), were performing californio dances and music, learning them from the previous generation and ensuring their survival. In his later years Gabriel Ruiz undertook a project with California Alegre to document and preserve the nineteenth century Spanish-language music of California, especially pieces from his family, recording an LP record called Danzas de Alta California. Photo by Peter DuBois Los Californios® Collection From left: Vykki Mende Gray, Albert S. Pill, David Swarens At Pío Pico home — Whittier, California Many people who today know the 19th-century californio dances and dance music can credit Al Pill, who dedicated much of his life to keeping californio and Mexican traditional dance alive. Late in his life, he was acutely aware of the need to make sure that these did not die with him, reaching out to younger persons able to carry on the traditions. Another source for preservationof this music is in the traditions of southern California’s Native American population, particularly descendants of missionized population. The Juaneño Band of Mission Indians, Acjachemen Nation, in particular has preserved recordings of the music of their heritage, including performance of Spanish-language based music on European instruments. This largely untapped resource is the next great area of study for persons preserving this historic California heritage. I’d like to close with a caution. The surviving link with the musical heritage of Mexican California is fragile. Today many Californians of Mexican, californio or Native California descent remember their parents, or more often grandparents, singing or dancing to the Spanish-language nineteenth century secular music of Mexican California. But few of them actually ever learned it. In fact, they grew up thinking it was somehow shameful to know these songs and dances. This heritage is now entirely a revival tradition and an academic pursuit, with a continuing but often tenuous direct link to the original sources through just a handful of researchers. It’s important not to weaken this link further. Just because the music and its performance is colorful and appeals to tourists, just because the purveyors of the “Fantasy Heritage” helped preserve it for over a hundred years, doesn’t mean it should be dismissed as not being worthy of serious attention. If we lose this heritage, we lose part of the self-identity of a large part of our future population, as well as a piece of who we all are as Californians. Where to find this Music Sheet music transcriptions and a recorded CD of this music, Flowers of Our Lost Romance, are available from Los californios®. About the Author Vykki Mende Gray is a fourth generation San Diegan, her family having come here in 1894. One of her previous projects in documenting traditional California music was writing Kenny Hall’s Music Book, published by Mel Bay Publications — a collection of California old-time music and reminiscences from Kenny Hall, acclaimed fiddler, mandolin player, and California living treasure. Vykki is the artistic director of Los californios®, a project of San Diego Friends of Old-Time Music. This musical ensemble interprets the secular songs and dance music of nineteenth century (and occasionally eighteenth century) Spanish and Mexican California. Vykki researches, transcribes, and arranges pieces from original material for this group’s repertoire. Vykki is incorporating this work into her next book, which will be on music from Mexican California. These efforts have resulted in interest in the genre, on both sides of the Mexico/California border. Vykki also teaches Mariachi violin at Sherman Heights Community Center. To contact her, email her at info@loscalifornios.com Vykki Mende Gray and Benjamin Curtiss Historic Photograph from Los Californios® Collection Groups Actively Involved Preserving This Heritage Los californios® Yesteryears Dancers Southwest Museum Elisabeth Waldo Elizabeth Erro Hvolboll and Luis Moreno Arnold Guerra and his dancers, Tatalejos The Alta California Dance Company El museo de las Californias, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico Vaquero Days, Descanso, California at McClintock Saddle Works San Diego Friends of Old-Time Music Luis Goena and his dancers, Los parientes California Mission Studies Association The Lively Arts History Association The New World Baroque Orchestra Janet Ashford of Mendocino Los Bailadores of Old Town San Diego Serebella.com John Summers — California Mission Music The Calicanto Singers John Koegel © Vykki Mende Gray, 1998 All rights reserved. Contact Los californios® at info@loscalifornios.com Los californios® is a registered trademark belonging to San Diego Friends of Old-Time Music, Inc., a California non-profit corporation.