Question: What instrument, introduced by German settlers, contributed to the creation of conjunto music in South Texas in the 1890s?
Answer: The accordion. The conjunto (meaning “ensemble”) genre refers to music produced by the combination of an accordion, a bajo sexto (“sixth bass”—an acoustic twelve-string version of a bass guitar), drums, and, since the 1950s, an electric bass. Blending Mexican folk traditions with European polka and waltz rhythms, the genre was popularized by Narciso Martinez, known as the “Hurricane of the Valley,” and San Antonio’s Santiago Jiménez Sr.
