La Pequena Nina Pecosa

Description

The march La Pequeña Niña Pecosa was composed for the Pecos, Texas High School band (Stan Mauldin, director) for performance at the Texas UIL contest. It is a Mexican march and not a Spanish Paso Doble. Mexican marches are very different in style and character. Marches from Mexico use melodic material that is more scale wise and with few leaps or wide intervals. The melodic material in Mexican marches is generally harmonized in thirds and often uses folk songs or folk-like ‘tunes.’ Modulation is more abrupt and the use of trumpet ‘calls’ is common. Measures 41 through 57 use the Mexican folk song “La Adelita.” The composer prefers the alternate orchestration of 2 flutes or 2 piccolos, trumpet and percussion. “La Adelita” is one of the most famous corridos (folk songs) to come out of the Mexican Revolution. It is the story of a young woman in love with a sergeant who travels with him and his regiment. The song is supposed to be based on a real-life character, the identity of whom, however, has not been yet established beyond doubt. Some claim her real name was Altagracia Martínez, also known as Marieta Martínez, while others maintain she was, in fact, Adela Velarde, who actually took part in military action in the capacity of nurse, not out of infatuation with a sergeant, as a popular myth goes. “La Adelita” came to be an archetype of a woman warrior in Mexico during the Mexican Revolution. An Adelita was a soldadera, or woman soldier, who not only cooked and cared for the wounded but also actually fought in battles against Mexican government forces. In time the word adelita was used for all the soldaderas, who became a vital force in the revolutionary war efforts. The term La Adelita has since come to signify a woman of strength and courage. La Pequeña Niña Pecosa is dedicated to Richard Kole “with the greatest of gratitude and respect for all he has done for Texas bands” and in honor of his 92nd birthday.

Published by: RBC Publications