origin of flamingo

Flamenco is a musical genre and at the same time a dance deeply rooted in Spanish culture. However, today it is not only present in Spain, as it has also reached many countries in Europe, South America, Asia and North America. There have even been artists and groups that used flamenco, for example, the Spanish band Triana and the American pianist Chick Corea.

Before analyzing its origins, we will answer what flamenco is. Basically, it is a cultural manifestation of Spain made up of singing, playing and dancing. Its Andalusian character makes it a mainly gypsy manifestation. However, it has influences from other cultural activities, which we mention later in this article.

The true origin of flamenco

Perhaps many times you have heard about flamenco as a musical genre from Spain, but that is only a small part of what flamenco means and its origin. Flamenco art has its roots in Andalusia and, curiously, it did not start with the guitar. Actually, this musical genre is born from “singing”, what we commonly know as “singing”. Likewise, although most historians say that flamenco had its beginnings in the 18th century, its roots also come from much earlier, specifically, from the gypsy, Christian, Arab and Jewish cultures. In fact, it is because of these origins that flamenco is full of melodies with the harmonic minor scale.

Also, there is a theory about the origin of flamenco that mentions the gypsies as the most influential culture. It is even very common to hear musicians and dancers refer to this art as gypsy flamenco music. This cannot be guaranteed, but neither can it be denied, since the gypsy people are very numerous and there are various settlements in Spain, especially in Andalusia. Likewise, it is believed that African and Caribbean cultures contributed a little to the creation of this Andalusian art.

It should be noted that at first flamenco was only made up of singing, but later dance and Andalusian music were added, highlighting the flamenco guitar among the instruments, as well as the flamenco box drum or castanets. In fact, you should know that the flamenco guitar has a thinner body than the Spanish or classical guitar. Also, as a curious fact, we inform you that many current flamenco guitarists use guitars with a cutaway body, so that their fingers have easier access to the last frets of the fretboard. This is because in flamenco, plucking and improvisation are used a lot throughout the guitar fretboard. 

In the same order of ideas, we inform you that the origin of flamenco dance has influences from Arab dances, traditional Spanish dances and dances from India. It is believed that the latter arrived in Andalusia together with the gypsies from India.

Modern flamenco and the influence of old flamenco

Currently, flamenco has reached various countries around the world, for example, there are Latin American countries that are making it part of their culture. One of the most important factors for flamenco to be known in various parts of the world is education. That is to say, today there are various flamenco schools for children and adults, in which people can learn dance, sing and play if they wish.

Likewise, we mention that modern flamenco presents fusions with rock, jazz, punk and different traditional genres of each country. However, it is still possible to quite distinguish the old flamenco touch in each song.

Among the old flamenco guitarists we find characters like Paco Aguilera, Manolo de Badajoz and Ramón Montoya, who continue to inspire many current artists. In addition to this, the old flamenco singers Isabelita de Jerez, Manuel Vallejo, Aurelio Sellé, Paco Isidro left a great mark on the world with their excellent voices.

Main characteristics of flamenco

If you are interested in the origin of flamenco, you may want to know the main characteristics of this cultural manifestation. Therefore, here we summarize its most important qualities. 

• In flamenco music , guitar strumming and plucking stand out , as well as the rhythms of the castanets and the flamenco box drum. Also, you should know that guitarists and singers use the harmonic minor scale a lot, which offers an Arabic and gypsy sound.
• Flemish is based on modal harmony , using the four degrees of the Phrygian mode. A widely used harmonic circle is A minor, Sol, Fa and Mi. On these chords there are guitar and voice melodies quite accentuated rhythmically speaking.
• Improvisation is another quality that we can see in flamenco singing, playing and dancing.
• The use of tambourines or castanets by dancers is also one of the most important characteristics of flamenco. In addition, the dancers use their heels to hit the ground, making very happy and well-marked flamenco rhythms.
• The vocal technique of cante flamenco is very good, so much so that they perform long phrases or melodies without taking a breath. Let’s say that this is one of the characteristics that not everyone sees and values ​​regarding flamenco.
• The jump between short and medium-long intervals is something that singers do professionally, without going out of tune or losing volume in each verse. 
• The personal touch that flamenco artists give to their interpretations is another of the best qualities that this art has.

types of flamingo

When we talk about types of flamenco we refer to the different styles that exist. Each style presents a different way of interpreting the songs, often changing the rhythm, the dance and the organization of the lyrics. In the following section we mention and briefly explain the main flamenco palos:

• Fandangos: This is the oldest stick of all, since it was the most prominent in Spain in the 17th century. Its origins are related to Portugal and the Arab countries. There are fandangos from Huelva, as well as those from Malaga, each one has its own style. In addition, we mention that its compases are 3 beats, just like sevillanas.
• Bulerías: This style is happy and partying, in addition, it transmits uproar and hubbub. It is that type of flamenco in which circles of dancers are usually made and each one goes to the center to make their movements. In addition to this, the bulerías are twelve-beat styles, just like the soleá (soleares).
• Siguiriyas: The siguiriyas are one of the oldest forms of flamenco and are characterized by the pain and sadness that their performers reflect. Similarly, you should know that they are made up of three or four lines, each with five and seven syllables.
• Soleares: In this case, we are talking about a palo with time signatures of 6/8 and 3/4. Likewise, it is one of the most solemn styles, due to the deep feeling expressed by its interpreters.
• Sevillanas: Among the styles of flamenco, the popular sevillanas stand out, which are present at all the fairs in Andalusia. This style is danced as a couple and is one of the most famous internationally.

Finally, we can say that flamenco is more than a musical or dance genre, since in reality it has been a great cultural manifestation of Spain and the world. In fact, UNESCO declared flamenco as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010.