Flamenco

What it means

Flamenco is an art of music and dance from Andalusia that consists of three elements: song (cante), guitar playing (toque), and dance (baile). Rhythmic accompaniment by hand clapping (palmas) and footwork are added. The expression is passionate, often tragic, and lives on improvisation and the close bond among the performers.

Musical use

Flamenco developed in the 18th and 19th centuries in the south of Spain from the encounter of different cultures, with the particular influence of the Roma. It is divided into numerous forms, the palos, such as soleá, bulería, siguiriya, or fandango, which differ in rhythm, tonality, and expression. A twelve-beat rhythmic cycle, the compás, is characteristic. Since 2010 flamenco has belonged to UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage of humanity. The box drum cajón entered the accompaniment only in the 20th century.

Flamenco should be distinguished from Spanish folk music and from classical Spanish dance, which is based on ballet forms, and from Portuguese fado, with which it shares passion but which is musically distinct. Castanets, too, are not necessarily part of flamenco but rather of related dance forms.

Performance practice

First listen to flamenco for the compás: clap or count the cycle before attending to melody and guitar. If you play, learn the rhythm patterns exactly and defer to the singing, since in flamenco the guitar follows the voice and the dance.