Flamenco

The origins of flamenco should be sought even in the Mauritanian musical culture. Gypsy music has significantly influenced this style - many consider the Spanish gipsies to be the main, true bearers of the style. In the 15th century, Roma arrived in Spain from the crumbling Byzantium , settled on the southern coast of the country in the province of Andalusia ; according to their custom, they began to adopt and rethink local musical traditions, such as the Moorish, Jewish, and the Spanish proper; and from this fusion of musical traditions, reinterpreted first by Gypsies, and then by the Spaniards, flamenco was born.

For a long time, flamenco was considered “closed art,” since the gypsies lived as an isolated group; flamenco was formed in narrow circles. But at the end of the 18th century the persecution of the Gypsies was stopped, and the flamenco came out on the stage of taverns and cafes of the canthant, gained freedom.

At the end of the 20th century, flamenco begins to absorb Cuban melodies and jazz motifs; and, in addition, elements of classical ballet acquired their permanent place there. The most famous flamenco dancer Joaquin Cortes , who updated the concept of flamenco dance, delivered him from the "canonical standard" and introduced into it a new lively stream and expressiveness.

The improvisational nature of flamenco, the complex rhythm and specific technique of performance often impede the precise musical notation of flamenco melodies. Therefore, the art of both a guitarist, a dancer, and a singer is usually passed from master to student.

An important element of the dancer's image is the traditional dress, called bata de cola — a flamenco-typical dress, usually to the floor, often made of a multicolored polka-dot material, decorated with frills and frills. The prototype of this dress was the traditional robe of gypsies. An integral part of the dance is an elegant game with the hem of a dress. The traditional clothes of the baylaor are dark trousers, a wide belt and a white shirt with wide sleeves. Sometimes the edges of the shirt are tied at the front at the waist. A short bolero vest, called a chaleco , is sometimes worn over a shirt.

The Spanish shawl with very long tassels is one of the classic attributes of the female flamenco dance: the shawl then twists around the dancer's camp, emphasizing the slender female silhouette, then falls from the shoulders, forming the silhouette of a large, beautiful, restless bird. Another classic female attribute of flamenco is a big fan . There is an opinion about castanets as an indispensable attribute of flamenco dance. But most often the rhythm is beaten off with heels ( zapateado ), snapping of the fingers ( pithos ) or clapping of the palms ( palm ). The most pure forms of flamenco avoid the use of castanets, since they limit the possibility of passionate and expressive play of the hands.

Today, flamenco is especially interested in modern choreographers, because they see in this art great opportunities for creativity, for introducing innovations into choreography.

Structure

The characteristic performance of flamenco with singing and guitar accompaniment, consists of a series of parts in various styles. Each piece is a collection of poems (called copla , tercio, or letras ), interspersed with guitar interludes called falsetas . Usually, the guitarist also performs a short intro, which sets the key, compass and tempo of the song ^[1] . In some styles, guitar interludes have a certain structure, for example, typical sevillanas are played according to the drawing of AAB, where A and B are the same parts, differing in the end ^[2] .

Harmony

The harmony of flamenco combines the features of both modality and classic-romantic tonality . The two most recognizable modalisms in flamenco are the Phrygian turn and the gypsy scale (otherwise known as the "Arab scale"). The Phrygian turnover, for example, is found in soleares , in the majority of bulerias , sigiriyas , tangos and tientos , the gypsy gamma in saethe .

A typical sequence of chords , in Spain called the Andalusian cadence , is a local variation of the Phrygian turnover , for example, Am-GFE ^[3] . The pitch system based on the use of such a cadenza is referred to in the flamenco literature as “Andalusian”, “Phrygian”, or “Dorian” mode (it should not be identified with monodic Phrygian and Dorian frets in ancient and medieval music). In the opinion of the well-known guitarist, Flamenkista Manolo Sanlucar , in this mode the E chord (E major) is tonic , F (F major) has the harmonic function of the dominant , while Am (A minor) and G (G major) play the role of subdominant and medians, respectively ^[4] . According to another (more common) point of view, the tonic in this case is the A minor, and the dominant is the E major chord. In connection with the typical disposition of consonances in the forms of flamenco, the dominant chord turns out to be the strongest metrically (“strong” because the period ends ), hence the alternative name for this type of pitch structure — the dominant mode .

Guitarists use two basic applicative variants of the Andalusian cadence - “por arriba” (“above”) and “por medio” (“in the middle”). For the transposition is widely used capo . The variant “por arriba” corresponds (when playing without capo) to the sequence of Am-GFE chords, the variant “por medio”: Dm-CBA . Modern guitarists, such as Ramon Montoya , have begun to use other fingering variants of the Andalusian cadence. So Montoya started using the options: Hm-AGF # for taranty , Em-DCH for granadina (granaine) and C # mHAG # for miners . Montoya also created a new flamenco genre for solo guitar, johnden , with the cadence F # mEDC # , performed with a clan effect (6th string: re; 3rd: fa sharp). These options include, as additional structural elements, the sound of open strings on non-chordal steps, which became a specific feature of the flamenco harmony as a whole. Later, guitarists continued to expand the range of used fingering options and districts.

Some flamenco styles use the major harmonic tonality, these are cantinya and alegria , guahira , some bouleria and tones , and also kabale (a kind of sigiriya ). The minor mood is associated with farruk , milonga , some tango and bouleria . In general, traditional styles using major and minor modes are limited in harmony using two-chord (tonic-dominant) or three-chord (tonic-subdominant-dominant) sequences. However, modern guitarists have introduced the practice of replacing chords ( English Chord substitution ), transitional chords and even modulation .

Fandango and styles derived from it such as malagenia, tarant and kartehenera use two frets: the guitar intro is performed in the Phrygian mode, while the incoming singing takes place in the major, with the transition closer to the end again in the Phrygian ^[5] .

Singing

Flamenco singing is characterized by the following features ^{[6] [7]} :

1. Brightly dramatic, often tragic in nature (in most styles).
2. Melodic improvisation based on a relatively small set of traditional melodic types.
3. Extremely rich ornamentation (melismatika).
4. The use of microintervals , that is, intervals smaller in magnitude than semitone .
5. Portamento : often the transition from one note to another occurs with the use of a small smooth “entrance” to the next note, that is, the notes are not taken at once exactly (in terms of pitch).
6. Narrow Tessithura : Most traditional flamenco songs are limited to sixth (four and a half tones). Melodic diversity is achieved by singers through the use of various timbre and dynamic hues, microintervals, melismatic variations, etc.
7. Persistent repetition of one note and nearby for it on a chromatic scale of notes (also used in the guitar game).
8. The lack of a stable regular meter vocal, especially in the genres of cante jondo , such as sigiriya and others (in this case, a non-metric vocal melody can be superimposed on metric instrumental accompaniment).
9. Decrease in intensity from the beginning to the end of the vocal phrase.
10. In many styles, such as solea or sigiriya , the melody tends to follow the nearby steps . Horse racing through the stage and more are much less common (however, in the fandango and its derivative styles there are often horse racing through three or four stages, especially at the beginning of each line of the song, which presumably testifies to the earlier origin of the songs of this style, which was influenced by Castilian music ).

Compass (Edit)

Compass isp. Compás is a Spanish word for the concepts of meter and measure from music theory . It also refers to the rhythmic cycle or, in other words, the rhythmic scheme of a particular style.

The concept of a compass is fundamental to flamenco. Often, the compass is translated as rhythm , but it requires a more thorough explanation than in the usual styles of music. If flamenco is performed without a guitarist, the compass is given by clapping your palms or tapping your knuckles on the table. A guitar player can use a racgadeo game or hit the top deck or shell to use a compass . Chord changes emphasize the most important beat.

In flamenco, three basic sizes are used : bichromatic, three-lobed, and a kind of twelve-bar tact, which is characteristic only of flamenco. Some styles do not have strict size limits ( tones , saetas , malagenia , taranto and some types of fandango ).

• Size 2/4 or 4/4. These sizes are used in Tiento, Tango, Gypsy Rumba, Sambre and Tangillo.
• Size 3/4. It is typical for fandango and Sevilla , which implies their origin is not from Gypsy roots, since 3/4 and 4/4 sizes are not typical for Gypsy music.
• The twelve rhythm is usually obtained from a mixture of 6/8 + 3/4, and sometimes 12/8. The twelve rhythm is one of the most frequent in flamenco, and differs in different styles only in the location of the strong parts, and this arrangement does not correspond to the classical notions of rhythm. The alternation of two and trilogue groups is also common in 16th century Spanish folk dances, such as sarabanda , jácara and canarios .

Three types of twelve rhythms can be distinguished, differing in their pattern or location of strong lobes: solea , sigiriya and bulerría .

1. petener and guahira : 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 In both styles, the beginning is a strong twelfth beat, that is, the rhythm is 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 ...
2. sigiriya , liviana , serrana , cabales : 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Sigiriya is the same as solea , but starts from the eighth beat
3. Solea , as well as the cantille : 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 . For convenience, when recording guitar music with notes, the size is usually recorded as usual 3/4.

Buleria can be considered a symbol of flamenco, since its twelve-sided rhythmic pattern is most often played with an emphasis on 3, 6, 8, 10 and 12 parts. Accompanying clapping hands are played in groups of 6 shares.

Song and dance forms (or genres, in the West the word “styles” is used) in the Spanish tradition are called Palo (palo, plural. Palos - palos; etymology is unclear, among other meanings - card suit). These forms / genres differ from each other in rhythmic patterns , harmonies , melodic clichés (phrases and motifs), stanzas (stanza metrics). The concept of palos does not constitute a strict musicological category, rather it is a popular, sometimes illogical, way of classifying flamenco styles based on the similarity of properties. For example, to determine that a particular type of flamenco belongs to the bulerias , only its rhythmic structure is considered, without taking into account the mode or the stanza type. On the other hand, the fandango includes various forms of rhythmic pattern, 3/4 or 6/8, and later it received the development of a form with a free rhythm. Another interesting example is polo and kania : they are very similar and could be related to the same style, but traditionally they are considered different palos . Another classification method may be a classification by history of origin. The styles of the fandango family, such as malagenia , granadina , tarant , etc., can be considered as stylized forms of the genres of folk music of Andalusia . Soleares and Sigiriya are associated with the Gypsy musical culture ^[8] .

The most famous palos - toná, solea , saeta and sigiriya (toná, soleá, fandango, seguiriya) - belong to the category of cante hondo (cante jondo, or cante grande - the historical core of flamenco, the oldest musical and poetic tradition of Andalusia). The opposite category is [cante chico] (cante chico), or cante flamenco (cante flamenco); it includes, for example, the genres of alegria (alegría), buleria (bulería), farruk (farruca). Both categories (Hondo and Chico) include singing, dancing and playing the guitar as the main trinity, but the most ancient forms of flamenco are sung without instrumental accompaniment, and in its most modern versions there are many introduced instruments from violin and double bass to exotic percussion instruments of the East and Latin America, such as kaho n, darbuk, bongo, etc.

Flamenco has had a great influence on many dance and music styles around the world. The last decades appeared mixed varieties of flamenco and other genres: flamenco-pop , flamenco-jazz , flamenco-rock , flamenco-fusion , jeep-rumba and others.

There are flamenco followers who honor its traditions, which has both positive and negative sides. Strictly following the tradition makes impossible a deep understanding of flamenco. Flamenco genres (singing, dancing, melody) are like a living organism, which requires their constant development, and without development there is no life. But along with developing flamenco, there is also the scientific direction “flamencology” (the book under this name was written by Gonzalez Clement in 1955 and gave the name to this section of art criticism), flamenco scientists study the origin of flamenco and its “true” style, traditions, etc. P. Until now, along with supporters of the purity of the flamenco style (purists), there are also adherents of its new forms and sounds.

On November 16, 2010, UNESCO awarded Flamenco the status of a World Heritage Site ^[9] .

Among the most significant cities where flamenco exists today are Cadiz , Sherry , Seville , Cordoba , Granada , Barcelona and Madrid . Each of these cities has its own musical specifics, its own traditions and peculiarities.

In Spain

One of the most respected, the largest flamenco festival in Spain, is held every two years in Seville under the name “ Bienal de Flamenco ”. This festival was founded in 1980 . True flamenco lovers come here from all over the world to see the best artists: baylaors, cantaors and guitarists.

The International Guitar Festival GUITARRA is held annually in Cordoba, with a performance at which the glory of talented young guitarists Vicente Amigo and Paco Serrano began.

The annual festivals of cante grande, festivals of cante flamenco and others take place throughout Spain.

In Russia

International Flamenco Festival "¡VIVA ESPAÑA!". The biggest Flamenco Festival in Russia, held in Moscow (since 2001 ) ^[10] .

1- The Flamenco Russian Festival “ en Moscu” (inaccessible link from 23-05-2013 [2262 days]) "- held for the first time in 2011. The festival will bring together only the world famous flamenco stars.

St. Petersburg hosts an annual festival called “Northern Flamenco”. ^[11] In addition, the Cana Flamenca festival takes place twice a year.

In the world of modern guitar music in Kaluga, since 1997, the annual festival “World of Guitar” ^[12] has been operating, featuring various flamenco groups from Russia and Spain, and many bright names of foreign guitar players from world famous such as Al Di Meola ( 2004), Ivan Smirnov (“mascot” of the festival), Vicente Amigo (2006), Paco De Lucia (2007), etc.

In 2011, Flamenco’s Flamenco House was opened in Moscow - the first flamenco school in Russia with permanent Spanish teachers.

One of the winners of the festival “¡VIVA ESPAÑA!” In Moscow was vocalist Tatyana Shishkova , who received the title “Voice of Flamenco of Russia” in 2013. Tatiana is also a regular participant in the Flamencura project.

In 2016, the first flamenco festival FLAMENCURA was held in Moscow. The Flamencura project, led by its founder, composer and guitarist Alexei Starodubtsev, holds the festival of the same name every February, each time inviting flamenco musicians from Europe to the gala concert.

In Novorossiysk (Krasnodar Region, Black Sea Coast):

• March 20, 2016 - I Open Flamenco Festival in Kuban "La pasión flamenca" ^[13] ;
• March 4-5, 2017 - The II All-Russian Flamenco Festival in Kuban “La pasión flamenca” ^[14] with the participation of world star flamenco Alba Heredia [Alba Heredia ^[15] ;
• March 17–18, 2018 - the III International Flamenco Competition-Festival in Kuban “La pasión flamenca” with the participation of the granddaughter of Carmen Amaya - Karime Amaya ^[16] ;
• March 23-24, 2019 .

In other countries

Every year, since 2004, the Flamenco Festival in London takes place in February. One of the largest flamenco festivals outside of Spain has been held in Albuquerque, New Mexico for over 20 years. In Ukraine, flamenco was represented by festivals in Kiev (until 2006), Odessa (Flamenco and Latin American Culture Festival in 2011) and in Lviv (starting in 2010). Flamenco is widely represented at the festivals "Nelli Sypyur Invites", which have been held since 2010 in Kiev, Sevastopol, Sauvignon, at the Kiev Festival "Declare Yourself" (2016).

• Karmen amaya
• Argentina
• Niña de los Peines, Lola Flores , Fosforito, Niña de La Puebla,
• Carmen Linares
• Ramón Montoya Sr. ( Ramón Montoya ), Paco de Lucía ( Paco de Lucía ), Vicente Amigo ( Vicente Amigo ), Manolo Sanlúcar ( R. Riqueni ), Paco Serrano ( Paco Serrano ), Rafael Cortes ( Rafael Cortés ) (guitar)
• Антонио Гадес и Марио Майя ( Mario Maya ) (танец)
• Камарон де ла Исла ( Camarón de la Isla ) и Энрике Моренте (пение)
• Бланка дель Рей ( Blanca Del Rey )
• Антонио Каналес ( Antonio Canales )
• Антонио эль Пипа, Хавьер Мартос (танец)
• Мария Мойя (María Moya) (танец)
• Gipsy Kings , Мансанита (гитара, пение)
• Santa Esmeralda (диско, плюс гитара)
• Rocío Márquez
• Лена Эрнандес
• Эва Ла Йербабуэна ( Eva La Yerbabuena )
• Сара Барас
• Альба Эредиа ( Alba Heredia )
• Кариме Амайя ( Karime Amaya )
• Joaquin cortez
• Диего Эль Сигала
• Эстрелья Моренте
• Марина Эредиа

• Танцор фламенко Хоакин Кортес является послом цыган в Европейском союзе .
• «Дуэнде» — душа фламенко, также переводится с испанского как «огонь», «магия» или «чувство». «Лишь к одному дуэнде не способен — к повторению. Дуэнде не повторяется, как облик штормового моря».
• Вплоть до второй половины XIX века цыганки исполняли фламенко босиком.

• Пако Де Лусия
• Саура, Карлос

• Кларамут, А. П. «Искусство танца фламенко». М.: Искусство (1984): 183.
• Альфонсо, Пуиг Кларамунт. «Искусство танца фламенко». М.: Искусство (1984).
• Анди Эль Монте. «Фламенко: тайны забытых легенд». М.: Мусалаев (2003).
• Пичугин, П. А. «Фламенко». Musical Encyclopedia. т. 5, Москва, «Советская энциклопедия» (1981): 843.
• Шевченко, А. «Гитара фламенко: Мелодии и ритмы». А. Шевченко (1988): 156.
• Трофимова В. «Фламенко в Испании: культура, образ, стиль». Статья в журнале «Музыка и время». Ed. М.: «Научтехлитиздат», 2013. #8. С. 25-30. ISSN: 2072-9960

• Фотографии фламенко Алексея Кропоткина