Flamenco history
Flamenco history is not an exact science
The origins of flamenco can only be intelligently guessed at by
looking at Spanish cultural history. From ancient times, the Iberian
Peninsular has been the home for a multitude of different races
and cultures. Once you start playing flamenco and listening to
the various forms, sooner or later you are very likely to ask
yourself questions like, "Why does Tarantos and Granadinas sound
so Arabic (Moorish)?" or "How come flamenco Rumba doesn't sound
like a Cuban Rumba?" of "Was that a Buleria falseta I heard in
that Scarlatti sonata?" Spanish cultural history provides some
clues for the curious.
What is meant be the term "traditional flamenco"
Flamenco and 'traditional flamenco' are generic terms applied
the body of music, song and dance normally associated with Andalucian
Gypsies. In the broader sense, flamenco is the Andalucian folk
art of the poor. The word flamenco is also used to describe a
flamenco performer or aficionado.
The term traditional tends to imply something we can look back
on as some sort of reliable reference which is fixed in stone,
but it actually evolved gradually from a combination of Gypsy
and non-Gypsy cultural influences. It is still evolving and slowly
changing as we speak.
In a hundred years the music we call traditional now will probably
be referred to as ancient or obsolete, and the modern music styles
of today may well be referred to as traditional. Regarding the
evolution of flamenco tradition as we know it today, we tend to
think of gypsies as being major contributors to flamenco. They
were (and are), but they were not the only contributors. The truth
is that gypsies were relatively late arrivals on the scene in
terms of actual influences.
Islamic influences
in flamenco history
There are many examples of Islamic music influence in flamenco. Zambra, a festive dance of the gypsies of Granada is one of the most typically gypsy flamenco dances. Zambra is Arabic for 'flute'. It was originally a lively Moorish dance and dates back to the 15th century. Another example is the Danza Mora. This literally means 'Moorish dance' and has an unmistakable Arabic flavor to it. |
Way back in the 9th century a musician from Baghdad called
Ziryab founded a singing school in Cordoba. He is credited
with introducing the lute (Al-U'd) to Spain and also with
adding a fifth bass string to it. It is said he knew 10,000
songs (more than your Ipod can hold) and he was largely
responsible for adding Persian music and poetry to Andalucian
culture.
The Gypsies role in flamenco history
A major diaspora of Gypsies started arriving in Spain in the mid
15th century. They had come at a bad time and were not welcome.
With the rise of Queen Isabella came the Spanish Inquisition.
When the Moors surrendered in 1492 and Spain officially became
a Christian country, Moors, Jews and Gypsies were given three
simple choices. Basically, you agree to walk with Jesus, or get
lost. The other choice was you would get to meet the inquisitors
and try to explain why you object to being a Catholic. But conversion
didn't mean freedom. It just meant you would be persecuted and
live a short, miserable life instead of being killed.
Flamenco is born
It comes as no surprise that most of the Moors and Jews decided
to flee and never come back. Gypsies were also part of the religious
cleansing and given the choices, were forced to flee the city
troubles along with the Moors and Jews. So this unlikely mix of
fugitives, while not bonded to each other by race or religion,
were at least allies who had a common enemy and had ample opportunity
to steal music and dance ideas from one other as they camped under
the stars.
That's the simple version of flamenco history. I leave the unpleasant
details in the hands of bickering historians. The long and short
of it is that many of the gypsies ultimately survived the turmoil
and remained in Spain while the others (Moors and Jews) left the
country for good. In this context it would be fair to say that
at least some of the music and dance traditions of the Moors and
Jews (and Christians) were assimilated and adapted by the gypsies.
It's clear from this brief overview that flamenco history is not
just about Gypsies, but invokes the memory of events that affected
other persecuted peoples as well.
Flamenco history is all about influences
Although the Sephardic Jews disappeared from Spain in the late
15th century, echoes of their haunting music linger on in flamenco
melodies such as Peteneras. Personally, I can't listen to Sephardic
music without being reminded of flamenco. The well known guitar
piece "Romance", (or "Spanish Ballad") is believed by some to
be a pre-Inquisition Jewish song. Likewise, the Moors have long
gone but the Arabic-Islamic influence is unmistakable in such
things as Granadinas and Tarantos. Later influences included the
Gregorian musical system as well as the Christmas carols of the
Christians.
Some of this is wonderful stuff for a lively academic debate,
but the main point is that flamenco did not just suddenly appear
out of thin air. Flamenco owes it's existence to many cultural
"influences", without which there would be no flamenco as we know
it. It evolved slowly over many centuries. So although flamenco
as we recognize it today has only been around for about 200 years,
it's incubation period stretches way back. Flamenco history may
be a little vague, but it can never be called boring.
Related
articles |
The
Gypsies
Origins
of the Word Flamenco
The
Moors in Spain
Sephardic
Jews in Spain
The
Celts in Spain
Scarlatti
Sonatas and Flamenco
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