CHAPTER 10

Just as ranch families provided their own food, they also created their own entertainment. The older members of the family were all musicians. They sang country songs, canciones rancheras, that were popular at the time. They did this for both enjoyment and practice. They were a happy family and really enjoyed these occasions.

Three members of the family played as part of a band. Members of the group were Benigno Ramón, who played the clarinet; Eleuterio, who played the saxophone and the flute; Eustorgio, who played the drums called platinos; Praxedis, who played the guitar and the bass, or bajo sexto; and Victor González, who played the violin. Eugenioalso could play the violin, but he played it only at home, not in public. The group played at dances, weddings, birthdays, and anniversaries. Sometimes after the dances they played serenades. The family musicians also played at the ferias from the 1920s to the 1940s. They took part in gatherings at Premont, Benavides, San Diego, Concepción, and all the surrounding ranches and communities.

The person who gave them their start as musicians was Evaristo Martínez, who had a true gift for music. From him they learned the basic chords, the tempo of music, and principles of harmony. Mr. Martínez lived close to the old school. On Friday afternoons, during the music and singing class period, he came to the school. With permission from the teacher, he worked with the students and arranged the different voices to sound like a choir.

When someone wanted to honor a relative or a friend, the musicians gave a serenade, called dar una serenata. It was hard to refuse a request for serenatas, even when a dance had ended around 1:00 a.m., because all the neighbors were related. Usually someone had a bottle of strong liquor such as tequila, which was passed around for all to drink. Praxedis said that since he did not like to drink, he would put his finger on the tip of the bottle, touch it to his mouth, and act like he had taken a swallow. These serenatas ended after the musicians played about three selections. By the time they arrived home, the sun was usually coming up.

When the boys started playing at events, sometime around 1915, they traveled on horseback and carried their instruments with them. Later they came in a buckboard, or carretela. After 1920 they used a car, arriving home about 3:00 a.m. It was difficult to get up the next day to work in the fields. It was a hard life for the musicians, but they got pleasure from seeing other people enjoy their music. This compensated them for the drain on their energy.

At first the group did not have a name, but, in the early 1930s, the orchestra took a formal name. Eustorgio's wife, Rosaura, drew a picture on the side of the big drum that faced the audience. She drew a Mexican dancer called a China poblana, in a dance with a horseman, a charro. She printed the name ORQUESTA SÁENZ around the outer circle of the picture.

Another musician in the group was Benigno Ramón, their first cousin, who played the violin. Later, Benigno played the clarinet, and Victor González from Mazatlán played the violin with the group. Once in a while, the group was lucky and persuaded Esteban Canales, father of Johnny Canales of television fame, to play with them. Esteban played the trumpet and was very charming and a lot of fun.

Esteban's father, Benito Canales, who lived at Rancho La Nacaguita near Rancho de Agua Dulce, also played the accordion. Benito was a professional musician. He played everywhere and always carried his accordion in a canvas bag. He sang the current ballads, or corridos, and played polkas; waltzes, or valses; and popular music of all types. Both Esteban and Benito were good at telling jokes.

The admission to these dances was normally 50 cents per person. The musicians were paid about ten reales, or about $1.25 each. It was not a money-making deal and was done mainly as fun for themselves and everyone else. The school buildings where they played were not large. People pulled the desks to the side so that mothers and girls could sit. Not much space was left for dancing. The leaders made a list of all the dancers, divided them into three or four groups, and gave them different colored ribbons so that they could take turns dancing.

The family daughters liked Saturdays because they loved to dance. They waited anxiously for Mamá María's permission to go to the dance. One or two of the brothers accompanied them. The only thing that prevented their going to a dance was when the family was in mourning. Natalia said, "Only the daughters learned how to dance." Eugenio did not like to dance, so he would make a special pumpkin candy and take it to sell at the dances. They were a happy family. They enjoyed the dances, the ferias, and the weddings, which lasted several days with lots of music and dancing. The dances closest to them were those at Santo Niño School. Lights for these dances came from kerosene lamps hanging inside. Once in a while someone had a gasoline lamp, which had a small pump that forced air into the gasoline chamber and lit two asbestos mantles. The mantles burned white and gave out a brilliant light.

Yet another form of entertainment was horseracing. Anastacio kept horses at the track at Rancho El Mesquite. Another racetrack was called Veredas. On Sunday afternoons, people from the neighboring ranches would come to the races. Riding as jockey for Tío Anastacio was his son, Tomás, who also trained the horses. He was tall, slim, and lightweight. Tío Anastacio owned good thoroughbred horses that he raced all over South Texas and later in Mexico until the 1940s.

Nataliaremembered the family traveling to the races at Rancho El Mesquite in a Ford car around 1921 to 1924. At the races, Tía Josefaset up a canvas-covered booth, or fonda, where she sold plates of food.