An immortal piece. Composed by Simón Díaz,, this song has been subject to versions and arrangenments. I always felt guilty because I didn't know any song by Tío Simón. I mean I know the lyrics of a lot of them, but playing one was another deal.
This version by Alís Cruces sounds incredible and it's simple enough for me to tackle. Well, I'm still learning it, but once I'm through, it will be permanent part of my repertoire. Yes, gonna play it till it makes people around me sick. It's unlikely, but who knows?
Though it follows the 5/8 time signature typical of Merengues and Aguinaldos, this piece is a Tonada. These are working tunes from the plains. Working in the sense people sings this while doing their daily jobs: milking cows, moving them, going on horseback a and everything else. Allegedly, these are especial for milking cows since each animal has a particular tune that soothes it while the process is taking place. A truly remarkable use for a song.
There are Tonadas as there are inches of fields in the plains. Most of them haven't been written and are only known by those who sing them. The work of Simón Díaz was preserving this genre and bringing it to the mainstream of Traditional Venezuelan Music. Nowadays, it is thanks to him that many artists venture to sing these and even compose them.
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