Chapter 3
Time Section
0–
0:04
Intro
0:05
–
0:18
0:20
–
0:30
0:31
–
0:40
0:42
–
0:54
A
Sub
Section
i1
Musical
gestures
Solo guitar:
parallel
sixths
Harmonic
sequence
F min
i2
Solo guitar:
sequence
+
Rhythm
guitar:
Cinquillo
rhythmic
pattern
Cinquillo in
melody and
rhythm
guitar
B flat min F min - C F min
Clave
syncopation
in melody
Solo guitar:
sequence
+
Rhythm
guitar:
Cinquillo
B flat min - miel en tus labios y, cuando
F min - C - ríes, fingen tus dientes
F min
perlas de Ormuz
B flat min F min - C F min
a1
a2
Interlude
1
i2
F min - F A dim - B
flat min
Lyrics
Translation
Hay en tus negros ojos
zegríes, lumbre de Oriente,
radiante luz;
There is, in your black, Zegri [Arab] eyes,
fire from Orient, radiant light;
honey in your lips, and, when you laugh,
your teeth look like pearls from Hormuz
0:55
–
1:05
A’
1:06
–
1:17
1:18
–
1:38
B
1.39
–
1:57
a’1
rhythmic
pattern
Cinquillo in
melody and
rhythm
guitar
a’2
Cinquillo in
melody and
rhythm
guitar
b1
Cinquillo in
melody and
rhythm
guitar
b2
Solo guitar
imitates
melody in
parallel
thirds
Solo in
parallel
sixths,
featuring the
Cinquillo
pattern
Cinquillo in
melody and
1:58
–
2:16
Interlude
2
i3
2:17
–
B
b1
F min - F A dim - B
flat min
Nido de aromas es tu
A nest of aromas is your hair; your sweet
cabello; tu dulce frente palio forehead is a pallium for love,
de amor,
B flat min E flat (with
minor
seventh) A flat -C
F - G min C-F
y suave y terso tu grácil
cuello, erecto tallo de
esbelta flor
and soft and terse, your graceful neck is
the erect stem of a slender flower
¿Qué ardiente gota sorbí al
besarte? ¿Qué miel me diste
para beber? Que por
seguirte, por adorarte, te he
dado todo, todo mi ser.
Which ardent drop did I sip when kissing
you? Which honey did you give me to
drink? Since to follow you, to adore you, I
have given up everything, my whole
being.
F - F (+
minor 7th)
- B flat -B
flat min - F
- C -F
F-C-F
major
Deja que bese tus labios
rojos, tu frente suave, seda
de Ofir; deja que bese tus
negros ojos, tus ojos negros
hasta morir
Let me kiss your red lips, your soft
forehead, silk from Ophir; let me kiss your
black eyes, your black eyes until I die.
F - G minC-F
¿Qué ardiente gota sorbí al
besarte? ¿Qué miel me diste
Which ardent drop did I sip when kissing
you? Which honey did you give me to
2:55
rhythm
guitar
b2
Solo guitar
imitates
melody in
parallel
thirds
F - F (+
minor 7th)
- B flat - b
flat min - F
- C -F
para beber? Que por
seguirte, por adorarte, te he
dado todo, todo mi ser.
drink? Since to follow you, to adore you, I
have given up everything, my whole
being.
Deja que bese tus labios
rojos, tu frente suave, seda
de Ofir; deja que bese tus
negros ojos, tus ojos negros
hasta morir
Let me kiss your red lips, your soft
forehead, silk from Ophir; let me kiss your
black eyes, your black eyes until I die.
Chart 2. Descriptive chart of “Pasión” by Guty Cárdenas and Luis Rosado Vega, as recorded in 1930 for the Columbia label.
Time Section
0–
0:20
Intro
Sub
Section
i
0:20
–
0:38
A
a1
a1
0:39
–
1:08
B
b1
b2
b3
1:09
–
1:45
B’
b1’
b2’
b4
Musical
gestures
Solo
requinto
+ Rhythm
guitar
Three-voice
harmony in
homophonic
style
+ requinto
solos
Harmonic sequence
Lyrics
Translation
A-D-E
A
Vende caro tu amor;
Aventurera
Sell your love expensively
Adventuress
A-D-E
A
Da el precio del dolor
A tu pasado
Give the price of pain
To your past
Three-voice C#7
harmony in F# min
homophonic
style
B7 - B7 min - E
+ requinto
solos
A-D-E-A
Y aquel que de tu boca
La miel quiera
And whoever desires the
Honey in your lips
Que pague con brillantes tu
pecado
Let them pay your sin with
diamonds
Que pague con brillantes tu
pecado
Let them pay your sin with
diamonds
Three-voice C#7
harmony in F# min
homophonic
style
B7 - B7 min - E
+ requinto
solos
A - F# dim (+6th) - B
min - E7
Ya que la infamia
De tu cruel destino
Since the infamy
of your cruel destiny
Marchitó tu admirable
primavera
Withered your admirable
spring
Haz menos escabroso tu
camino
Make your path less
scabrous
A - F# min - B min - E7 A - F# min - B min - B
dim (-7) - A - E7 - A
a2
Vende caro tu amor
Aventurera
Sell your love expensively
Adventuress
A-D-E
A
Vende caro tu amor;
Aventurera
Sell your love expensively
Adventuress
A
1:46
–
2:04
Interlude
i
2:05
–
2:22
A
a1
a1
2:23
–
2:52
B
b1
b2
b3
Solo
requinto
+ Rhythm
guitar
Voices in
parallel
homophonic
style
+ requinto
solos
A - F# min - B min - E7 A - F# min - B min - B
dim (-7) - A - E7 - A
A-D-E
A
Da el precio del dolor
A tu pasado
Give the price of pain
To your past
Solo voice
+ requinto
solos
C#7
F# min
Y aquel que de tu boca
La miel quiera
And whoever desires the
Honey in your lips
B7 - B7 min - E
Que pague con brillantes tu
pecado
Let them pay your sin with
diamonds
Que pague con brillantes tu
pecado
Let them pay your sin with
diamonds
+ ThreeA-D-E-A
voice
harmony in
homophonic
style
+ requinto
solos
2:54
–
3:29
B’
b1’
Solo voice
+ requinto
solos
b2’
b4
a2
3:30
–
3:40
Codetta
+ Threevoice
harmony in
homophonic
style +
requinto
solos
Three-voice
harmony in
homophonic
style
C#7
F# min
Ya que la infamia
De tu cruel destino
Since the infamy
of your cruel destiny
B7 - B7 min - E
Marchitó tu admirable
primavera
Withered your admirable
spring
A - F# dim (+6th) - B
min - E7
Haz menos escabroso tu
camino
Make your path less
scabrous
A
Vende caro tu amor
Aventurera
Sell your love expensively
Adventuress
D min - A
Aventurera
Adventuress
Chart 3. Descriptive chart of “Aventurera” by Agustín Lara, played by Los Tres Reyes.
Companion Analyses for Chapter 3
Analysis of Guty Cárdenas’s “Pasión” (CD track 3)
Recorded in 1930 with an ensemble of two guitars, the song starts with a 12-measure instrumental introduction in which the rhythm
guitar features the cinquillo cubano and a variation of the clave rhythms (only the dotted quarter-dotted quarter-quarter note pattern in
first three measure of the clave pattern), and the solo guitar plays a sequential melodic line over a repeated iv-i6/4-V-i harmonic
progression in f minor (Example 1). Notice the prevalence of variations of the cinquillo cubano not only in the accompanying guitar
part but also in the construction of the song’s main melody in “hay en tus negros ojos ze[gríes],” in “[O]riente radiante,” and in
“dientes perlas de Or[muz]” (Example 2). The sense of syncopation brought up by the cinquillo and its variations is further
emphasized by the dotted quarter values at the end of the first two phrases in “[ze]gríes” and in “labios,” reminiscent of the first
portion of the clave rhythmic pattern in Fig 3.3 (in the book).
The song is in binary form with an instrumental introduction and interludes between the repeats of the A and B sections
(follow Chart 2). The overall structure is Introduction-A-Interlude 1-A’-B-Interlude 2-B. The introduction, the A section, and the first
interlude are in the key of f minor while the B section and the second interlude in the key of F major. The introduction (Example 1) is
divided in two sections, i1, which is a brief introductory motive in parallel sixths (0:00–0:04)) and i2, a repeated four-bar iv-i6/4-V-i
sequence (0:05-0:16) that ends on a tonic chord repeated in cinquillo pattern (0:16–0:18). The A section is divided in two subsections;
the first one, a1, from “hay en tu ojos” to “luz” (0:20–0:30) is based on a i-V harmonic motion with a brief hint to F major in “lumbre
de Oriente”; the second one, a2, from “miel en tus ojos” to “Ormuz” (0:31–0:40) is based on a V-i motion. Interlude 1 is a textual
repetition of the iv-i6/4-V-I sequence from the introduction. A’ is also divided in two subsections; the first one, a’1 (0:55–1:05).
Subsection a’1 starts like a1 but ends with a different melodic gesture in “tu dulce frente”; the second subsection, a’2 (1:06–1:17), is
modulatory sequence to F major. The B section is divided in two 12-bar subsections; the first one (1:18–1:38) continues to borrow
from the cinquillo pattern to build a melody over a simple harmonic progression in F major. Subsection b2 shows a more interesting
harmonic sequence, reminiscent of mid-19th century romantic music, with expressive major–minor shifts (B flat major–b flat minor)
and auxiliary dominant inflections (F major with minor seventh = V7/V).
Analysis of Agustín Lara’s “Aventurera” as performed by Los Tres Reyes (CD track 4)
Structure
Structured in an ABB’ form with an instrumental introduction and interlude, “Aventurera” varies with different interpretations. The
version by Los Tres Reyes included in the book’s companion CD (track 4) is a recent recording in guitar trio style that repeats the
ABB’ after the interlude. In his earlier recordings, Lara bases the instrumental interlude on the harmonic sequence and melodic
contour of the B’, which he repeats after the interlude to bring the song to a close. Noteworthy in this song is the composer’s use of
motivic material. Listening to the song and following the listening guideline in Chart 3 you may notice that the A section is made out
of the repetition of two a1 subsections but it lacks the usual a2 closing subsection. Instead, Lara introduces a B section that at first
seems to harmonically fulfill the role of the closing a2 subsection (by tonicizing f# minor and moving into the dominant area, E
major). However, the different motivic material as well as its lengths clearly makes this into a different section, not a closing
subsection of A. B’ is made out of two large subsections, the first one, comprised of b1’ and b2’ is a repeat of the first party of B but
with different lyrics this time; the second part of B’ brings a move away from A major via an f# diminished + 6th chord to close the
section with a recapitulation of the motivic material from the A section (the lyrics from A are also repeated, “Vende caro tu amor”) at
a2. One could make sense of the song’s overall structure as a kind of truncated A section that is only resolved at the end of the B
section.
Example 1. Introduction to “Pasión” by Guty Cárdenas and Luis Rosado Vega.
Example 2. From “Pasión” by Guty Cárdenas and Luis Rosado Vega.
List of Important Bolero Composers and Singers
Composers:
Ricardo Palmerín (1889–1944)
Alfonso Esparza Oteo (1894–1950)
María Grever (1894–1951)
Agustín Lara (1897–1970)
Gonzalo Curiel (1904–1958)
Augusto Alejandro “Guty” Cárdenas (1905–1932)
Luis Arcaraz (1910–1963)
Alberto Domínguez (1911–1975)
Consuelo Velázquez (1916–2005)
Álvaro Carrillo (1921–1969)
Vicente Garrido (1924–2003)
Rubén Fuentes (b. 1926)
Armando Manzanero (b. 1935)
Singers:
José Mojica (1896–1974)
Juan Arvizu (1900–1985)
Pedro Vargas (1906–1989)
Libertad Lamarque (1908–2000) [originally from Argentina]
Ramón Armengod (1909–1976)
“Toña la Negra” [María Antonia del Carmen Peregrino Alvarez] (1912–1982)
Emilio Tuero (1912–1971)
Pedro Infante (1917–1957)
Pepe Jara (1928–2005)
Javier Solís (1931–1966)
María Victoria (b. 1933)
Marco Antonio Muñiz (b. 1933)
Trios:
Trio Tariácuri
Hermanos Flores
Los Panchos
Los Calavera
Los Tres Ases
Los Tres Diamantes
Los Dandys
Los Tecolines
Los Tres Ases
Los Tres Reyes
List of important bolero ranchero composers and singers (1960s–current)
Composers:
Manuel Esperón (1911–2011)
Rubén Fuentes (b. 1926)
Roberto Cantoral (1935–2010)
Juan Gabriel [Alberto Aguilera Valadés] (b. 1950)
Ana Gabriel [María Guadalupe Araujo Yong] (b. 1955)
Singers:
Miguel Aceves Mejía (1915–2006)
Pedro Infante (1917–1957)
Javier Solís [Gabriel Siria Levario] (1931–1966)
Lola Beltrán [María Lucila Beltrán Ruíz] (1932–1996)
Enriqueta Jiménez “La Prieta Linda” (b. ca. 1932)
Lucha Villa [Luz Elena Ruíz Bejarano] (b. 1936)
Vicente Fernández (b. 1940)
Rocío Dúrcal [María de los Angeles de la Heras Ortíz] (1944–2006) [originally from Spain]
Juan Gabriel [Alberto Aguilera Valadés] (b. 1950)
Ana Gabriel [María Guadalupe Araujo Yong] (b. 1955)
Lucero [Lucero Hogaza León] (b. 1969)
Pedro Fernández [José Martín Cuevas Cobos] (b. 1969)
Alejandro Fernández (b. 1971)