Ruben Cobos, recorder, July 21, n.d.
File — Box: 5, CD: 416 A
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
- July 21, n.d.
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
Ruben Cobos, cont. from CD 415. Begins at 00:17 and ends at 43:00. Lecture (fair recording, volume is very low, for class at Colorado College, in Colorado Springs, ca. 1975. Cobos states that he is going to speak about beliefs, superstitions, taboos, humor, and customs or traditions, fricative intervocalic /b/, phonetics, Spanish language, luminaria used to mean a bonfire vs. a Christmas tradition or invitation to the abuelos to come into your home, the abuelos search for misbehaving children, stories used to instill good behavior and fear in children, discipline, family, oremos, aguinaldos used to mean presents for Christmas, in the 1850's an Anglicized view and tradition of Christmas began, traditionally the aguinaldos were only given to the servants after the midnight mass, la misa de gallo, children received gifts on Epiphany on January 6, now children get their gifts on Christmas day, beliefs vs. superstition, they are different and depend on the individual and the ethnic group, a child is beautiful if they have a light complexion but they will not comment on a child who is darker, ethnicity, identity, color, racism, according to Cobos this is a general belief among Spanish speaking people, very thin girls are not considered attractive, folk tale about two meterologists and their donkey who ask for posada with an old woman, the lady tells them that it is going to rain heavily because the donkey is kicking and screaming and the meterologists were surprised that the animals could tell the weather better than they could, is interpreting the behavior of an animal considered to be a superstition or a belief, brain transplants, brand new brains, humor, following the lecture is live music by Alex J. Chavez, who was from the San Luis Valley, lecture given on July 21, year not provided).
Alex J. Chavez, San Luis Valley. Alex Chavez was known for his alabados and other folk songs from Southern Colorado and New Mexico. Part I of II, begins at 43:01 and ends at 55:40. 1. El tejon (good recording, guitar, singing, el tejon, the badger); 2. La rana (good recording, guitar, singing, frog, la rana, sprider told the frog to stop singing, the fly, the mouse, the cat, the dog, the man, the mother in law, not even the devil could make her shut up); 3. Mi caballo (good recording, song); 4. Lecture (good recording, on songs, indigenous Native American, Indian musical influence in folk music of the Hispanos and Spanish in the Southwest, Arabian, Moorish and Spanish influence in the alabados of the Penitentes, ornamentation used in the alabados, characteristic of the Arabian, Moorish and Spanish, alabado for San Juan Bautista); 5. Alabado, Considera alma perdida (good recording, song, Jesus the Savior, singing, thirty verses, the Penitentes would have a small notebook with the many verses to this song and others, alabado means song of praise, sung particularly during the Holy Week ceremonies, Semana Santa. Chavez cont. on CD 416 B).
Alex J. Chavez, San Luis Valley. Alex Chavez was known for his alabados and other folk songs from Southern Colorado and New Mexico. Part I of II, begins at 43:01 and ends at 55:40. 1. El tejon (good recording, guitar, singing, el tejon, the badger); 2. La rana (good recording, guitar, singing, frog, la rana, sprider told the frog to stop singing, the fly, the mouse, the cat, the dog, the man, the mother in law, not even the devil could make her shut up); 3. Mi caballo (good recording, song); 4. Lecture (good recording, on songs, indigenous Native American, Indian musical influence in folk music of the Hispanos and Spanish in the Southwest, Arabian, Moorish and Spanish influence in the alabados of the Penitentes, ornamentation used in the alabados, characteristic of the Arabian, Moorish and Spanish, alabado for San Juan Bautista); 5. Alabado, Considera alma perdida (good recording, song, Jesus the Savior, singing, thirty verses, the Penitentes would have a small notebook with the many verses to this song and others, alabado means song of praise, sung particularly during the Holy Week ceremonies, Semana Santa. Chavez cont. on CD 416 B).
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
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