Flamenco of Spain

While looking for a music to study, I came across Flamenco from Spain. I have always been facinated by Spain, so I am excited by this opportunity to learn a little of the history, culture, and music of Spain through the study of flamenco. Flamenco is beautiful to watch, and although I do not speak Spanish, I think it sounds lovely despite not understanding most of the lyrics.

Here is a little taste, please don't feel like you need to watch the whole thing, rather, click through and you can see parts from a few different songs.

Firstly, I went looking for some history of the flamenco, and found that it has a rich history. Described as "mysterious" by Britannica, it seems that flamenco was likely first brought to southern Spain by gypsies travelling through the 9th to 14th centuries. It is speculated that flamenco may have actually originated in India. Frequently instruments like tamborines and bells were used. In the 19th century, guitar began to be an important part of flamenco music as well.

A noteworthy instrument used in the flamenco is the palo seco, which means "dry stick". It is typically used to mark time for dancing.

When you say flamenco, you are referencing the three parts that make up flamenco. It is the dance (baile), song (cante), and the music (toque). For the purpose of this blog I will be focusing mainly on the musical aspects of flamenco.

As far as the song goes, however, an interesting tidbit is that flamenco artists usually uses improvision and intuition to perform on the Spanish guitar. The guitar player is almost always a man. Lyrics are usually passed down from one generation to another instead of written music. A good flamenco performance should be unique to the artist and their emotions, history, and culture.

Cante jondo means "profound song". This is believed to be the oldest form of flamenco. It typically features a 12- beat rhythm. This music is used to express profound feelings such as despair, death, religious doubting, etc. The cante can be sung by both men and women. 

On youtube, I found the following video. You can hear that it is indeed expressing some profound emotions.

Next, we have cante intermedio, which clearly means intermediate song, and is also known as cante flamenco. This style incorporates a few different styles of Spanish music, particularly the fandango. Lastly, we have the cante chico, which means "light song". This last style has a simplier rhythm, and is typically used for happier songs, such as love songs.

Duende is a fascinating part of the flamenco. It seems that some artists feel themselves taken over by the music, and the beliefs about this have great range. Some believe that the artist may become inspired, and therefore use their best performing skills. Others believe that the artist may be overtaken by some spirit or mythical creature. The myths of duende are very interesting.

Below you can see some passionate performers, who, it is implied, are experiencing the duende.

Below is a video that I found describing flamenco in present day. I found it to be very enlightening and she describes flamenco much more eloquently than I have done. 

I have been pleasantly surprised by the passion and beauty of the flamenco. I am glad to have found it and thoroughly enjoyed the research journey. I hope that you were inspired by the flamenco and its rich history and beautiful sounds. 

Bennahum, Ninotchka Devorah. "flamenco". Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Oct. 2021, https://www.britannica.com/art/flamenco. Accessed 26 November 2022.

Webster, Jason. "Awakening Duende: The Dark, Creative Force of Flamenco." Guitar Magazine. https://classicalguitarmagazine.com/awakening-duende-the-dark-creative-force-of-flamenco. Accessed 26 November 2022.

Vallaure, Sandra. "What is Flamenco? A Complete Introduction" Spain Traveller. https://www.spain-traveller.com/en/what-is-flamenco. Accessed 26 November 2022.