Tex-Mex Polkas - arr. Terry Baldridge [DIGITAL SET]

In the early 19th century, the people of German, Czech, and Polish visitors brought dance music from their own culture, the most popular being the polka. The local inhabitants of south Texas and north Mexico were drawn to this music as performed on the button accordion, adopting it and making it their own. This collection of Tex-Mex Polkas has been arranged for 3 players on one 4-octave marimba, further expanding the repertoire.

Genre: Marimba Trio Collection | # of Players: 1
Series:
Level: Intermediate | Duration: 19:00

Instrumentation
Score (9"x12" stapled booklet)
Shared 4-octave Marimba
Part 1 (2-mallet)
Part 2 (2-mallet)
Harmony (3-mallet)

Program Notes
Polka Music in Texas & Mexico

The first Germans arrived in Texas in the 1830s, followed by the Czechs in the 1840s, and the Poles in the 1850s. Each of these ethnic groups brought their own variety of dance music, the most popular being the polka. Each group tended to settle in communities and they preserved their traditional culture as it had been practiced in their homeland.

The local inhabitants of south Texas and north Mexico, typically of Hispanic descent, were drawn to the exciting sounds of this music as performed on the button accordion. They soon began learning and performing this music and composing new tunes; they adopted this music and made it their own.

Polkas in this Volume
This volume contains two categories of polkas. The first was composed by persons of European descent living in Texas, written for piano and published in the late nineteenth century. The second, from the early twentieth century, was generally composed by persons of Hispanic descent living in Texas and Mexico, written for the button accordion but not published. This music was part of an oral tradition and the composers are rarely known.