FLAMENCO MUSIC

THE MUSIC OF SOUTHERN SPAIN

Flamenco is one of the great European nonacademic musical forms. More than simply a type of folk music, flamenco embodies a complex musical and cultural tradition. Although considered part of the culture of Spain in general, flamenco is really specifically a product and part of the culture of one region in Spain - Andalusia. There are many questions remaining about the roots of flamenco, but it is generally acknowledged that flamenco grew out of the unique interplay of native Spanish, Islamic, Sephardic, and Gypsy cultures that existed in Andalucia prior to and after the Reconquest. Once the seeds of flamenco were planted in Andalucia, it grew as a separate subculture, first centered in “baja” (lower) Andalucia, but soon spreading to the rest of Andalucia, incorporating and transforming local folk music forms.

Originally, flamenco consisted of unaccompanied singing (cante). Later, the songs were accompanied by flamenco guitar (toque), rhythmic hand clapping (palmas), rhythmic feet stomping (zapateado) and dance (baile). Toque and baile are also often found without the cante, although song remains at the heart of the flamenco tradition. More recently, other instruments have been introduced, such as the cajón (a wooden box used as a percussion instrument) and castanets (castañuelas). Recent research has shown that there was also a strong Sub-Saharan African influence, for example the African-derived zerembeque guards a tango compas. During the late-eighteenth to mid-nineteenth centuries, flamenco took on a number of unique characteristics which not only separated it from local folk music, but turned flamenco into a way of life centered around the music.

"Nuevo Flamenco", or New Flamenco, is a recent variant of flamenco which has been influenced by modern musical genres, like rumba, salsa, pop, rock and jazz.It is widely accepted that Nuevo Flamenco started in 1975 with the Lole y Manuel first album Nuevo Día. Although the most important early pioneers of modern flamenco are widely accepted to be the guitarist Paco de Lucía, and singer Camarón de la Isla, other musical genres have also played a key role in influencing nuevo flamenco.

There remain questions not only about the origins of the music and dances of flamenco, but also about the origins of the very word flamenco. But whatever the origins of the word, in the early nineteenth century it began to be used to describe a way of life centered around this music. The music and culture of flamenco began to be associated with particular performers, mainly gypsies from particular families (castas) who authored and preserved certain songs and dances. Although to the uninitiated, flamenco seems totally extemporaneous, these cantes (songs) and bailes (dances) follow strict musical and poetic rules. During this period of development, the “flamenco fiesta” developed. More than just a party where flamenco is performed, the fiesta either unpaid (reunion) or paid, sometimes lasting for days, has an internal etiquette with a complex set of musical and social rules. In fact, some might argue that the cultural phenomenon of the flamenco fiesta is the basic cultural “unit” of flamenco.

During the nineteenth century, both flamenco and its association with Gypsies became popular throughout Europe, even into Russia. Composers wrote music and opera on what they thought were Gypsy-flamenco themes. Any traveler through Spain “had” to see the Gypsies perform flamenco. Spain - often to the chagrin of non-Andalucian Spaniards - became associated with flamenco and Gypsies. It was during this period that a new venue was created - commercial stage flamenco with ticketed public performances.

Foreigners often think that the essence of flamenco is the dance. However, the heart of flamenco is the song (cante). The verses (coplas) of these songs often are beautiful and concise poems, and the style of the flamenco copla was often imitated by Spanish poets. Garcia Lorca is perhaps the best known of these poets. In the 1920's he, along with the composer Manuel de Falla and other intellectuals, crusaded to raise the status of flamenco as an art form and preserve its purity. But the future of flamenco is uncertain. Flamenco is tied to the conditions and culture of Andalusia in the past, and as Spain modernizes and integrates into the European community, it is questionable whether flamenco can survive the social and economic changes.

FLAMENCO EVENING IN GRANADA

Recomendad by Granada B&B Homestay

“Venta El Gallo”

FLAMENCO CAVE & RESTAURANT IN THE GYPSY NEIGHBOURHOOD OF SACROMONTE

COMING TO GRANADA TO SEE SOME FLAMENCO?

NEED A PLACE TO STAY IN GRANADA?

Granada B&B Homestay is a truly charming family run bed and breakfast in Granada.

They will help you picking the best flamenco shows and let you know about performances in local venues and private "peñas"

Cosy and quiet and right in the centre, their B&B is a completely different experience from being in a hotel or hostel.

Visit their website for more info:  www.granadahomestay.com

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