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Agujetas
Photo:
Alberto Schommer
Carmen Linares
Photo: Alberto Schommer
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Flamenco
First Contact
Cante: The Voice of Emotion
Many
people first encountering flamenco are captivated by the dancing and
guitar
playing, but bewildered by the singing. Those new to flamenco often
wonder why the voice sounds so different from what they are used to
hearing,
so strained, so harsh. Flamenco singing typically isn't pretty and
it may not be easy to listen to for the uninitiated. There is something
a bit mysterious about it all.
I
want to give those confused or mystified by flamenco singing some keys
to
open up this magnificent art form. Read this short introduction to flamenco
singing and listen carefully to the Real Audio clips featuring some
of flamenco's greatest singers. I guarantee afterwards you will hear
flamenco
singing differently, and you may then feel like delving deeper into
one of the most vital and inspiring vocal traditions in the world today.
Listen, learn, and most of all: enjoy.
What
is the voice in flamenco? It is the origin of all. Although today many
-particularly outside of Spain- come to flamenco by way of dance or
guitar,
it is still the voice of the cantaor, the flamenco singer, that sources
all that is flamenco.
Many
who are new to flamenco singing are puzzled as much by the way the cantaor
sings as by what he sings. Why does the voice sound so harsh in tone
and distorted? Why are there so few hummable melodies, at least compared
with contemporary Western music? What is the point of it all?
Flamenco
singing (cante) exists first and foremost to express emotion, much of
it extreme. Flamenco was created between the late eighteenth and the
middle
of the nineteenth century as an artistic expression of some of Andalusia's
most disadvantaged and oppressed social groups: the urban poor and
Gypsies. The earliest songs were often sung without the accompaniment
of
any instrument, not even the guitar. It was simply the raw human voice
urged
on by the jaleos (cries of encouragement) of the listeners. These oldest
songs deal with tragic topics: prison, sickness, injustice and death.
The voice expresses itself in a lament that not only states the suffering
in words but, through evocative vocal techniques, recreates it in
the listener. The strained voice obsessively stresses one or two tonal
centers
over and over, probing again and again the pain of a festering wound
that time has not and cannot heal. The strain of a suffering too great
to be fully expressed in language alone tears at the singer's voice,
distorting
it, turning it into something more than a tune, turning it into a
protest of the soul.
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CD:
VV/AA - "Flamenco de Carlos Saura (Saura’s
flamenco, the music of the movie)"
Song:
Martinete
RealAudio Available
Singers:
Moneo & Agujetas.
Listen
to two masters of some of the deepest, darkest and most primitive
emotions
the human voice has ever expressed in song. Akin to Goya's "Black
Paintings" in theme, tone and date, the "Martinete" sung by Manuel
Moneo
and Agujetas expresses man's suffering and protest at the injustice
dealt
by other men and by forces greater than man himself.
What
made you do that
Artist:
Moneo
what
made you
wash
your face
and
brush your hair
when
you knew how I was feeling
Como
has tenío
Artist:
Moneo
Como
tenías tú el gustito
de
lavarte tu la cara
de
peinarte tú el cabello
sabiendo
como yo estaba
On
the way to Cartuja
Artist:
Moneo
On
the way to Cartuja
before
reaching the pine groves
I
turned around and looked back
and
called out to my mother
Caminito
de Cartuja
Artist:
Moneo
Caminito
de Cartuja
antes
de llegar a los pinares
volvé
la cara yo patrás
y
a voces yo llamo a mi mare
What
madness
Artist:
Agujeta
Ay,
what madness
the
things I was doing for you
I
just wanted to show you
what
I was feeling
I
am not who I was
nor
who I was
nor
who I should be
I
am just like a piece of the furniture
sad
and ignored
Que
Locura
Artist:
Agujeta
¡Ay!
que locura
esto
que por tí yo estaba haciendo
yo
es "pa" darte con mi gusto
ese
caudal que yo tengo
y
no soy yo aquel quien era
ni
quien debía yo de ser
yo
soy un mueble de tristeza
arrumbao
por la pared
The
singer begins by intoning a series of "ays" as though tuning himself
and
the audience to a particular pitch, emotional as much as it is
musical.
The verses are sung in free rhythm, responding to the way the
singer
feels the words and music, with pauses of unpredictable length
between
verses, lines and even words. Everything is generated by the solo
voice,
there is no guitar, no palmas (rhythmic handclapping). Everything
is
communicated through the raw and emotion-filled voice of the cantaor.
The
voice of the second singer in this audio clip, Agujetas, is especially
eerie.
It sounds at times as though he is channeling the voice of an
earlier,
more primitive era.
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Another
face of flamenco adds guitar and a regular compás (the particular
metric
structure of different types of flamenco songs) to the voice. The guitar
supports the voice by providing pitch and rhythm. It also can inspire
the singer in the short solo guitar passages (falsetas) inserted between
verses. Rhythmic handclapping is often part of flamenco with a set
compás, emphasizing the particular rhythmic characteristics of
the different
flamenco palos. But everything is in service of the cantaor/a
it is his or her voice that creates the song. The guitar, palmas
and jaleo are accompaniments, mere accessories to the voice and what
it sings.
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CD: Terremoto
de Jerez - " Terremoto de Jerez"
Song:
No me quiere tu gente (Soleares)
RealAudio Available
Singer: Terremoto de Jerez.
In
this clip featuring the singer Terremoto and guitarist Manuel
Morao, the
partnership between singer and guitarist is evident. Morao begins
on guitar,
setting the mood even before Terremoto's first "ay." The singer
urges
the guitarist on with jaleos and helps establish the tempo he
desires
with palmas (there are also other palmeros who keep a steady reminder
of the compás in the background).
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CD: Chano
lobato- "Aromas de Cádiz"
Song: Hay un carril (Alegrías)
Singer: Chano Lobato
Not
all flamenco is tragic. One palo, in fact, can be quite joyful:
""Alegrías"" (from the Spanish word "alegría"/joy).
Listen to Chano Lobato
sing "Alegrías". The number begins with a cheerful and
lively guitar solo.
Then Chano begins singing nonsense syllables
"tiri-ti-tran-tran-tran" in a bright and cheerful way. The subject
matter of the lyrics is lighter in tone than in the cante jondo
(deep
song) of the two earlier examples, though even in joy there are
often
references to life's suffering.
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CD: Tomatito-
"Guitarra Gitana"
Song: La Ardila (Alegrías)
RealAudio Available
Even
in solo guitar playing, the inspiration of the vocal line is often
evident.
Here Tomatito plays "Alegrías". He accompanied the late,
great flamenco
singer Camarón for many years, until the singer¹s death
in 1992.
This
may help to account for the marked influence of sung "Alegrías"
on what the
guitarist plays as a soloist. Compare the solo guitar line with
Chano Lobato's
singing of "Alegrías". The guitar "sings" a similar melody.
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CD: VV/AA
- "Con Duende"
Song: Bulerías RealAudio
Available
Artists: Camarón & Raimundo Amador & Moraíto
One
of the most popular palos among today's singers is bulerías.
An acknowledged
master of bulerías was Camarón. Here he sings in
a fiesta setting
accompanied by two guitarists who push the tempo and accentuate
the
rhythm, especially the syncopated character of the bulerías
compás.
The
lyrics of bulerías do not always match the light and lively
tone of the
music, a common theme is love, and often the pain of unhappy love.
Bulerías
is a near perfect combination of sophisticated rhythm, popular
poetry
and passionate singing. The professional Gypsy performers urging
Camarón
on with their "oles" and other audible cries of support, encouragement
and pleasure increase the emotional poignancy of this performance.
The song unfolds slowly, almost leisurely, building gradually
in emotional intensity as singer, guitarists and listeners immerse
themselves more and more deeply in the spirit of bulerías.
The insistent,
driving rhythm of the guitars supports and even increases the
emotional
intensity of the singing.
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There
are many other great flamenco singers (including several outstanding
female
vocalists) who sing in the traditional style we have heard here.
There
are also many other flamenco styles (palos) than the ones featured in
this brief introduction. In recent years several singers have incorporated
pop music instrumentation and song writing elements typical of
Anglo-American pop music or Latin American music into flamenco. In some
cases the vocal style has been altered under these influences and a
more
accessible style has developed. This trend is most noticeable among
younger
singers like Camarón, Remedios Amaya, Potito, Ketama and Niña
Pastori.
With
this introduction, you are now ready to go out and explore flamenco
singing
on your own. Good luck, and may your experiences with flamenco cante
move you and be a source of ongoing pleasure. There is a whole world
of flamenco, past and present, for you to discover. There is something
for everyone, whatever your taste and musical interests. Enjoy!
Marie
Jost
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