Music is “is an art form whose medium is sound and silence.” Music has been around since ancient times. Music was in fact an integral part of Greek and even Roman culture. Professional musicians were valued members of society and musical education was an important part of the training of elites. Music was regarded as a sign of culture and taste. Today music continues to be a great part of society. However, throughout the years music has been influenced and changed, which have lead to the different genres today: Hip hop, pop, indie, jazz, rock, latin, etc.
In Mexico, one popular type of music are corridos. A corrido is a popular narrative song in poetry form. Corridos are often about oppression, history, daily life for peasants, and other socially important information. This type of genre goes back to the Mexican Revolution. A corrido from this time period that continues to be popular today is “La Adelita.” La Adelita is the story of a young woman in love with a sergeant who travels with him and his regiment. This corriedo was composed in honor of the heroic women who dedicated their lives to the Revolution by joining the war efforts on the battlefield.
Today, this genre continues to prosper in Mexico. Although corridos have changed, they continue to be narrative songs. However, most corridos now tend to be about drug dealers. These corridos are known as “narco-corridos.” There are other corridos based on other subjects like immigrants crossing the frontear. Many Hispanics cross the border every year and many die in the attempt of reaching the Amercian Dream. Corridos often narrate these unfortunate stories. Sadly, immigration is more than a corrido inspiration, these corridos are real life events. Hispanics cross the border in the dream of reaching and achieving a better life than the one they left behind. Many are not fortunate to step foot on the other side of the border and the ones that do, often face obstacles. It is not easy being in a country that is not yours. However, music is always there to bring back memories and make Hispanics feel at home.