It might surprise you that Tejana music did not start either in Texas or in Mexico,but in Europe.It all began with the polka.This was a folk dance from Bohemia.It was for young lovers,and so was very lively.It was made up of a hop and three short steps,and the music that went with it had a marked beat.The polka appeared in Paris in about 1843,and immediately became a great success.It quickly spread throughout Europe.Eventually even serious musicians such as Smetana and Dvorak used its beats in their work.It traveled east to the Russian court at St.Petersburg,and as far west as the new world.German introduced the polka and its music to Texas,where once again it became a huge popular success.
It was there on the US-Mexican border that local musicians started to mix the European polka with Mexican mariachi music.Mariachi music was traditionally played at weddings in Mexico,and it is possible that that is how it got its name.Mariachi might well be a Spanish version of the French word for marriage.Soon the pleasant European accordions (手風(fēng)琴) mixed with the Mexican bass guitar to produce a completely new and very unusual type of music.This music acquired two different names: "Tejana" in the United States and "Nortena" in Mexico.
For decades Tejana music did not go beyond the dance halls and popular gatherings of it birthplace.It was not until about seventy years after its appearance that Tejana music began to spread widely.Then a young Mexican-American singer, "Selena",made it popular throughout the United States,and in other countries too.
In the hundred years since its birth Tejana music has suffered great changes.The accordion still there,but the electric guitar has replaced the Mexican bass.The latest Tejana/Nortena hits more elements of US country and western and rock,as well as Colombian cumbia.The unique musical form that began with a European folk dance continues to develop and grow in popularity.
(1)According to the passage,what was a polka? (不多于三個單詞)
A folk dance.
A folk dance.
(2)In what occasion (場合) was Mexican mariachi music traditionally played? (不多于兩個單詞) At weddings.
At weddings.
(3)When did Tejana music begin to spread widely? (不多于六個單詞) About seventy years after its appearance.
About seventy years after its appearance.
(4)What does the passage mainly talk about? (不多于五個單詞) The development of Tejana music.
The development of Tejana music.