Written by a group of dedicated flamenco enthusiasts, this book traces the history and development of the art of flamenco, that proud, soulful, stirring folk music and dance created by the gypsies of the Andalusian region of Spain in the 19th century. The essays examine the musical, artistic, and spiritual aspects of flamenco as well as its social context and history. The great performers both past and present are identified and discussed.
"Over the course of centuries, Andalusian Gypsies developed cante jondo, or deep song, an art that grew out of the experience of exile and marginalization. The striking imagery and emotional purity of cante lyrics were inspiration for Federico Garcia Lorca and his generation of Spanish poets." "Like American blues, cante is a brilliant cultural legacy long kept alive and aflame by unlettered geniuses. Although flamenco music enjoys wide popularity today, the words of the songs are often lost in the passion of the performance, or because they are sung in dialect. This volume brings together a bilingual sampling of lyrics and brief remarks about them by notable flamenco aficionados."--Jacket.
Translated from the Polish, Anna G. PiotrowskaÕs Gypsy Music in European Culture details the profound impact that Gypsy music has had on European culture from a broadly historical perspective. The author explores the stimulating influence that Gypsy music had on a variety of European musical forms, including opera, vaudeville, ballet, and vocal and instrumental compositions. The author analyzes the use of Gypsy themes and idioms in the music of recognized giants such as Bizet, Strauss, and Paderewski, detailing the composersÕ use of scale, form, motivic presentations, and rhythmic tendencies, and also discusses the impact of Gypsy music on emerging national musical forms.
This landmark historical text delivers the goods promised in its title. It does not address flamenco dance whatsoever, focusing instead on flamenco song forms with a special chapter devoted to the role of the guitar. Includes Spanish lyrics for dozens of flamenco songs along with English translations and interpretive notes, a glossary of flamenco terminology, plus a recommended bibliography and discography are also provided. Informal in its demeanor, this carefully researched, insightful book will help you develop a deeper appreciation for the flamboyant art of flamenco.
Made in Spain: Studies in Popular Music will serve as a comprehensive and rigorous introduction to the history, sociology and musicology of 20th century Spanish popular music. The volume will consist of 16 essays by leading scholars of Spanish music and will cover the major figures, styles and social contexts of pop music in Spain. Although all the contributors are Spanish, the essays will be expressly written for an international English-speaking audience. No knowledge of Spanish music or culture will be assumed. Each section will feature a brief introduction by the volume editors, while each essay will provide adequate context so readers understand why the figure or genre under discussion is of lasting significance to Spanish popular music. The book first presents a general description of the history and background of popular music, followed by essays organized into thematic sections.
Antonia Mercé, stage-named La Argentina, was the most celebrated Spanish dancer of the early 20th century. Her intensive musical and theatrical collaborations with members of the Spanish vanguard — Manuel de Falla, Frederico García Lorca, Enrique Granados, Néstor de la Torre, Joaquín Nín, and with renowned Andalusian Gypsy dancers — reflect her importance as an artistic symbol for contemporary Spain and its cultural history. When she died in 1936, newspapers around the world mourned the passing of the "Flamenco Pavlova."
LO! JACARANDA is a young, Spanish-Gypsy woman in 1760s Spain. As fate would have it, she is born and raised as the daughter of a wealthy ranchero owner. A beautiful life of prosperity and love stretches on before her as the day of her betrothal approaches. However, before the wedding, her gypsy heritage is revealed, and her joy melts away. The Spanish Inquisition condemns her to be burnt at the stake, but always-resourceful Jacaranda escapes and disguises herself as a man. She finds work on a slave ship headed to New Spain, but just when she gets comfortable, pirates seize her ship. To stay alive, she joins their motley crew, only to be sold as a slave once they reach their destination. Blessedly, she is purchased by a missionary who frees her and employs her at his mission in California, still believing her to be a man. There, Jacaranda meets the native tribes of the region and befriends them. However, her troubles are far from over as the Inquisition follows and seeks to punish her for a life of running from who she is.
Suite Española consists of eight pieces composed in the Spanish tradition of dances and songs. In this collection, Albéniz creates "tonal portraits" depicting different geographic areas of Spain. Titles: * Granada (Serenata) * Cataluña (Corranda) * Sevilla (Sevillanas) * Cádiz (Saeta) * Asturias (Legend) * Aragón (Fantasia) * Castilla (Seguidillas) * Cuba (Nocturno)
