MAY 13, 2019

FLAMENCO
FLAMENCO AND ITS CULTURAL IMPORTANCE
Flamenco today is an important aspect of the Spanish heritage in Europe and across the world.

It was recognized by the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization

(UNESCO) in 2010 as Intangible Heritage of Humanity. The now widely recognized art is made

up of three main aspects: cante (song), baile (dance) y toque which refers to the particular style

of guitar used in the genre. The origins of flamenco are not all too clear, but its inception is

attributed to the southern region of Spain known as Andalusia, and consists of Arab, Jewish and

Romani influences during the medieval period in the country. (Dictionary Plus Music 2019).

Even though Flamenco originated in Spain, its influence as an art and heritage reach further

across into Europe and the rest of the world (Ortega 2018).

As previously mentioned, the exact origins of Flamenco are not straight-forward. Its influences

reflect the manifold of cultures that were present during medieval Andalusia. These include:

Romani music, Jewish synagogue music, Arabic muezzin singing, Afro-Cuban influences, Latin

American music, as well as, traditional music from other regions of Spain including Asturias and

Castille. It is important to note that flamenco came about as a product of the poor and

marginalized people of Spain and it has now evolved into a heritage that is associated with

Spain as a whole. (Ortega 2018)

The first iterations of what we know as flamenco today hark back to the eighteenth century and

from that starting point it can be divided into 5 stages making up its evolution. The start of its

inception is not so well documented since it mostly transpired within the domestic sphere.

According to Francesca Sanchez Ortiz, the first period in the history of flamenco is the

“primitive stage”, wherein flamenco started gaining visibility within Andalusia. This increase in

prominence started when flamenco music was being sung and played during important social
and family events such as village celebrations, christenings and weddings. The second period

takes place from 1860 to 1920, starting with cafes cantantes or singing cafes (Schreiner 1990).

This increase in influence can be attributed to the pardon that Charles III granted to the Romani

people which in turn could have given then confidence to become more socially acceptable.

This period also marks the increasing professionalization of flamenco singers and dancers and

players. This phenomenon comes in conjunction with a cultural movement taking place at the

time called majismo, which valued art and entertainment created by the masses. Furthermore,

we see the association of flamenco and bullfighting with Spanish culture as they were both

types of entertainment that were enjoyed by the popular masses (Ortiz 2012).

The third period takes place between 1920 and 1950 is referred to as the theatrical period

which has also been defined as the opera flamenca stage. This period saw the decline in

popularity of café cantantes and saw the rise of flamenco into bigger spaces and much larger

audiences. These venues included theatres and bullfighting rings where the dancing and singing

of flamenco music had become rather popular and to this day are often used for musical events

in Spain. Nonetheless, this period also displayed a certain level of decline in flamenco.

Fortunately, this declined ceased in the 1950s and led into the period known as flamenco

renaissance which occurred from 1950 to 1985. During this time period we see the creation and

rise in popularity of tablaos, which denote places where people could attend to watch a

flamenco show but also where the public could dance. Moreover, we see the formalization of

flamenco as art to be taught through the proliferation of flamenco schools across the nation.

This vigorous and renewed interest in flamenco as an art brought about a slew of notable

figures to the arena. Among these figures is Camarón de la Isla who introduced a new style of
singing to the genre and Paco de Lucia who brought novel techniques to flamenco guitar

playing. (Ortiz 2012)

In its current state, there are two opposing trends in flamenco both in music and dancing: the

experimental and the traditional lines. The conservative line seeks to preserve the established

norms in regard to music and dancing. The experimental line is more concerned with

developing links to other musical styles in flamenco in singing, playing and dancing. It could be

said that these experimental artists are following a similar path to those who originally created

flamenco by consciously mixing different styles. This mixing took place in previous centuries

too, in the form of mestizaje, (mixing of different cultures) where music styles such as the jota

aragonesa from Aragón helped to create the alegrías and the sevillanas which can find their

origins in traditional Castillian songs. This serves to give flamenco a quality that is

representative of several different regions of Spain. (Ortiz 2012)

Flamenco covers different types of music and dancing styles called palos which can be split into

different categories. These palos such are divided into three categories. The first category

encompasses the basic and original palos, while the second covers the fandangos and its

deriving music styles. The third category consists of palos that originate in Andalusian folklore

but have been heavily influenced by other musical styles (Ortega 2018).

Furthermore, some of the aspects of flamenco encompass broader concepts of Spanish culture

and religion. For example, palos such as the saetas are sung a cappella (without any

instrumental accompaniment); these songs usually have religious content that refer to the

events that transpire during the Holy Week in Roman Catholicism. Additionally, flamenco has
influenced and has been influenced by cultures outside of Europe, most notably Latin America

most notably the colombiana, and guajira styles of flamenco (Ortega 2018).

Flamenco has also served to define Spanish national identity in different ways. During the

dictatorship of Francisco Franco, flamenco conserved its popularity among the Spanish public.

Thus, Franco’s regime used it as a propaganda tool to advance his nationalistic political agenda

to show a folkloric, joyous and attractive facet of Spain due to its traditions, as well as a tool to

bring the government with the people. According to article by Madrilejos in 2010, it deemed

this iteration of nacional-flamenco (national-flamenco) as flamenco in its poorest expression.

From that point onwards, the image of flamenco was reduced and stereotyped to figures of

women in polka dot dresses and men hats that were native to the region of Córdoba (Ortega

2018). Today, flamenco continues to be accessible to people (Ortega 2018).

Prominent figures in modern iterations of flamenco that have reached global standards include

Rosalía Vila Tobella, known by her stage name Rosalía. She has released two albums so far. The

first called Los Angeles (The Angels) constitutes songs performed in a very traditional style while

El Mal Querer (most closely translate to Toxic Love) represents a style of flamenco-pop that

proved to be rather successful both in Spain and the rest of the world, most notably Latin

America. El Mal Querer was actually part of her university thesis where she adapted a 13th-

century Spanish novel called Flamenca about a young bride kept imprisoned in a tower by her

possessive husband. The title track Malamente earned two Latin Grammys out of four

nominations earning the singer further collaborations with well-known artists.

Flamenco has proved to be an enduring aspect of Spanish culture throughout history, all the

way from its inception by a mixing of marginalized populations, through the Spanish Civil War

and a dictatorship, and even now in modern times where experimental artists have earned

globally recognized awards with its music. It has served to unite the Spanish population and its

influence has been proliferated all over the world while still remaining accessible.
Works Cited
Ortega, P. P. d. S. (2018). Flamenco: De la marginalidad social a la referencia cultural pasando

por la apropiación política. La Madruga, (15), 91. Retrieved from

https://login.libweb.lib.utsa.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.libweb.lib.utsa.edu/

docview/2164441476?accountid=7122

Ortiz, F. S. (2012). Flamenco. In M. Herrera-Sobek (Ed.), Celebrating Latino Folklore: An

Encyclopedia of Cultural Traditions (Vol. 2, pp. 493-496). Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.

Retrieved from http://link.galegroup.com.libweb.lib.utsa.edu/apps/doc/CX2721300142/GVRL?

u=txshracd2604&sid=GVRL&xid=9043ae7f

flamenco. In (Ed.), Dictionary Plus Music. : Oxford University Press,. Retrieved 14 May. 2019,

from https://www-oxfordreference-com.libweb.lib.utsa.edu/view/10.1093/acref/

9780191826771.001.0001/acref-9780191826771-e-344.

Exposito, S., & Exposito, S. (2018, November 20). Artist You Need to Know: Rosalía – Rolling

Stone. Retrieved May 14, 2019, from Rollingstone.com website:

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-latin/rosalia-artist-you-need-to-know-interview-

758452/

Papapavlou, M. (2003). The City as a Stage: Flamenco in Andalusian Culture. Journal of the

Society for the Anthropology of Europe, 3(2), 14–24. https://doi.org/10.1525/jsae.2003.3.2.14