Big Blog II: Flamenco

    I am doing my last big blog on Spanish Flamenco music. I chose this because Spanish pop is one of my favorite genres of music to listen to, and I wanted to learn more about this kind of music that Dr. Vaneman just happened to mention. She brought up the dancers that also go along with this music, which would be a perfect topic to discuss. So here is everything I learned about Flamenco Spanish music. 

As we all know, music is its own art form, and there are many unique kinds of music; flamenco music is based on various folkloric music traditions from southern Spain. It’s a form of singing, dance, and instrumental music associated with the Andalusian Roma, also known as the gypsies of southern Spain. It's developed in the gitano subculture in the region of Andalusia, which is a southern community of Spain’s peninsula. Flamenco is a term used to describe and refer to various contemporary and traditional music styles in Spain. The oldest record of Flamenco music goes back to 1744 in the book Las Cartas Marruecas by José Cadalso. Cadalso was a Spanish army general who also doubled as a poet, playwriter, and someone who contributed to Spanish literature. Even though we know much information about Flamenco music, a majority of the roots of this music are mysterious, and we don’t know exactly where the sources are. 

We know this migration came from northwest India to Spain between the 9 and 14 centuries. There is no telling exactly who or when these people came to Spain, but it was somewhere during those centuries. Nomads and migrants brought instruments with them. We know and are familiar with many of the instruments they brought with them, like the tambourines and bells, but one instrument I just learned they brought was wooden castanets. They are also called scrapers and look like a seashell split into half, then strung on a piece of yarn and shaken to make clapping sounds. Along with their instruments, they also bought their songs and dances when Spaniards came across string cultures of the Sephardic Jews and Moors, the art known as Flamenco was born. 

In flamenco, there are four categories or elements: Cante or the voice, Baile which is dance; Toque, also known as the guitar; and then Jaleo, which is hand clapping, stomping of feet, and shouting. Cante is the most crucial part and the genre's soul and heart. With these four elements, there are around 50 total different varieties of rhythm and series of beats. Within each category, there are further subcategories in each component. In Cante or the voice element, there are three subcategories: cante jondo, which is. Deep or profound song, the cante intermedio, known as the intermediate song or cante flamenco, and lastly, cante chico, known as the light song. There is another style of cante that isn’t a part of the four elements but is still essential, and that is cantes libres. 

The cante jondo has a structure on a complex 12-beat rhythm which is also the oldest form of flamenco. This kind of music deals with heavy emotions and themes of despair, death, anguish, and religious doubt.  Cante intermedio is a looser kind of music encompassing all forms that aren’t cante chico, cante grande, or jondo. It also incorporates Spanish music styles like the fandango. The fandango is a type of music used for courtship and expresses passion. Cante Chico has a lighter and upbeat, happy mood. It is less complicated and less complicated in rhythm. This kind of music deals with themes like love, humor, and happiness. And lastly, cantes libres is a piece of formless flamenco music when the melody plays a more significant part while rhythm does not apply. 

So, after all the singing and those different categories and elements, there's the flamenco dancing part. This part is the Baile and a guitar usually accompanies the dance. The guitar was meant to keep the pace and beat to make it easier for the dancer to stay on track. The dancers can be male or female, using a series of steps, either choreographed or improvised. Since the mid-19th century, the Baile has been an essential part of Flamenco, and ever since then, flamenco is only performed with a dancer. The partner to the dancer is the singer, and they tell and relate the stories to the daily lives of an outcast culture within a primarily white Christian part of Spain. The dancer's job is to interpret the singer's story and narrative. The flamenco baile is a fluid motion with personalization to each song. The dancing involves footwork, tapping of toes and heels, and movement of the hands, fingers, arms, and upper torso.

    Whether the dancer is female, bailaora, or male, bailaor, they focus on the critical movements of different body parts. For example, the male dancers focus more on the footwork, while the female dancers focus more on the actions of the hands and upper torsos. Females have a wide variety of clothing they can wear for their dances. They can wear long, formal, ruffled dresses or simple, long, modest ones. Males have a smaller range of clothing they can choose from. They will typically wear a shirt under a vest with long trousers or pants that are usually black. Both costumes worn by both dancers are also tight fitting. For extra flare, a man can wear a hat or scarf. 

    The “golden” age for flamenco was around 1780-1854. During this time, singing was the primary aspect, and then came dancing. As time passed, flamenco went from an outdoor, family-oriented activity to a piece of more formal music and dance. As this happened, it also changed the importance of singing and dancing, where dancing was now the primary aspect rather than singing. 

    Here are a few videos of famous Flamenco dancers, both female and male. But the most famous and well-known male flamenco dancer is Joaquin Cortes. For women, the best flamenco dancer that’s known around the world is Carmen Amaya Amaya.

                                                                Here is a Flamenco dance.

                                                                    This is Joaquin Cortes.

                                          This video is a compilation of 5 popular Flamenco songs.

                                         Here is a little dance sequence to learn if you're interested.

Citations:

 “The Most Famous Flamenco Dancers in History: Gran Gala Flamenco.” Barcelona y Flamenco, 18 Jan. 2023, https://www.grangalaflamenco.com/en/blog/flamenco-dancers-famous/#:~:text=Surely%20the%20most%20internationally%20known,of%20wearing%20pants%20on%20stage. 

Faustina MulnikFreelance Writer at Homeschool Spanish AcademyAs a native English speaker. “Top 12 Most Incredible Spanish Dancers in the World.” Homeschool Spanish Academy, 19 Nov. 2021, https://www.spanish.academy/blog/top-12-most-incredible-spanish-dancers-in-the-world/#:~:text=1.,Joaqu%C3%ADn%20Cort%C3%A9s&text=Joaqu%C3%ADn%20Cort%C3%A9s%20is%20trained%20in%20ballet%20and%20flamenco%20dancing. 

“Flamenco.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/art/flamenco. 

“Flamenco.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Apr. 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flamenco.