La Marcha De Zacatecas - Genaro Codina

Today I share with you all a song that was composed over 100 years ago by Genaro Codina. Codina actually composed it as part of a bet between himself and Fernando Villalpando to see who could compose the best march for the then-governor of the Mexican state of Zacatecas. What fun! Both contestants submitted their compositions to a jury, which consisted of friends and family. Codina's piece ended up winning and it was debuted for the governor, General Jesús Aréchiga and conducted by the loser, Villalpando. Today, the song (which has lyrics, too) is considered the regional anthem for the state of Zacatecas and some consider it the unofficial nantional anthem.

This song is very fun to play and listeners always find it entertaining. I did omit the last part actually (the F Major part). The song is so long and has many repeats (I only repeated my favorite part [the part that starts on D7]) and goes back to the beginning twice. Since I almost always play this shortened version, I rarely get a chance to practice that last part. The piano arrangement is a whole step above the concert band arrangement for some reason. Back in my mariachi days, I had arranged this song for us to play but the other members found it too difficult/confusing and not widely known enough.
I hope you enjoy this classic Mexican piece of history and art.