Defining Conjunto Quantitatively: Classical and Modernist Styles in a Texas-Mexican Genre

Abstract

Betraying the genre’s heritage in European influences, one of the most frequently recorded songs within the TexasMexican conjunto tradition is the “Beer Barrel Polka,” translated into Spanish as “El Barrilito.” Composed by Czech musician Jaromír Vejvoda and popular worldwide during World War II, the tune has been recorded by a variety of conjunto artists, including the socalled “father of conjunto music” Narciso Martínez; other eminent early stars like Tony De La Rosa, Valerio Longoria, and Ruben Vela; more stylistically innovative musicians like Flaco Jiménez; and even members of the subsequent generation like Max Baca. However, contemporary TexasMexican musicians like Juanito Castillo, Piñata Protest, and Sunny Sauceda have not recorded the classic song. This first group of artists represents a collective tradition comprising a common repertory passed down through oral tradition. Meanwhile, recent musicians like Castillo, Piñata Protest, and Sauceda instead create original repertory alongside borrowed songs and stylistic traits from rock, country, and the blues (among others). In addition, while conjunto itself and many of its early artists initiated in rural communities along the TexasMexican border in the Rio Grande Valley, this “modernist” group of musicians (my term) emanates from the urban center of San Antonio. The quantitative methods in this article then highlight two divergent