Flamenco

The three parts, and the palos

What flamenco is made of

• el cante the singing — The vocal expression of flamenco, usually sung seated. Elsewhere in Spanish, singing is el canto.
• el toque the guitar playing — From tocar. Played with the fingernails and with taps on the soundboard; long since more than accompaniment.
• el baile the dance — The bailaora or bailaor marks the rhythm with feet, hands and the whole body.

Some palos — the styles

• la soleá soleá
• la bulería bulería — Its twelve-beat compás is hard even for many musicians.
• la seguiriya seguiriya
• las alegrías alegrías
• los tangos tangos — Nothing to do with the tango of Buenos Aires.
• la saeta saeta — Sung without guitar from a balcony to a Holy Week statue.

What keeps time

• el compás the rhythmic cycle of each palo
• las palmas hand-clapping
• el cante jondo the oldest, deepest song: pain, death and love — Jondo is Andalusian for hondo, deep.

• Flamenco has three parts: el cante (singing), el toque (guitar) and el baile (dance).
• There are many styles, called palos — soleá, bulería, seguiriya, alegrías, tangos — and each has its compás, a rhythm marked with hand-clapping.
• The saeta is a flamenco song without guitar, sung from a balcony to the statue as a Holy Week paso passes; the music stops while it lasts.
• UNESCO inscribed flamenco on its Representative List of intangible cultural heritage in 2010; its page lists castanets, hand-clapping and foot-stamping among its sounds.

El flamenco tiene tres partes: el cante, el toque y el baile.

Flamenco has three parts: the singing, the guitar playing and the dancing.

Hay muchos estilos, que se llaman palos: soleá, bulería, seguiriya, alegrías, tangos.

There are many styles, which are called palos: soleá, bulería, seguiriya, alegrías, tangos.

Cada palo tiene su compás, un ritmo que se marca con las palmas.

Each palo has its compás, a rhythm that is marked with hand-clapping.

De pronto la música se calla, y desde un balcón alguien canta una saeta: un cante flamenco sin guitarra, dirigido a la imagen.

Suddenly the music falls silent, and from a balcony someone sings a saeta: a flamenco song without guitar, addressed to the statue.

Where it comes from

Flamenco was born in Andalusia between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Its roots lie in the Gitano people, who arrived in Spain in the fifteenth century and sang in their homes and in the forges of Jerez, Cádiz and Seville, but also in Arab, Jewish and Castilian music. UNESCO's description singles out the Gitano community as having played an essential role in its development.

Nobody knows for certain where the word comes from: flamenco also means Flemish, and flamingo. It is learned in the family and in the peña, the club where enthusiasts sing for each other, not in the conservatory.

• Flamenco was born in Andalusia between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, with roots in the Gitano people and in Arab, Jewish and Castilian music.
• The origin of the word flamenco is unknown.
• Flamenco is learned in the family and in the peña, not in the conservatory; UNESCO notes it is passed down through dynasties, families and flamenco clubs.
• It is not the music of all Spain: Galicia has bagpipes and Catalonia the sardana.

El flamenco nació en Andalucía, en el sur de España, entre los siglos dieciocho y diecinueve.

Flamenco was born in Andalucía, in the south of Spain, between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Sus raíces están en el pueblo gitano, pero también en la música árabe, judía y castellana.

Its roots lie in the Gypsy people, but also in Arab, Jewish and Castilian music.

El flamenco no es la música de toda España: en Galicia hay gaitas y en Cataluña, sardanas.

Flamenco is not the music of all Spain: in Galicia there are bagpipes and in Cataluña, sardanas.

Duende, and where to hear it

When everything comes together and something catches fire, the aficionados say there is duende. Lorca gave a famous lecture on it. It happens in peñas and at family gatherings more often than on a stage.

The tablaos — venues with a show for tourists — have existed since the 1950s. They are not where you are most likely to hear the best flamenco, and a tablao in Madrid is a long way from Jerez. Remember too that the sevillanas danced at the Feria de Abril are not flamenco, though they look like it to visitors.

• Duende is the spirit or magic of a great performance; Lorca gave a famous lecture on it.
• Tablaos, venues with shows for tourists, have existed since the 1950s; it is unlikely that a tourist will see the best flamenco in a tablao in Madrid.
• Sevillanas, the four-part dance of the Feria de Abril, are not flamenco, though they look like it to visitors.

Cuando todo se junta y algo se enciende, los aficionados dicen que hay duende.

When everything comes together and something catches fire, the fans say there is duende.

No es probable que un turista vea el mejor flamenco en un tablao de Madrid.

It is unlikely that a tourist will see the best flamenco in a tablao in Madrid.