Flamenco Roots
The origins of flamenco are a source of contention, and unfortunately
the discussion is not devoid of ideology. Everyone agrees
that Spanish gypsies played an important part in its development,
but other theories have less foundation. Flamenco's exotic,
oriental feel lends credence to the idea that it derived from
Moorish, particularly Arab music, but I know of no other hard
evidence for the idea (and I have my own theory in this respect,
which I shall save for later*). What does seem certain is
that the gypsies who reached Spain in the fifteenth century
already had a long tradition as performers, first in Persia,
then in places like Hungary, Romania, Russia and Turkey, assimilating
local music and interpreting it in their own way, with the
evident aim of catering to local tastes.
And they
found in Andalusia a home - there is evidence that gypsies
fitted in there, particular in Seville and Cádiz, better than
elsewhere. For example, in other places in Spain and Europe,
they invariably continued their nomadic lifestyle, whereas
in Andalusia they were more likely to live a sedentary existence.
As Miguel Ángel Berlanga say, a little more fancifully than
usual, "The people of Andalusia liked them, which was not
surprising because of the similarities between them: hospitality,
a talent for getting on with people, music, a festive spirit."
Lamplight Dances and the Función Privada
The gypsies were immediately associated with singing and dancing,
partying and celebrations, though they were more likely to
earn their living as metalworkers or street sellers. Because
it was not until the late eighteenth century and the beginning
of the nineteenth that the función privada was invented.
This was a kind of show-cum-party held in a private home,
to which the lucky spectator would be invited and to the cost
of which he would be invited to contribute. These funciones
were public versions of the baile de candíl, lamplight
dance, which the people of Andalusia, not just gypsies, would
hold for their own amusement. It seems that as the gypsies
became increasingly associated with these dances, the curiosity
of the middle-classes was aroused, so creating the market
for the función. This was the Romantic period, after
all, and who knew what kind of exotic and, with a bit of luck,
sinful pleasures could be found at a gypsy party?
The Café Cantante
The función developed into the Café Cantante,
a kind of flamenco cabaret which took root from the 1860's
on, and this is the period often referred to as the Golden
Age of flamenco. However reasonable or not this description
is, this was the time when it became formalized, rules began
to be laid down, the repertoire was standardized and its theory
and history began to receive academic attention. And as it
became more popular and professional, some performers began
to depend on theatrical crowd-pleasing, and new song forms
with suitably lachrymogenous lyrics were invented, leading
to something of a purist backlash. The peak moment of this
was in 1922, when Manuel de Falla organized a cante jondo
competition in Granada (this kind of cycle is the rule rather
than the exception in the flamenco world, constantly either
"rediscovering its roots" or "reinventing itself" - you just
have to know what is happening at any particular time).
The Tablao
In the nineteen fifties and sixties, the Café Cantante
was reinvented as the tablao, catering to the new
phenomenon of tourism, and Madrid, not Andalusia, was its
capital. Dozens, perhaps hundreds, whole families, even clans
of gypsy performers, emigrated to the capital and to a lesser
extent to Barcelona to meet the new demand. This phenomenon
was accompanied by another wave of purist classicism, to which
the 1954 release of the tremendously influential Antología
del Cante Flamenco contributed greatly.
New Flamenco
In the seventies and eighties, various attempts were made
to create "fusion" forms of flamenco, with results as uneven
as in other musical "fusions" (note that Miles Davis' seminal
Sketches of Spain (1959) is completely unrelated.
Sketches of Spain is a kind of fusion of jazz and classical
music, particularly Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez).
When this fusion had a sufficiently high flamenco content,
it was referred to as Nuevo Flamenco, and it is a
school from which many of today's most famous names emerged
(as usual, actual musicians tend to stand aside from this
kind of debate, being more interested in getting on with things
and playing than in putting labels on things). And flamenco
erupted into the world of pop with force, mixing flamenco
with jazz instruments and Latin American dance rhythms like
salsa. The sheer success of these groups and performers meant
it became acceptable for even "classical" flamenco singers
and musicians to add this kind of pop element, especially
on record, and it is now rare for a flamenco CD not to contain
at least one track which has the possibility of becoming a
hit.
* There was certainly
contact between gypsies and moriscos, Moors who had
converted to Christianity and remained in Spain after the
reconquest. But this was not extended - the moriscos
were expelled from Spain between 1602 and 1610, though this
may have been long enough for at least some Moorish songs
and dances to enter the gypsy repertoire. Let us suppose it
was. Does that mean Arab music developed into flamenco in
the hands of the gypsies? I very much doubt it, and for one
important reason - the Moors were not principally Arabs, but
Berbers, or at least your average Moor-in-the-street was a
Berber. The Arabs, it is true, were the dominant culture,
and held the positions of power and owned the best land before
the reconquista, but they were never preponderant
in numbers, whereas the common soldiers of the various conquering
Moorish armies, who stayed and were given land to settle in
payment, were Berbers. And it is not unreasonable to think
that the relatively wealthy and therefore mobile Arabs would
have been in a better position than the Berbers to retreat
to North Africa or elsewhere when their lands and properties
were seized by the conquering Christian hordes, long before
the arrival of the gypsies.
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Flamenco History