What began as a cante (singing) competition has gone on to become a legendary festival with professionals and amateurs competing in all three categories: cante, baile, and toque. The first edition of the Festival Internacional del Cante de las Minas de la Unión was held in Murcia in 1961. The first rigorous studies about flamenco, which laid the groundwork for researching, conserving, and promoting it, began to appear in the ‘50s. In large part, this was because many of the members of the Generation of ’27 were from Andalusia and were more familiar with the art form’s true richness and depth.ĭuring Franco’s dictatorship, flamenco played a dual role: on one hand, it was adopted by the regimen as one of the representative pillars of Spanish culture on the other, it embodied rebellion and was used to oppose the regime - flamenco protest songs were common throughout the ‘60s. Although it didn’t make much of an impact, partly because the organizers were searching for a “purity” that never existed in flamenco, the competition did show that the high culture was taking an interest in flamenco. In keeping with this ideal, Federico García Lorca and Manuel de Falla organized a cante jonde competition in Granada in 1922. In response, in the 1920s an opposing trend defended purism and hailed cante jondo as the highest artistic expression of flamenco. To please the crowds, many shows decided to focus on the palos(the different traditional flamenco styles) that were the most festive or celebratory. Nevertheless, the genre’s popularity among the general public grew and grew. The movement’s drive for renewal flew in the face of the passion for Spanish traditions, and flamenco was discredited in the eyes of the era’s intellectuals, a view that would continue for decades to come. This philosophical, literary, and cultural movement distanced itself from Spain’s downward spiral, which had reached its lowest point with the Spanish-American War and the loss of the last Spanish colonies in 1898. The most intense form of flamenco, cante jondo, which expresses the deepest feelings, appeared during this period.įlamenco’s increasing popularity and its link to other Spanish customs, such as bullfighting, led to its rejection by the Generation of ’98. This was the first step toward the professionalization of flamenco and it being established as a musical genre. In its golden age (1869-1910), flamenco evolved into its definitive form in the numerous cafés cantantes (music cafés) of the era, where singers and dancers worked together, influencing each other and adapting to the audience’s tastes. The newfound love for Spanish traditions helped Andalusian folkloric arts, including flamenco, reach new heights. This sentiment fueled the popularity of the Andalusian art, which made it all the way to the court in Madrid. This would explain why the gypsies from other parts of Spain and Europe did not develop this style of music.ĭuring the 19th century, as a reaction to the French occupation of Spain and the Spanish War of Independence (1808-1812), the people’s affection for all things Spanish was especially strong, in opposition to the French influence. The most broadly supported hypothesis argues that flamenco’s roots are predominantly Morisco (this is the name for Spanish Moors who converted to Christianity), influenced by the mixture of cultures present in 18th-century Andalusia, where the flamenco we know today was born. Gypsies are often credited with the invention of flamenco, but while it’s true that they played an important role in its creation and evolution, there are a variety of theories when it comes to the origins of flamenco.
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