Learn About Flamenco Music: History, Dance, and Flamenco Guitar

Flamenco is an art form comprising of songs, dances, and instrumental music associated with southern Spain. Flamenco is rooted in the folkloric musical traditions of the Roma people in the Spanish region of Andalusia, as well as Extremadura and Murcia. Cities known for their flamenco include Seville, Granada, Cádiz, and Málaga.

Flamenco includes six primary elements:

1. 1. Cante. Singing. Also known as palo.
2. 2. Toque. Guitar playing.
3. 3. Baile. Dance.
4. 4. Jaleo. Singing and choruses.
5. 5. Palmas. Hand clapping.
6. 6. Pitos. Finger snapping.

The foundations of flamenco, however, rest in cante and baile.

Spanish flamenco music is the result of an interchange of musical styles, culture, and folklore between the Roma people (known as gitanos in Spain) and the native Andalusians, Castilians, Moors, and Sephardic Jews in the early eighteenth century.

• Origins of flamenco: Flamenco music was likely inspired by the music of India, brought to the European continent by members of the gypsy culture. It is widely believed that the Roma people migrated to southern Spain from Rajasthan, in northwest India, sometime between the ninth and fourteenth centuries, bringing with them a large repertoire of songs, dances, and musical instruments, including tambourines, bells, and wooden castanets. Over time, these Indian folkloric traditions mingled with the musical traditions of the Sephardic Jews and the Moors, resulting in what is now known as flamenco. There are some, however, who believe that flamenco existed in Andalusía long before the Roma arrived from India.
• The Golden Age of flamenco: Most experts agree that the golden age of flamenco happened sometime between the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Like other folkloric traditions, flamenco began as a deeply private, family-orientated tradition. It was first popularized in 1842 at Café sin Nombre, in Seville. The first of many flamenco venues (called tablaos) to open in Spanish cities, Café sin Nombre put on flamenco performances and invited patrons to watch the spectacle. While this generated the beginnings of a flamenco performing industry, it also led to what some saw as a decline in the cultural superiority of the art form. In 1922, Spanish poet Federico García Lorca and composer Manuel de Falla created the first flamenco competition in an attempt to restore what they saw as the “purity” of flamenco. With the national spotlight on flamenco, the art form grew and flourished.
• Modern flamenco and performers: Modern flamenco continues to innovate. Classically-influenced artists push the boundaries of flamenco through ongoing collaborations with other artists, including filmmakers, theater makers, and visual artists, in an effort to diversify flamenco’s audience and introduce new generations to the art of flamenco. Famous contemporary flamenco performers include: Antonio Gades, Cristina Hoyos, José Greco II, and Lola Greco.

There are dozens of classifications of Flamenco songs, called cantes or palos. Each has its own characteristic rhythm and structure. Examples of these flamenco styles include:

• Alegrías
• Bulerías
• Malagueñas
• Fandangos
• Saeta
• Peteneras

In general, however, each of these many flamenco song types can be classified into one of the following three categories:

1. 1. Cante jondo (profound or deep song). The cante jondo is based on a 12-beat rhythm structure. It is a complex song style that travels in heavy emotional territory. Common themes for a cante jondo are death, despair, doubt, anguish, and so on.
2. 2. Cante intermedio (intermediate song). The cante intermedio is less complex musically than the cante jondo, and typically incorporates elements of other Spanish music styles. It is normally more lively and is often accompanied by guitars, castanets, and hand clapping.
3. 3. Cante chico (light song). The cante chico is the simplest of the three styles. It typically has a quick, light rhythm and deals with lighter themes, such as love, humor, and the countryside.

Baile is the dominant element of flamenco dancing, and is typically performed with accompaniment, typically guitar music and singers. Sometimes, a baile makes use of a “palo seco” (“dry stick”), which is used to beat the tempo of the flamenco dance on the floor.

In flamenco, the baile works hand-in-hand with the cante to tell a story. The baile itself is often highly stylized, expressing emotion through a series of intricate arm and body movements. Male flamenco dancers usually perform intricate footwork (sometimes with their heels), while female flamenco dancers (called flamencas) focus more on the movement of the arms, hands, and fingers. Both male and female flamenco dancers wear elaborate costumes, with bold colors and intricate ruffles.

In flamenco, duende is a term for a heightened state of emotion or expression, considered an art in and of itself.

In a flamenco performance, a guitarist (“tocador”) keeps the rhythm, sometimes following the dancers across the floor. While the dancers move, the singer (“cantaor”) tells a story. The dancers may perform an intense sequence of rhythmic dance, entering a trance-like state in which the sounds are said to “invade” the body. This sequence often happens during the cante jondo, and is often accompanied by rhythmic hand clapping and sounds.

Flamenco performers think of duende as a state in which the dancers communicate with both the audience and with God. The poet Federico Garcia Lorca (1898-1936), widely recognized as the most influential poet of twentieth-century Spanish literature, once said of duende: “Duende could only be present when one sensed that death [is] possible.”

Next to song and dance, the third most important part of flamenco is toque, or guitar. There are several differences between traditional guitar and flamenco guitar, both in the instrument itself and how it is played.

• A flamenco guitar is different from standard guitars. Flamenco guitar is played differently from classic guitar in everything from the strumming to the guitarist’s posture. A flamenco guitar typically has a thinner top and less internal bracing than a classical guitar. Flamenco guitars also feature what is known as a tap plate, similar to a pickguard, which protects the guitar body from the rhythmic finger taps of the player.
• Flamenco techniques include strumming and tapping. Flamenco guitar is a mixture of different percussive and rhythmic techniques. It is common for eighth note triplets to be mixed with sixteenth note runs in a single bar. Finger taps (golpes) are common, as is traditional strumming.
• Flamenco guitarists use their legs. Flamenco guitarists hold their instruments differently than classical guitarists. Rather than supporting the guitar on the right leg and at an incline, flamenco guitarists usually cross their legs and place the neck of the guitar parallel to the floor. This position allows for better leverage of the instrument, and eases the player’s ability to switch quickly between different playing styles.
• Flamenco guitar has a higher pitch. Flamenco guitar is also usually played using a cejilla (capo), a device that clamps down across the fingerboard at a particular fret on a guitar. This helps to raise the pitch of a guitar, making its sound sharper.
• Flamenco is all about improvisation and tradition. In flamenco guitar, the main purpose of a cejilla is to change the key of the guitar to match the singer’s vocal range, allowing for more improvisation. Unlike classical guitar, traditional flamenco music is rarely written down. Instead, it is passed down from generation to generation.

Flamenco guitarists are among the most skilled and innovative artists playing their instrument. Here are four of the most celebrated flamenco guitarists.

1. 1. Ramón Montoya (1880-1949). One of the first great flamenco players, Montoya believed in the guitar’s unlimited capacities. His performances were based on the musical experiences of different generations, combining modern styles with those of the Roma.
2. 2. Sabicas (1912-1990). Agustín Castellón Campos (stage name: Sabicas) performed his first concert in Pamplona at the age of seven. Completely self-taught, Sabicas had a natural talent he employed while performing with some of the world’s best flamenco singers and dancers. He popularized flamenco guitar in the U.S. after moving there during the Spanish Civil War.
3. 3. Paco de Lucía (1947-2014). Hailed as a pioneer and an experimentalist, Paco combined the world of flamenco with that of classical guitar, sometimes introducing new elements and styles, such as jazz. In 1975, Paco became the first flamenco guitarist invited to perform at the Royal Theater in Madrid. In 1981, he collaborated with John McLaughlin and Al Di Meola.
4. 4. Andrés Segovia (1893-1987). For a generation of listeners, Segovia is the embodiment of both classical and Spanish flamenco nylon string guitar. Listen at your own risk: You may experience flashes of wanting to quit guitar altogether after hearing what Segovia can do with the instrument.

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