Ranchera
Also known as canción ranchera
A classic Mexican song form that carries a big voice, clear feeling, and a strong tie to mariachi and cinema.
Origins and context
Mexican popular and regional song traditions; later closely tied to mariachi, radio, and Mexican cinema.
History
Ranchera grew out of Mexican popular song traditions and became strongly identified with Mexico’s post-Revolution cultural life. By the 1910s and after, it was being commercialized more widely, and by the 1930s and 1940s it was inseparable from Mexican cinema and its larger-than-life stars, helping turn the genre into a national emblem. Documentation also points to ranchera as a living repertoire rather than a sealed-off historical relic. Library of Congress material describes rancheras as traditional songs usually accompanied by guitar and/or horns, and later artists such as Vicente Fernández and Alejandro Fernández kept the style in public circulation through recordings and performance well into the modern era. (loc.gov)
Notable artists
- VFVicente Fernández
- AFAlejandro Fernández
- PIPedro Infante
Essential listening
- 1
Vicente Fernández
- 2
Alejandro Fernández
- 3
- 4
