Flamenco is a traditional dance of Spain. Flamenco - what is it? How to learn to dance this dance

30.03.2019

Flamenco harmony combines features of both modality and classical-romantic tonality. The two most recognizable modalisms in flamenco are the Phrygian scale and the Gypsy scale (otherwise known as the "Arabic scale"). The Phrygian revolution, for example, is found in soleares, in the majority bulerias, sigiriyas, tangos And tientos, gypsy scale - in saete.

The typical chord progression, called the Andalusian cadence in Spain, is a local variation of the Phrygian turn, e.g. Am-G-F-E. The pitch system based on the use of such a cadence is called the “Andalusian,” “Phrygian,” or “Dorian” mode in flamenco literature (it should not be identified with the monodic Phrygian and Dorian modes in ancient and medieval music). According to the famous flamenquista guitarist Manolo Sanlúcar, in this mode the chord E(E major) is the tonic, F(F major) has a harmonic dominant function, while Am(A minor) and G(G major) play the role of subdominant and mediant, respectively. According to another (more common) point of view, the tonic in this case is A minor, and the dominant is E major chord. Due to the typical disposition of consonances in flamenco forms, the dominant chord is metrically strongest (“strong” because it contains ends period), hence the alternative name for a pitch structure of this type - dominant mode.

Guitarists use two main fingerings of the Andalusian cadence - "por arriba" ("above") and "por medio" ("in the middle"). The capo is widely used for transposition. The "por arriba" variant corresponds (when played without a capo) to the chord progression Am-G-F-E, option “por medio”: Dm-C-B-A. Modern guitarists, such as Ramon Montoya, have begun to use other fingering variations of the Andalusian cadence. So Montoya started using options: Hm-A-G-F# For tarants, Em-D-C-H For granadines (granaines) And C#m-H-A-G# For miners. Montoya also created new genre flamenco for guitar solo, Rondenha, with cadence F#m-E-D-C#, performed with scordatura (6th string: D; 3rd: F sharp). These variants include, as additional structural elements, the sound of open strings on non-chord levels, which has become a specific feature of flamenco harmony as a whole. Later, guitarists continued to expand the range of fingering options and scordaturas used.

Some flamenco styles use the major mode of the harmonic key, this cantina And alegria, guajira, some buleria And tones, and bondage(variety sigiriya). The minor scale is associated with farrukoy, milonga, some styles tango And buleria. In general, traditional styles using major and minor scale limited in harmony to the use of two-chord (tonic-dominant) or three-chord (tonic-subdominant-dominant) sequences. However modern guitarists introduced the practice of replacing chords (eng. Chord substitution ), transitional chords and even modulation.

Fandango and its derivative styles such as Malagueña, Taranta and Cartajenera use two modes: the guitar intro is in Phrygian mode, while the opening chant is in major, changing back to Phrygian towards the end.

Singing

Singing in flamenco is characterized by the following features:

Vividly dramatic, often tragic in nature (in most styles).
Melodic improvisation based on a relatively small set of traditional melodic types.
Extremely rich ornamentation (melismatics).
The use of microintervals, that is, intervals smaller in magnitude than a semitone.
Portamento: Often the transition from one note to another occurs using a small smooth "approach" to the next note, that is, the notes are not immediately played accurately (in terms of pitch).
Narrow tessitura: Most traditional flamenco songs are limited to a range of a sixth (four and a half tones). Melodic diversity is achieved by singers through their use of different timbres and dynamic shades, microintervals, melismatic variation, etc.
Persistent repetition of one note and notes close to it on the chromatic scale (also used in guitar playing).
Lack of stable regular meter vocal part, especially in genres cante jondo, such as Sigiriya etc. (in this case, a non-metric vocal melody can be superimposed on metric instrumental accompaniment).
A decrease in intensity from the beginning to the end of a vocal phrase.
In many styles, such as solea or Sigiriya, the melody tends to follow nearby steps. Jumps through a step or more are much less common (however, in fandango and styles derived from it, there are often jumps through three or four steps, especially at the beginning of each line of the song, which presumably indicates more early origin songs of this style, influenced by Castilian music).

Compass

The most famous palos - toná, solea, saeta and siguiriya (toná, soleá, fandango, seguiriya) - belong to the category of cante jondo (cante jondo, or cante grande - the historical core of flamenco, the oldest musical and poetic tradition of Andalusia). The opposite category is [cante chico], or cante flamenco; it includes, for example, the genres of alegría, bulería, farruca. Both categories (jondo 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 many introduced instruments appear, from violin and double bass to exotic percussion instruments East and Latin America, such as cajon, darbuka, bongo, etc.

Flamenco has had a great influence on many dance and musical styles all over the world. In recent decades, mixed varieties of flamenco and other genres have appeared: flamenco-pop, flamenco-jazz, flamenco rock, flamenco fusion, gypsy rumba and others.

There are flamenco adherents who honor its traditions, which has both positive and negative sides. Strict adherence to tradition makes it impossible to deeply understand 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 the developing flamenco there is also scientific direction "flamencology"(a book with this title was written by Gonzalez Clement in 1955 and gave the name to this section of art criticism), flamencologists are studying the origins of flamenco and its “true” style, traditions, etc. Still on a par with supporters of the purity of the flamenco style ( purists) there are also adherents of its new forms and sounds.

Confession

Flamenco festivals

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

In Spain

One of the most authoritative, the largest flamenco festival in Spain takes place every two years in Seville under the name " " This festival was founded in 1980. True flamenco lovers come here from all over the world to see best artists: bailaors, cantaors and guitarists.

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

Annual cante grande festivals, cante flamenco festivals and others take place throughout Spain.

In Russia

International Flamenco Festival “¡VIVA ESPAÑA!” The largest flamenco festival in Russia, held in Moscow (since 2001).

1- Russian Flamenco Festival " (link unavailable since 05/23/2013 (2141 days)) " - held for the first time in 2011. The festival will bring together only the world's outstanding flamenco stars.

An annual festival called “Northern Flamenco” takes place in St. Petersburg. In addition, the Cana Flamenca festival takes place twice a year.

In the modern world guitar music in Kaluga since 1997, the annual festival “World of Guitar” has been operating, the participants of which are various flamenco groups from Russia and Spain, and many bright names of foreign guitarists, from the world famous, such as Al di Meola (2004), Ivan Smirnov (“mascot "festival), Vicente Amigo (2006), Paco de Lucia (2007), etc.

In 2011, the House of Flamenco "Flamenqueria" opened in Moscow - the first flamenco school in Russia with permanent Spanish teachers.

In other countries

Every year since 2004, the Flamenco Festival takes place in London in February. One of the largest flamenco festivals outside Spain has been taking place in the American city of Albuquerque, New Mexico for more than 20 years. In Ukraine, flamenco was represented by festivals in Kyiv (until 2006), Odessa (Festival of Flamenco and Latin American Culture in 2011) and Lviv (since 2010). Flamenco is widely represented at the “Nelly Syupure Invites” festivals, which have been taking place since 2010 in Kyiv, Sevastopol, and Sauvignon.

Famous flamenco artists

Niña de los Peines, Lola Flores , Fosforito, Niña de La Puebla,
Ramon Montoya Sr. ( Ramon Montoya), Paco de Lucia ( Paco de Lucia), Vicente Amigo ( Vicente Amigo), Manolo Sanlúcar ( Manolo Sanlúcar), R. Rikeni ( R. Riqueni), Paco Serrano ( Paco Serrano), Rafael Cortes ( Rafael Cortes)(guitar)
Antonio Gades and Mario Maya ( Mario Maya) (dance)
Camaron de la Isla ( Camarón de la Isla) and Enrique Morente (singing)
Blanca del Rey ( Blanca Del Rey)
Antonio Canales ( Antonio Canales)
Antonio el Pipa, Javier Martos (dance)
Maria Moya (dance)
Gipsy Kings, Manzanita (guitar, singing)
Santa Esmeralda (disco, plus guitar)
Eva La Yerbabuena ( Eva La Yerbabuena)
Estrella Morente
Marina Heredia

Flamenco dancer Joaquín Cortés is the Roma Ambassador to the European Union.
"Duende" is the soul of flamenco, also translated from Spanish as "fire", "magic" or "feeling". “There is only one duende he is not capable of - repetition. Duende does not repeat itself, like the appearance of a stormy sea.”
Up to the second half of the 19th century For centuries, gypsy women performed flamenco barefoot.

Write a review about the article "Flamenco"

Notes

Links



Main types

Modern dance

Types and genres

Dance theory

Terminology

An excerpt characterizing Flamenco

Every conclusion of history, without the slightest effort on the part of criticism, disintegrates like dust, leaving nothing behind, only due to the fact that criticism selects a larger or smaller discontinuous unit as the object of observation; to which it always has the right, since the historical unit taken is always arbitrary.
Only by allowing an infinitely small unit for observation - the differential of history, that is, the homogeneous drives of people, and having achieved the art of integrating (taking the sums of these infinitesimals), can we hope to comprehend the laws of history.
The first fifteen years of the 19th century in Europe represented an extraordinary movement of millions of people. People leave their usual occupations, rush from one side of Europe to the other, rob, kill one another, triumph and despair, and the whole course of life changes for several years and represents an intensified movement, which at first increases, then weakens. What was the reason for this movement or according to what laws did it occur? - asks the human mind.
Historians, answering this question, describe to us the actions and speeches of several dozen people in one of the buildings in the city of Paris, calling these actions and speeches the word revolution; then they give detailed biography Napoleon and some persons sympathetic and hostile to him, they talk about the influence of some of these persons on others and say: this is why this movement occurred, and these are its laws.
But the human mind not only refuses to believe in this explanation, but directly says that the method of explanation is not correct, because with this explanation the weakest phenomenon is taken as the cause of the strongest. The sum of human arbitrariness made both the revolution and Napoleon, and only the sum of these arbitrarinesses tolerated them and destroyed them.
“But whenever there have been conquests, there have been conquerors; every time there were revolutions in the state, there were great people,” says history. Indeed, whenever conquerors appeared, there were wars, the human mind answers, but this does not prove that conquerors were the causes of wars and that it was possible to find the laws of war in the personal activity of one person. Every time, when I look at my watch, I see that the hand has approached ten, I hear that the gospel begins in the neighboring church, but from the fact that every time the hand comes to ten o’clock when the gospel begins, I I have no right to conclude that the position of the arrow is the reason for the movement of the bells.
Every time I see a steam locomotive moving, I hear the sound of a whistle, I see the opening of a valve and the movement of the wheels; but from this I have no right to conclude that the whistle and movement of the wheels are the causes of the movement of the locomotive.
The peasants say that a cold wind blows in late spring because the oak bud is unfurling, and indeed, every spring a cold wind blows when the oak tree is unfurling. But although the reason for the cold wind blowing when the oak tree unfurls is unknown to me, I cannot agree with the peasants that the cause of the cold wind is the unfurling of the oak bud, only because the force of the wind is beyond the influence of the bud. I see only the coincidence of those conditions that exist in every life phenomenon, and I see that, no matter how much and in what detail I observe the hand of a clock, the valve and wheels of a locomotive and the bud of an oak tree, I do not recognize the reason for the bell, the movement of the locomotive and the spring wind . To do this, I must completely change my point of observation and study the laws of the movement of steam, bells and wind. History should do the same. And attempts to do this have already been made.
To study the laws of history, we must completely change the subject of observation, leave kings, ministers and generals alone, and study the homogeneous, infinitesimal elements that lead the masses. No one can say how much it is possible for a person to achieve an understanding of the laws of history through this way; but it is obvious that on this path only lies the possibility of capturing historical laws and that on this path the human mind has not yet made one millionth of the effort that historians have put into describing the acts of various kings, generals and ministers and presenting their considerations on the occasion of these acts.

The forces of twelve languages of Europe rushed into Russia. The Russian army and population retreat, avoiding a collision, to Smolensk and from Smolensk to Borodino. The French army, with ever-increasing speed, rushes towards Moscow, towards the goal of its movement. The strength of its swiftness, approaching the target, increases, just as the speed of a falling body increases as it approaches the ground. A thousand miles away is a hungry, hostile country; There are dozens of miles ahead, separating us from the goal. Every soldier of the Napoleonic army feels this, and the invasion is approaching by itself, by sheer force of swiftness.
In the Russian army, as they retreat, the spirit of bitterness against the enemy flares up more and more: retreating back, it concentrates and grows. There is a clash near Borodino. Neither one nor the other army disintegrates, but the Russian army immediately after the collision retreats just as necessarily as a ball necessarily rolls back when it collides with another ball rushing towards it with greater speed; and just as inevitably (although having lost all its strength in the collision) the rapidly scattering ball of invasion rolls over some more space.
The Russians retreat one hundred and twenty versts - beyond Moscow, the French reach Moscow and stop there. For five weeks after this there is not a single battle. The French don't move. Like a mortally wounded animal, which, bleeding, licks its wounds, they remain in Moscow for five weeks, doing nothing, and suddenly, without any new reason, they run back: they rush to the Kaluga road (and after the victory, since again the battlefield remained behind them near Maloyaroslavets), without engaging in a single serious battle, they ran even faster back to Smolensk, beyond Smolensk, beyond Vilna, beyond the Berezina and beyond.
On the evening of August 26, both Kutuzov and the entire Russian army were sure that battle of Borodino won. Kutuzov wrote to the sovereign in this way. Kutuzov ordered preparations for a new battle in order to finish off the enemy, not because he wanted to deceive anyone, but because he knew that the enemy was defeated, just as each of the participants in the battle knew it.
But that same evening and the next day, news began to arrive, one after another, about unheard-of losses, about the loss of half the army, and a new battle turned out to be physically impossible.
It was impossible to fight when information had not yet been collected, the wounded had not been removed, the shells had not been replenished, the dead had not been counted, new commanders had not been appointed to replace the dead, and people had not eaten or slept.
And at the same time, immediately after the battle, the next morning, the French army (due to that rapid force of movement, now increased as if in the inverse ratio of the squares of the distances) was already advancing by itself on the Russian army. Kutuzov wanted to attack the next day, and the whole army wanted this. But in order to attack, the desire to do so is not enough; there needs to be an opportunity to do this, but this opportunity was not there. It was impossible not to retreat to one transition, then in the same way it was impossible not to retreat to another and a third transition, and finally on September 1, when the army approached Moscow, despite all the strength of the rising feeling in the ranks of the troops, the force of things demanded so that these troops march for Moscow. And the troops retreated one more, to the last crossing and gave Moscow to the enemy.
For those people who are accustomed to thinking that plans for wars and battles are drawn up by commanders in the same way as each of us, sitting in his office over a map, makes considerations about how and how he would manage such and such a battle, questions arise as to why Kutuzov didn’t do this and that when retreating, why he didn’t take up a position before Fili, why he didn’t immediately retreat to the Kaluga road, left Moscow, etc. People who are used to thinking like this forget or don’t know those inevitable conditions in which the activities of every commander in chief always take place. The activity of a commander does not have the slightest resemblance to the activity that we imagine, sitting freely in an office, analyzing some campaign on the map with a known number of troops, on both sides, and in a certain area, and starting our considerations with what some famous moment. The commander-in-chief is never in those conditions of the beginning of some event in which we always consider the event. The commander-in-chief is always in the middle of a moving series of events, and so that never, at any moment, is he able to think through the full significance of the event taking place. An event is imperceptibly, moment by moment, cut into its meaning, and at every moment of this sequential, continuous cutting of the event, the commander-in-chief is in the center of a complex game, intrigue, worries, dependence, power, projects, advice, threats, deceptions, is constantly in the need to respond to the countless number of questions proposed to him, always contradicting one another.
Military scientists tell us very seriously that Kutuzov, much earlier than Filey, should have moved troops to the Kaluga road, that someone even proposed such a project. But before the commander-in-chief, especially in Hard time, there is not just one project, but always dozens at the same time. And each of these projects, based on strategy and tactics, contradicts one another. The commander-in-chief's job, it would seem, is only to choose one of these projects. But he cannot do this either. Events and time do not wait. He is offered, let’s say, on the 28th to go to the Kaluga road, but at this time Miloradovich’s adjutant jumps up and asks whether to start business with the French now or retreat. He needs to give orders now, this very minute. And the order to retreat takes us off the turn onto the Kaluga road. And following the adjutant, the quartermaster asks where to take the provisions, and the head of the hospitals asks where to take the wounded; and a courier from St. Petersburg brings a letter from the sovereign, not allowing the possibility of leaving Moscow, and the rival of the commander-in-chief, the one who undermines him (there are always such, and not one, but several), offers new project, diametrically opposed to the plan for access to the Kaluga road; and the forces of the commander-in-chief himself require sleep and reinforcement; and the venerable general, bypassed by a reward, comes to complain, and the inhabitants beg for protection; the officer sent to inspect the area arrives and reports the exact opposite of what the officer sent before him said; and the spy, the prisoner and the general doing reconnaissance - all describe the position of the enemy army differently. People who are accustomed to not understanding or forgetting these necessary conditions for the activity of any commander-in-chief present to us, for example, the situation of the troops in Fili and at the same time assume that the commander-in-chief could, on September 1st, completely freely resolve the issue of abandoning or defending Moscow, whereas in the situation of the Russian army five miles from Moscow this question could not have arisen. When was this issue resolved? And near Drissa, and near Smolensk, and most noticeably on the 24th near Shevardin, and on the 26th near Borodin, and on every day, hour, and minute of the retreat from Borodino to Fili.

Russian troops, having retreated from Borodino, stood at Fili. Ermolov, who had gone to inspect the position, drove up to the field marshal.
“There is no way to fight in this position,” he said. Kutuzov looked at him in surprise and forced him to repeat the words he had said. When he spoke, Kutuzov extended his hand to him.
“Give me your hand,” he said, and, turning it so as to feel his pulse, he said: “You’re not well, my dear.” Think about what you are saying.
Kutuzov on Poklonnaya Hill, six miles from the Dorogomilovskaya outpost, got out of the carriage and sat down on a bench on the edge of the road. A huge crowd of generals gathered around him. Count Rastopchin, having arrived from Moscow, joined them. This whole brilliant society, divided into several circles, talked among themselves about the advantages and disadvantages of the position, about the position of the troops, about the proposed plans, about the state of Moscow, and about military issues in general. Everyone felt that although they had not been called to this, although it was not called that, it was a council of war. The conversations were all kept in the area of general issues. If anyone reported or learned personal news, it was said in a whisper, and they immediately went back to general issues: no jokes, no laughter, no smiles were even noticeable between all these people. Everyone, obviously with effort, tried to stay at the height of the situation. And all the groups, talking among themselves, tried to stay close to the commander-in-chief (whose shop was the center in these circles) and spoke so that he could hear them. The commander-in-chief listened and sometimes asked questions about what was being said around him, but he himself did not enter into the conversation and did not express any opinion. For the most part, after listening to the conversation of some circle, he turned away with a look of disappointment - as if they were not talking about what he wanted to know. Some spoke about the chosen position, criticizing not so much the position itself as the mental abilities of those who chose it; others argued that a mistake had been made earlier, that the battle should have been fought on the third day; still others talked about the Battle of Salamanca, which the Frenchman Crosard, who had just arrived in a Spanish uniform, told about. (This Frenchman, together with one of the German princes who served in the Russian army, dealt with the siege of Saragossa, foreseeing the opportunity to also defend Moscow.) In the fourth circle, Count Rastopchin said that he and the Moscow squad were ready to die under the walls of the capital, but that everything yet he cannot help but regret the uncertainty in which he was left, and that if he had known this before, things would have been different... The fifth, showing the depth of their strategic considerations, talked about the direction that the troops would have to take. The sixth spoke complete nonsense. Kutuzov's face became more and more concerned and sadder. From all the conversations of these Kutuzovs he saw one thing: there was no physical possibility to defend Moscow in full meaning these words, that is, it was not possible to such an extent that if some crazy commander-in-chief had given the order to start a battle, then confusion would have occurred and the battle would not have happened after all; it would not have been because all the top leaders not only recognized this position as impossible, but in their conversations they discussed only what would happen after the undoubted abandonment of this position. How could commanders lead their troops on a battlefield they considered impossible? Lower Chiefs, even the soldiers (who also reason) also recognized the position as impossible and therefore could not go to fight with the certainty of defeat. If Bennigsen insisted on defending this position and others were still discussing it, then this question no longer mattered in itself, but mattered only as a pretext for dispute and intrigue. Kutuzov understood this.
Bennigsen, having chosen a position, ardently exposing his Russian patriotism (which Kutuzov could not listen to without wincing), insisted on the defense of Moscow. Kutuzov saw Bennigsen’s goal as clear as day: if the defense failed, to blame Kutuzov, who brought the troops to the Sparrow Hills without a battle, and if successful, to attribute it to himself; in case of refusal, to clear oneself of the crime of leaving Moscow. But this question of intrigue did not occupy the old man’s mind now. One terrible question occupied him. And he did not hear an answer to this question from anyone. The question for him now was only this: “Did I really allow Napoleon to reach Moscow, and when did I do it? When was this decided? Was it really yesterday, when I sent an order to Platov to retreat, or the evening of the third day, when I dozed off and ordered Bennigsen to give orders? Or even before?.. but when, when was this terrible matter decided? Moscow must be abandoned. The troops must retreat, and this order must be given.” To give this terrible order seemed to him the same thing as giving up command of the army. And not only did he love power, got used to it (the honor given to Prince Prozorovsky, under whom he was in Turkey, teased him), he was convinced that the salvation of Russia was destined for him and that only because, against the will of the sovereign and by the will of the people, he was elected commander-in-chief. He was convinced that he alone, even in these difficult conditions, could remain at the head of the army, that he alone in the whole world was able to know the invincible Napoleon as his enemy without horror; and he was horrified at the thought of the order he was about to give. But something had to be decided, it was necessary to stop these conversations around him, which were beginning to take on too free a character.
He called the senior generals to him.
“Ma tete fut elle bonne ou mauvaise, n"a qu"a s"aider d"elle meme, [Is my head good or bad, but there is no one else to rely on," he said, getting up from the bench, and went to Fili, where his crews were stationed.

In the spacious, best hut of the peasant Andrei Savostyanov, the council met at two o’clock. Men, women and children of a large peasant family crowded into the black hut through the entryway. Only Andrei’s granddaughter, Malasha, a six-year-old girl, to whom His Serene Highness, having caressed her, gave her a lump of sugar for tea, remained on the stove in the large hut. Malasha timidly and joyfully looked from the stove at the faces, uniforms and crosses of the generals, one after another entering the hut and sitting down in the red corner, on wide benches under the icons. Grandfather himself, as Malasha Kutuzova internally called him, sat apart from them, in a dark corner behind the stove. He sat, sank deeply into a folding chair, and incessantly grunted and straightened the collar of his coat, which, although unbuttoned, still seemed to be squeezing his neck. Those entering one after another approached the field marshal; He shook hands with some, nodded his head at others. Adjutant Kaisarov wanted to pull back the curtain in the window facing Kutuzov, but Kutuzov angrily waved his hand at him, and Kaisarov realized that his Serene Highness did not want his face to be seen.
So many people had gathered around the peasant’s spruce table, on which lay maps, plans, pencils, and papers, that the orderlies brought another bench and placed it near the table. The people who came sat down on this bench: Ermolov, Kaisarov and Tol. Under the very images, in the first place, sat with George on his neck, with a pale, sickly face and with his high forehead merging with his bare head, Barclay de Tolly. For the second day already he suffered from fever, and at that very time he was shivering and aching. Uvarov sat next to him and, in a quiet voice (as everyone else said), quickly making gestures, told Barclay. Small, round Dokhturov, raising his eyebrows and folding his hands on his stomach, listened carefully. On the other side, Count Osterman Tolstoy sat, leaning his broad head on his arm, with bold features and sparkling eyes, and seemed lost in his thoughts. Raevsky, with an expression of impatience, curling his black hair at his temples with his usual forward gesture, glanced first at Kutuzov, then at the front door. Konovnitsyn’s firm, handsome and kind face shone with a gentle and cunning smile. He met Malasha's gaze and made signs to her with his eyes that made the girl smile.
Everyone was waiting for Bennigsen, who was finishing his delicious lunch under the pretext of a new inspection of the position. They waited for him from four to six hours, and during all this time they did not start the meeting and carried on extraneous conversations in quiet voices.

This dance and music style appeared in the most passionate country in the world - Spain.

It includes more than fifty varieties, each of which has its own unique features and characteristics.

Most often, flamenco songs and dances are accompanied by guitar or percussion: playing the percussion box, rhythmic clapping of hands, and sometimes castanets. Each flamenco performer has his own designation, for example, singers are called "cantaoras", dancers "bailaoras", and guitarists "tocaoras".

The history of the origin of flamenco

The origins of this incendiary passionate dance should be sought among the elements of Moorish musical culture, however, in addition to it, one can highlight the significant influence of gypsy melodies, as well as movements inherent in this particular nomadic people.

Back in the 15th century, gypsies arrived from Byzantium, which at that moment was experiencing a period of collapse, and began to create their new home on the southern coast of the country, in the province of Andalusia.

In accordance with their customs, they began to adopt and reinterpret musical preferences and traditions local residents. In addition to the fact that the travelers brought their own cultural elements, they also managed to harmoniously combine Jewish, Moorish and spanish traditions to ultimately get a charming, mysterious, energetic and passionate style - flamenco.

For a long time this direction was considered “closed”, because the gypsies preferred to spend time in their isolated groups, but at the end of the 18th century persecution nomadic people stopped, and flamenco gained true freedom, conquering the stage of cafes and taverns.

And already at the end of the 20th century, flamenco began to gradually absorb incendiary Cuban motifs and jazz melodies. In addition, the dance “intercepted” the most beautiful elements of classical ballet.

The founder of flamenco as a separate, independent movement is considered to be Joaquin Cortez, who brought a special “live” note to this dance, transforming it into a full-fledged art form.

Complex rhythm, specific technique, as well as freedom for creativity and improvisation make flamenco an unusual, exciting style, but quite difficult to perform. In order not to lose the original sound and not to waste all the knowledge and techniques accumulated over centuries, most often, even in our time, all masters try to pass them on to the most talented and devoted students who are ready to devote their lives to honing their skills and training a new generation of dancers.

A little about the classification of styles

If we consider flamenco styles based on their individual characteristics, we can, first of all, point out that they differ from each other in their unique rhythmic pattern. The most popular drawings these days are deservedly considered:

Solea;
Tona;
Fandango y Seguiriya.

Of course, flamenco has had a huge influence on many world music and dance styles. Over the past decades, completely new directions of this rhythmic, passionate dance have appeared, which were created as a result of the interaction of traditional spanish culture with different melodies. Eg:

Flamenco rock;
flamenco-pop;
flamenco jazz;
Gypsy Rumba and many others. etc.

However, there are still true connoisseurs of the “original” dance who strictly follow all traditions and laws, which has two sides - positive and negative. In fact, you cannot focus on just one technique, even if it is dominant, because this way it is impossible to know the true essence of this bewitching, alluring dance, which continues to win the hearts of people around the world. Flamenco is like a living organism that needs to constantly develop in order not to lose its charm, and “stopping” this process is the same as going against nature.

There is even a special direction in history called “flamencology” - it studies flamenco - its emergence, development and interaction with other cultures. Also, its goal is to preserve traditions so that future generations can enjoy this enchanting art, despite the development of technological progress and decline in popularity classical dances.

Unchangeable attributes of flamenco dance

By far the most important element appearance Each flamenco dancer wears a long, traditional dress, which is called “bata de cola”, and is a full-length vestment, created, most often from multi-colored material with a small pattern or polka dots, which is richly decorated with flounces and frills. The ancestors of this dress were the outfits worn by gypsies. And, perhaps, the main highlight of the dance is a kind of “game” with the hem, during which a charming woman must make complex, original, harmonious figures, which, in fact, are not so easy to come up with.

If we talk about the traditional form of clothing for a man - a balaior, then it should include dark trousers, white shirt with loose sleeves, a short bolero vest, and a bright wide belt.

Another one of classical elements The outfit for flamenco is a beautiful Spanish shawl with long tassels - it either twists around the dancer’s body, emphasizing the feminine features of her silhouette, or falls from the shoulders and forms, in a way, the “wings” of a large, fabulous, excellent bird.

Also, often a lady takes with her a large Spanish fan or castanets. Despite the fact that, according to everyone, they are a mandatory part of the accompaniment for dancers, most often the rhythm is beaten out by snapping the fingers or tapping the heel. In fact, castanets are more of a hindrance than a useful attribute because they occupy the hands and significantly “cut down” the possibility of expressive, passionate playing of the fingers and hands.

Incredibly attractive and impressive flamenco dance is pure expression, without impurities. This is a bright, significant manifestation of feelings, mood, thoughts. This is a performance born both from the suffering experienced and filled with love. It is unusually good both as a collective song and as an anthem of individuality.

Flamenco dance training

What is the benefit of flamenco classes? People fall in love with this dance, and at first people do not learn to dance flamenco for practical reasons. This spanish dance captivates with its spectacle and temperament, its passion resonates in the soul.

However, during the learning process, you suddenly notice unexpected changes in yourself - the posture became beautiful, royal, since the corresponding back muscles are strengthened during classes, graceful body positioning becomes familiar. The waist becomes thinner, since this Spanish dance constantly contains “twisting” movements - the shoulders turn relative to the hips, which provides regular load on the oblique abdominal muscles, which form the waist. This also includes coordination of movements of the whole body, since flamenco dance combines a great variety of them - from slow and smooth to very fast and clear.

The rhythm of Spanish music changes, the nature of movements changes, and, consequently, your emotions. In one Spanish dance lesson you can experience the whole gamut of feelings and experiences: through movement, release accumulated tension, internally liberate, gain fresh energy, feel the passion and love unfolding inside like a flower.

Origin

The origins of flamenco should be sought in the Moorish musical culture. Gypsy music also significantly influenced this style - many consider the Spanish gypsies to be the main, true carriers of the style. In the 15th century, gypsies arrived in Spain from the collapsing Byzantium and settled along the southern coast of the country in the province of Andalusia; according to their custom, they began to adopt and reinterpret local musical traditions, such as Moorish, Jewish and Spanish proper; and from this fusion of musical traditions, reinterpreted first by the gypsies and then by the Spaniards, flamenco was born.

For a long time, flamenco was considered a “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 gypsies stopped, and flamenco entered the stage of taverns and cantante cafes and gained freedom.

In Russia

International Flamenco Festival “¡VIVA ESPAÑA!” The largest flamenco festival in Russia, held in Moscow (since 2001).

1- Russian Flamenco Festival " en Moscu"" - held for the first time in 2011. The festival will bring together only the world's outstanding flamenco stars.

An annual festival called “Northern Flamenco” takes place in St. Petersburg.

In the world of modern guitar music, the annual festival “World of Guitar” has been running in Kaluga since 1997, the participants of which are various flamenco groups from Russia and Spain, and many bright names of foreign guitarists, from the world famous, such as Al di Meola (2004), Ivan Smirnov (“mascot” of the festival), Vicente Amigo (2006), Paco de Lucia (2007), etc.

In other countries

Wikimedia Foundation.

2010.:

Synonyms

See what "Flamenco" is in other dictionaries: FLAMENCO, the same as Kante flamenco...

Modern encyclopedia - (Spanish flamenco) in music, see Cante flamenco... Big

encyclopedic Dictionary - [Spanish flamenco] music Spanish performing style, as well as music, songs, dances associated with southern Spanish art. Dictionary of foreign words. Komlev N.G., 2006. flamenco (Spanish flamenco ...

Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language Noun, number of synonyms: 2 style (95) dance (264) ASIS Dictionary of Synonyms. V.N. Trishin. 2013…

Synonym dictionary flamenco - flamenco. Pronounced [flamenco]…

Dictionary of difficulties of pronunciation and stress in modern Russian language FLAMENCO - Southern Spanish musical, song and dance style of gypsy origin. Developed in Andalusia in the Middle Ages. Singing and dancing are solo, accompanied by playing the guitar, castanets, and snapping fingers. From the middle of the 19th century. distributed by …

Andalusia is the very south of the Iberian Peninsula, the southern gate of Europe, through which countless peoples have passed over three thousand years. Their traditions and culture, as if in a cauldron, were mixed here and presented to the world something new, an exclusively local product. Flamenco is one of the best dishes, came out of this cauldron and spread throughout the world.

We do not know the original meaning of this word. And why! Flamenco is a song and dance with which a person expresses his joy and sorrow. It can be frivolous, dressed in polka dot dresses with ruffles and flounces, or it can be thoughtful, suffering, raising its hands to the sky in powerlessness.

Antonio Machado (1875-1939)

Cante jondo

Quiet, I unwinded tiredly
a tangle of thoughts, hardships and despondency,
when through the window, wide open,
from a summer night, hot as the desert,

came the groan of a drowsy tune -
and, divining the weeping cantilena,
broke the strings into gloomy trills
the melody of my native villages.

...There was Love, crimson like a flame...
And a nervous hand in response to roulades
took off with a shiver of a golden sigh,
which turned into a meteor shower.

...And Death was there, with a scythe behind his shoulders...
- I imagined her like this as a child -
a skeleton that prowled the roads...

And, resoundingly echoing the peace of death,
hand on the disturbed strings
fell like the lid of a coffin.

And the gray cry breathed like the wind,
sweeping away dust and ashes, blowing away.

In addition to Arab, Jewish and even African musical traditions, the formation of flamenco song features was influenced by two facts: the use of early middle ages in Spain Greco-Byzantine church singing and relocation immediately large number gypsies, again from the Byzantine Empire, after its fall to the Ottomans in 1453.

The ingredients were mixed for several centuries, and in the 18th century. formed a new style. At first it belonged to large gypsy families, played only for their own in the patio. Singing and dancing were as necessary for them as breathing. Flamenco is characterized by impulsiveness and improvisation, where the singer (cantaor) and the guitarist, singer and dancer (bailaor) conduct a dialogue. By the end of the century, flamenco took to the streets and occupied taverns and inns. Now this style has more than 50 varieties. It is performed with a guitar, the sound of a cajon (percussion box) and castanets.

Here are some of the styles and their content:
Tientos sings of wisdom;
Sigiriya (Siguirilla) reflects on life and death;
Farruca speaks of moderation and simplicity;
Fandango sings about love and sorrow;
Solea is seething with passion;
Alegrias entertains with elegance and grace;
Tangos and Bulerias are raging with fun and enthusiasm.

Having reached its peak in the 1920s, flamenco experienced a crisis in subsequent years. Commercialization and professionalization led to the hollowing out of his spirit. Disputes began about the purity of style and the legitimacy of innovations. However, being the product of a fusion of many traditions, flamenco cannot help but accept new elements. So, in 1995, singer Enrique Morente performed the poems of Federico García Lorca to thrash metal music.

The now living guitarist Paco de Lucia, one of the creators of the new flamenco style, connects it with modern music and Brazilian rhythms. He was the first to use the cajon after receiving it as a gift from Peru in the 1970s. Since then, it is difficult to imagine a flamenco concert without a cajon.

Antonio Gades, one of the most decorated dancers in Spain, received his award in 1988. National Award Dance for "his contribution to establishing a connection between the flamenco tradition and modern trends in Spanish dance." The writer Caballero Bonald said about him: “His dance hides all the depth folk custom. <>Perhaps the most important artistic merit of Antonio Gades was that he was able to introduce the tragic fury of flamenco into the expressive grace of academic and school dance. Sophistication of gestures, presence classical movements hands are united here with the open frenzy of the Gypsy-Andalusian dance.”

Joaquín Cortés, who represents the Roma in the European Union, has created his own style, which includes flamenco, classical ballet and jazz. Some may not like the glamorous image of Spanish dance, but a talented dancer has made it famous and popular all over the world.

Federico Garcia Lorca (1898 — 1936 )

Portrait of Silverio Franconetti (Gypsy Vignettes), 1921

Copper gypsy string
and the warmth of Italian wood -
that's what it was
singing Silverio.
Italy's honey for our lemons
went in addition
and gave a special taste
I cry for him.
A terrible scream erupted from the depths
this voice.
The old people say they moved
hair,
and the mercury melted
mirrors
Sliding through the tones, never
didn't break them.
Still planting flower beds
the master was rare
and build from the silence
gazebos.
And now his tune
melts in the last echoes,
pure and complete
melts in the last echoes.

Speaking about inspiration, Lorca distinguished between three types: “angel”, “muse” and “duende”. “An angel illuminates, but he himself is high above a person, he overshadows him with grace, and a person, without knowing painful efforts, creates, loves, dances”; “The muse dictates, but it happens and whispers.” The angel and the muse descend. We must fight for the third state: “Duende is power, not labor, battle, not thought.” “Duende is possible in any art, but, of course, it has more scope in music, dance and oral poetry, which need to be embodied in a living human body, because they are born and die forever, but live momentarily.”

To illustrate the duende, Lorca told the following story: “Once upon a time, the Andalusian singer Pastora Pavon, the Girl with the Combs, a gloomy Spanish spirit with a fantasy to match Goya or Rafael El Gallo, sang in one of the taverns of Cadiz. She played with her in a dark voice, mossy, shimmering, fusible, like tin, wrapped him in strands of hair, bathed him in manzanilla, led him into the distant wilds. And all in vain. There was silence around.<>Only a malicious little man, like those springy little devils that jump out of a bottle, said in a low voice: “Long live Paris!” - and it sounded: “We don’t need any inclinations or training. We need something else."

And then the Girl with the Crests jumped up, wild as an ancient mourner, drank a glass of fiery casaglia in one gulp and sang, with a scorched throat, without breath, without a voice, without anything, but... with duende. She knocked out all the supports from the song to give way to the violent, burning duende, brother of the samoom, and he forced the audience to tear their clothes, as the Antillean blacks tear them in a trance before the image of Saint Barbara. The girl with the combs broke her voice, because she knew: these judges do not need the form, but its nerve, pure music - ethereality, born to soar. She sacrificed her gift and skill - pushing aside the muse, defenseless, she waited for the duende, begging to make her happy with the duel. And how she sang! The voice no longer played - it poured out like a stream of blood, genuine as the pain itself, it branched with a ten-fingered hand on the nailed but not humbled feet of Christ, sculpted by Juan do Huni" (Lectures and performances: Duende, theme with variations (1930)).

Isn't this what fascinates us most about flamenco? Duende can be shown by a person who has experienced a lot, so the outstanding performers are not the young and flexible, but the mature and sophisticated. They may not be able to produce incredible shots at high speeds, but they know how to position their heads and wave their arms in such a way that the audience gets goosebumps all over their bodies.

You should also not think that flamenco is only available to Spaniards. At one of the festivals, the audience gave a standing ovation to a Japanese dancer who infected everyone with his emotions. The international festival “¡Viva España!” has been taking place in Moscow for 12 years now, where Russian (and not only) performers demonstrate their technique and charisma to the jury and simply connoisseurs of this culture. In big cities there are various flamenco schools where they teach fractions, the compass, playing castanets, and most importantly the ability to carry yourself and hold your head high.

When republishing materials from the Matrony.ru website, a direct active link to original text material is required.

Since you are here...

...we have a small request. The Matrona portal is actively developing, our audience is growing, but we do not have enough funds for the editorial office. Many topics that we would like to raise and that are of interest to you, our readers, remain uncovered due to financial restrictions.

Unlike many media outlets, we deliberately do not make a paid subscription, because we want our materials to be available to everyone.

But. Matrons are daily articles, columns and interviews, translations of the best English-language articles about family and education, editors, hosting and servers. So you can understand why we are asking for your help.

For example, 50 rubles a month - is it a lot or a little? A cup of coffee? Not much for a family budget. For Matrons - a lot. If everyone who reads Matrona supports us with 50 rubles a month, they will make a huge contribution to the possibility of developing the publication and the emergence of new relevant and interesting materials about a woman's life in modern world