Spanish Flamenco

~ Spanish Flamenco ~

Allison Regehr

Three Factors

There are three essential factors that qualify a song or piece of music as flamenco. First, the song must be written in a flamenco mode or tonality, which will be further described later. Second, the song must have a specific rhythm or time signature (compás). Lastly, the song and dance must be performed by a Flamenco. 

History

Flamenco is a form of playing music, dancing, or singing. It originated in the Southern region of Spain, more specifically Andalusia and Murcia. This music is based on folk songs from the early centuries, and the earliest recording of flamenco was performed in 1774, which is relatively late compared to the general longevity of the genre. Many experts say that flamenco music is closely related to the Romani heritage, whose people resided in Southern Spain, but it sounds mainly of Spanish music, and is often an umbrella genre when referencing most Spanish music. Many studies of this genre have identified that Flamenco most likely came about in the early 16th century when the Romani inhabited Andalusia. Flamenco has gone on to become extremely popular in other countries, especially Japan, because of its bright, snappy rhythms and expressive dances. 

Palos or Styles

Flamenco typically falls under a certain style depending on different elements such as the pattern of the rhythm, the mode, the text structure, or even the geographic origin. There are three main classes of flamenco: cante jondo, cante chico, and cante intermedio. 

The cante jondo  (or cante grande) classifies a serious flamenco, perhaps with the text painting a somber picture, the mode being minor, or even the dance itself being heavier. 

The cante chico is the lightest and most playful style, with the music having tonally major tendencies and the all-around mood being livelier than the cante jondo. 

The third class of flamenco is known as the cante intermedio. This class encompasses all flamenco styles that do not fit into either of the above categories. This category is typically less complex than the cante jondo, but more serious than the cante chico. 

The following are the most familiar palos:

• Alegrías
• Bulerías
• Bulerías por soleá (soleá por bulerías)
• Caracoles
• Cartageneras
• Fandango
• Fandango de Huelva
• Fandango Malagueño
• Farruca
• Granaínas
• Guajiras
• Malagueñas
• Martinete
• Mineras
• Nanas
• Peteneras
• Rondeñas
• Saeta
• Seguiriyas
• Soleá
• Tangos
• Tanguillos
• Tarantos
• Tientos
• Villancicos

As you can see, there are many different styles of Flamenco, all defined by a unique blend of different rhythms, melodies, and texts. 

Music

Flamenco music has many elements including structure, harmony, melody, and compás (rhythm). 

The structure of flamenco music is typically made up of verses and interludes from the guitar. These guitar interludes are called falsetas, and serve the purpose of establishing the tonal center and mode as well as the tempo of the palo. 

The flamenco harmony includes many variations depending on the palo, style, of the Flamenco. For example, Flamenco is typically based on the Flamenco Mode, which can be musically defined as the modern Phrygian mode, modo frigio. 

Modo frigio, a descending E Phrygian scale in flamenco music. (Common alterations in parentheses)

However, some Flamenco cantes, or songs, are done in a major mode, such as the cantiñas, alegrías, guajiras, some bulerías, and tonás. Additionally, there are a few Flamenco styles that are bimodal, which means they implement both the Phrygian mode and a major mode. These styles include fandangos, malagueñas, tarantas, and cartageneras. The harmonies utilized in Flamenco are unique to each style and typically also to Spanish music itself. 

A Flamenco musician

The melodies of Flamenco cantes have very specific characteristics, including:

• Microtonality
• Portamento
• Short tessitura 
• Enharmonic scales
• Repetition of pitches
• Ornamentation, similar to that of Baroque origins
• Lack of rhythmic coherency (melody often is a different meter or pattern than the instrumental accompaniment)
• Sad expressions
• Melodic improvisation/speak-singing

Flamenco music has unique rhythms as well. The meter that Flamenco is written in is either Binary, Ternary, or a twelve-beat pattern that is unique to flamenco. Free-form styles are also used. 

A group of Flamenco musicians onstage. 
(From my trip to Barcelona, Spain in January 2020)

Forms of Expression

Flamenco music has three forms of expression: toque, cante, y baile, or, guitar, song, and dance. 

Flamenco guitar, toque, uses different techniques than the typical classical guitar. For example, classical guitar is played over the sound hole to produce a rich sound, whereas Flamenco guitar is played closer to the bridge of the neck to allow for a more percussive sound. Flamenco guitar is recognized by the following techniques:

• Tirando - plucking of strings
• Picado - scalar passages 
• Rasgueado - Similar to a drumroll, but using plucking of strings
• And many others as well

The song portion of Flamenco music, cante, is performed by the cantaor, or singer. Its origins are the same as Flamenco itself, originally being found in the Andalusian region of Spain. The cante follows the same categories as the styles, meaning there are three typical songs: cante jondo, cante intermedio, and cante chico, with serious lyrics, less profound lyrics, and playful lyrics respectively. 

Flamenco dance, baile, is the most easily recognized representation of Flamenco. Audiences recognize the stomping, tapping, and rhythmic movement of the Flamenco dancers, often performing in flashy dresses, an element added only for the touristic aspect of the performances. Flamenco puro is the form of dance that most closely resembles the original Flamenco, while Flamenco Classico is the style most typically performed by dance companies. Flamenco nuevo  is a newer style of Flamenco which seems to imitate traditional Flamenco style, but does not encompass all of the regular characteristics. Flamenco dancing has taken the world by storm, and many countries, such as Japan and the United States even have Flamenco schools where dancers can learn the techniques and meanings of the dance. 

{Flamenco Performance} Here is a link to a great example of a Flamenco performance in Seville, Spain.