Ruben Cobos, recorder, December 20, 1974
File — Box: 4, CD: 393
Scope and Content
From the Collection:
The collection consists of 591 recordings of folk songs, folklore and local histories collected by Ruben Cobos from 1944-1974 in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. Also included in the collection are about 270 additional recordings of selected music - a few from New Mexico, many from Mexico and Latin America, and others from Spain, Europe and the U.S. The recordings vary in quality between good, fair, and poor. They contain both musical and spoken content. Most recordings are in Spanish, however, a few are in English. Others are Bilingual or represent the use of Spanglish.
The informants are mainly from New Mexico and Colorado, with a few from California, Texas and Mexico. The collections focuses heavily on spoken Spanish, with examples of poetry, riddles, proverbs, legends, anecdotes, folk tales, mysteries, prayers, nursery rhymes, games, jokes, language use, tricky words, tongue twisters, memories, local history and family history. The Spanish songs include alabados, entriegas for weddings and baptisms, inditas, corridos and ballads, pastores, posadas, love songs, folk dance music, etc. Traditions of Los Juanes and Los Manueles, Penitente morada practices, including women Penitentes, Holy Week songs and activities and the role of the church, santos and fiestas in the lives of the people are also included. There are also several lectures on folklore, music and culture by Cobos and other scholars, including Fray Angelico Chavez, Charles Briggs, Alfonso Ortiz, Arthur Leon Campa, Marta Weigle, Guadalupe Baca Vaughn, Anita Thomas and others. Included also are autobiographical accounts by Ruben Cobos and his wife Elvira.
Songs and stories about and for children, their health and education are included. Although the majority of the information is about Spanish and Hispanic traditions, the collection also provides some materials by and about non-Hispanics and the relationship between the races. A small amount of stories and songs relate to Apaches, Navajos, Pueblos, Mexicanos, African Americans, and Anglos (gringos).
Songs and stories by or about males show them in every walk of life, as rich and poor, old and young, as husbands, widowers, fathers, sons, relatives, compadres, friends, orphans, opponents, collaborators, kings, princes, commoners, giants, ranchers, cowboys, shepherds, farmers, woodcutters, shoemakers, vendors, railroaders, hunters, priests, doctors, teachers, politicians, attorneys, meteorologists, soldiers, witches, simpletons, gamblers, murderers, drunks, adulturers and thieves.
Recordings by and about women add value and perspective to the collection. Females are rich and poor, old and young, girl friends, lovers, adulteresses, wives, widows, mothers, comadres, church attendees, housekeepers for priests, nuns, princesses, queens, teachers, curanderas, cooks and witches. Some of the characters found in the collection are Cinderella, Genoveva de Brabanate, Goldilocks, Delgadina, La Llorona, Doña Cebolla, Dona Fortuna and the Virgin Mary, as well as San Antonio, San Pedro, Bartoldo, Don Cacahuate, Juan Charrasqueado, Pedro and Juan de Urdemalas, Ali Baba, Don Dinero, Tio Botitas and others.
The collection contains descriptions, traditions, local history and songs for New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Missouri, Kansas and Mexico. There are references to the Civil War in New Mexico, the Spanish American War, World War I and World War II. Stories tell of superstitions, supernatural, unexplained phenomenon, balls of fire and light, lightening, a comet, the sun, moon, finding treasure, ghosts, devils and magic. Additional topics include traditional food and cooking, health and home remedies. Included also are stories and references to insects, animals, birds, fish and snakes, as well as floods and storms, and automobiles and airplanes.
The informants are mainly from New Mexico and Colorado, with a few from California, Texas and Mexico. The collections focuses heavily on spoken Spanish, with examples of poetry, riddles, proverbs, legends, anecdotes, folk tales, mysteries, prayers, nursery rhymes, games, jokes, language use, tricky words, tongue twisters, memories, local history and family history. The Spanish songs include alabados, entriegas for weddings and baptisms, inditas, corridos and ballads, pastores, posadas, love songs, folk dance music, etc. Traditions of Los Juanes and Los Manueles, Penitente morada practices, including women Penitentes, Holy Week songs and activities and the role of the church, santos and fiestas in the lives of the people are also included. There are also several lectures on folklore, music and culture by Cobos and other scholars, including Fray Angelico Chavez, Charles Briggs, Alfonso Ortiz, Arthur Leon Campa, Marta Weigle, Guadalupe Baca Vaughn, Anita Thomas and others. Included also are autobiographical accounts by Ruben Cobos and his wife Elvira.
Songs and stories about and for children, their health and education are included. Although the majority of the information is about Spanish and Hispanic traditions, the collection also provides some materials by and about non-Hispanics and the relationship between the races. A small amount of stories and songs relate to Apaches, Navajos, Pueblos, Mexicanos, African Americans, and Anglos (gringos).
Songs and stories by or about males show them in every walk of life, as rich and poor, old and young, as husbands, widowers, fathers, sons, relatives, compadres, friends, orphans, opponents, collaborators, kings, princes, commoners, giants, ranchers, cowboys, shepherds, farmers, woodcutters, shoemakers, vendors, railroaders, hunters, priests, doctors, teachers, politicians, attorneys, meteorologists, soldiers, witches, simpletons, gamblers, murderers, drunks, adulturers and thieves.
Recordings by and about women add value and perspective to the collection. Females are rich and poor, old and young, girl friends, lovers, adulteresses, wives, widows, mothers, comadres, church attendees, housekeepers for priests, nuns, princesses, queens, teachers, curanderas, cooks and witches. Some of the characters found in the collection are Cinderella, Genoveva de Brabanate, Goldilocks, Delgadina, La Llorona, Doña Cebolla, Dona Fortuna and the Virgin Mary, as well as San Antonio, San Pedro, Bartoldo, Don Cacahuate, Juan Charrasqueado, Pedro and Juan de Urdemalas, Ali Baba, Don Dinero, Tio Botitas and others.
The collection contains descriptions, traditions, local history and songs for New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Missouri, Kansas and Mexico. There are references to the Civil War in New Mexico, the Spanish American War, World War I and World War II. Stories tell of superstitions, supernatural, unexplained phenomenon, balls of fire and light, lightening, a comet, the sun, moon, finding treasure, ghosts, devils and magic. Additional topics include traditional food and cooking, health and home remedies. Included also are stories and references to insects, animals, birds, fish and snakes, as well as floods and storms, and automobiles and airplanes.
Dates
- December 20, 1974
Language of Materials
From the Collection:
English, Spanish
Access Restrictions
The collection is open for research.
Extent
From the Collection: 13 boxes (12.25 cu. ft.)
General
Carmen Martin, from Valencia, NM. Begins at 00:04 and ends at 59:10. Part I. 1. Conversation (fair to poor recording, conversation with Dr. Cobos and Carmen about traditions, speaker is from Valencia, Spain, Spanish accent, Spanish dialect, Cobos is remembering when he was a child, un velorio, funeral traditions, death, muerte, body on kitchen table in the house, must wait 24 hours before body may be buried to prevent burying people alive, then goes on to talking bout culture, schools, traditional food, cooking, plato, arroz, otros platos, meals, baptismal is held the second Sunday after birth of child, children, Cobos discusses phonetics - Spanish language, labiodental /v/ phoneme, chavos, el volo, el calendario, el dia de todos santos, All Saints Day, purgatorio, naming a newly baptized child, first son takes the paternal grandfather's name, second son takes the maternal grandfather's name, some people name their child depending on what Saint's day it is, speaker's full name is Maria del Carmen Martin Lara); 2. Conversation (good recording, about dialectal differences, Valencianos usan la expression che like Venezuela, jardines en Valencia, gardens, orquesta, concierto, music, ayuntamiento, city hall, government, banda taurina, Las Torres, la huerta, naranjas, legumbres, oranges, vegetables, flores, flowers); 3. Fiestas (good recording, traje regional, tela gruesa, bordada, colores, carpina, especie de manton, San Jose fiesta, constructing the fallas, December celebration, three days, fiestas, hogarenas, no hay arboles, regalos, fiesta de media noche, ninos en el coro, children, cantos de Navidad, Christmas, saludos, villancicos, carrancas, rattles, turron, drums, se come pavo cerdo, no Thanksgiving celebration, dulces, comiendo cuatro horas, pascuas navidenas, cena, albados, serenatas a las chicas, youth, copitas, conac, licores, liquor, no whiskey, las chicas se unen a los chicos, hasta 5 AM, Dia de Navidad, Christmas, comen mucho, las estrenas, after the dinner, elders give estrenas or dinero or carmelas a los chicos); 4. Ferias (like State fair, caballitos, diversiones); 5. Dia del ano nuevo (good recording, New Years Day, local traditions, holidays, clubs, cena, verbena, doce uvas, champagne, tiros al aire para despedir al ano viejo, fire guns, rifles in air to drive out old year, bring in new); 6. January 6 (el seis de enero, regalos para ninos, children, 5 PM por el noche paseo, tiran dulces juegetes, etc., en balcones, camellos, zapatitos, zanahorias, hierba, regalos); 7. Fiesta, San Jose, March 19, carpinteros, se deshacen de las casas que no necesitaban, queman, las fallas, queman coasa en barrios, se reunen los chicos, jovenes, children, vecinos dan dinero, se escoja una reina del foc, fuego, faela, se eligen reinas, de falla, flores, etc. Los chicos reunen el dinero, hacen imagines y monumentos para quemarlos, cena del sobaquillo, presentacion de la reina, funcion de teatro, etc. Falla principal en la plaza del condillo, Los Torres, el alcalde da los llaves a la reina, quien pronuncia en discurso, castillos de fuego, fabricas de polvora, cuatro dias antes de fiesta de San Jose, bandas municipales tocan, premios a los mejores monumentos, pasa calles, concursos, casaletas, bebidas, bunuelos, churros, food, chocolate, paella, cantos, chicas en trajes); 8. Dia de la iglesia (good recording, traditions, customs, Spain, a la puerta de la basilica, Virgen de los desamparados, Virgin Mary, patrona del reino de Valencia, un ramo de flores, oferta de flores, cada nina lleva un ramillete a la virgen, children, olor de flores, religion of the people, end of the fiesta, prizes, some were huge munecas, not burn the one that won the prize, hedios de madera, papel, tela, faina, faena, at 10 PM burn the others, noche de fuego, much light from the fires. Visitors to Valencia from around the world, next day all is quiet); 9. Fiesta de Pascuas, Semana Santa, Holy Week, Spanish trajes ricos, clothing, costume, negro dress, black, mantilla, parish churches, small towns, decorate the altar of church for Holy Week, passion play, calvary, songs, saetas, funeral music, cofradias, penance, fasting, procession, statues, bells, ruido, back to the church, Pascuas, Easter, Easter eggs, cacarones, food, pan dulce quemado, con langaniza, like salami, chocolate, go to the countryside for a picnic, lunch in a basket; color Easter eggs, San Vicente, martir, fiesta, Virgen de los desamparados, Virgin Mary); 10. School (good recording, traditions, customs of Spain, May to September, end of school, education, classes, cost, vacaciones, vacations, family, to the beaches,, cont. on CD 394.
Creator
- From the Collection: Cobos, Rubén (Person)
Repository Details
Part of the UNM Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections Repository
Contact:
University of New Mexico Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections
University Libraries, MSC05 3020
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque NM 87131
505-277-6451
cswrref@unm.edu
University of New Mexico Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections
University Libraries, MSC05 3020
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque NM 87131
505-277-6451
cswrref@unm.edu