Cantes de ida y vuelta () is a Spanish expression literally meaning roundtrip songs. It refers to a group of
flamenco
Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and ...
musical form
In music, ''form'' refers to the structure of a musical composition or musical improvisation, performance. In his book, ''Worlds of Music'', Jeff Todd Titon suggests that a number of organizational elements may determine the formal structure of a ...
s or
palos with diverse musical features, which "travelled back" from Latin America (mainly
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
) as styles that, having originated in the interplay between musical traditions of peninsular Spain and those of Latin America, developed into renewed forms that were reintroduced in
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
. Usually they have a more mellow character than the more traditional flamenco songs.
History
In the
Spanish Golden Age
The Spanish Golden Age ( es, Siglo de Oro, links=no , "Golden Century") is a period of flourishing in arts and literature in Spain, coinciding with the political rise of the Spanish Empire under the Catholic Monarchs of Spain and the Spanish H ...
, dramatists like
Lope de Vega
Félix Lope de Vega y Carpio ( , ; 25 November 156227 August 1635) was a Spanish playwright, poet, and novelist. He was one of the key figures in the Spanish Golden Age of Baroque literature. His reputation in the world of Spanish literature ...
and
Tirso de Molina
Gabriel Téllez ( 24 March 1583 20 February 1648), better known as Tirso de Molina, was a Spanish Baroque dramatist, poet and Roman Catholic monk. He is primarily known for writing '' The Trickster of Seville and the Stone Guest'', the play from ...
already included songs and dances of Latin American influence.
[BLAS VEGA, José: ''Magna Antología del Cante'', Introduction booklet, Hispavox, CD Edition 1992 (First Edition 1982)] There is also evidence of their popularity in the 19th century: many examples still remain of printed songbooks and sheets, often mixing Andalusian and Latin American songs, which were sold in the streets, and Baron Charles Davillier, in his trip in Spain in 1862 described a ''fiesta'' (party) in these terms:
and a young Gypsy danced the American tango with an extraordinary grace. Another widely known music in Andalusia is the ''Punto de la Habana'', whose name indicates its origin, and it is used to accompany the ''décimas'' sung between dances in parties.
The exchange of musical influences was particularly important at the end of the
Spanish–American War
, partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence
, image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg
, image_size = 300px
, caption = (clock ...
in 1898, when the United States gained control over Cuba, the last Spanish territory in Latin America. The defeat involved the return of many Spanish emigrants to Spain. These returned migrants, popularly called ''indianos'', also brought back their songs and their music, which were soon included in the repertoire of flamenco artists, after a process of adaptation to the flamenco style of singing and playing. Although
Antonio Chacón
Antonio Chacón (1869–1929) was a Spanish flamenco singer antaor
Chacón was born in Jerez de la Frontera, Cádiz Province. He began earning a living by performing flamenco around 1884. He toured Andalucia with his two friends, the Molin ...
already sang these styles (he recorded the milonga in 1913), the first flamenco singer who recorded a significant repertoire of guajiras, milongas, and vidalitas was
Manuel Escacena. He made popular the milonga "Juan Simón", which he learnt from Mexican bullfighters around 1911, and which was later recorded by several other singers.
Palos classified as ''cantes de ida y vuelta''
The palos included in this category have different musical characteristics, so the category of ''ida y vuelta'' is just a common denomination based on their origin. The palos normally included in this category are the following:
*
Guajiras
Guajira is a music genre derived from the punto cubano. According to some specialists, the punto cubano was known in Spain since the 18th century, where it was called "punto de La Habana", and by the second half of the 19th century it was adopt ...
. Sometimes called also punto cubano. Probably it was the first song of the ''ida y vuelta'' type to be incorporated into flamenco, in the second half of the 19th century, but its golden age, as with most of the songs of this group, was the period known as
ópera flamenca (1922–1956).
[ALVAREZ CABALLERO, Ángel: ''La discografía ideal del flamenco'', Planeta, Barcelona, 1995 ] The lyrics are composed in stanzas called
décima
A décima is a ten-line stanza of poetry. The most popular form is called décima espinela after Vicente Espinel (1550–1624), a Spanish writer, poet, and musician from the Siglo de Oro who used it extensively throughout his compositions.
The d ...
s, consisting of 10 octosyllabic lines rhyming ABBAACCDDC. It has a 12-beat rhythmic pattern like the
Peteneras The Petenera is a flamenco palo in a 12-beat metre, with strong beats distributed as follows: 2'' 2] '' 5] '' '' '' '' 0'' 1 It is therefore identical with the 16th century Spanish dances zarabanda and the jácara.
The lyrics are in 4-line stan ...
, that is, a combination of 6/8 and 3/4 metres, (
''
''
''
''
0 1''
2.
*
Colombianas. This style was created by singer
Pepe Marchena
José Tejada Marín (November 7, 1903 – December 4, 1976), known as Pepe Marchena and also as Niño de Marchena in the first years of his career, was a Spanish flamenco singer who achieved great success in the ópera flamenca period (1922–19 ...
in 1931 and soon became very popular. Most singers of the
ópera flamenca time recorded it.
While their melody resembles the Guajiras, their rhythm is 4/4. The stanza has six octosyllabic verses.
*
Milonga. It is based on Argentinian folklore, with 4/4 time signature and stanzas in four octosyllabic lines. Singer Pepa Oro learnt it while travelling in America and adapted it to flamenco style, making it popular in Spain.
*
Vidalita
''Vidalita'' is a 1949 Argentine comedy film directed and co-written by Luis Saslavsky and produced by Emelco. Considered transgressive for the time, it stars Mirtha Legrand as the title character, a girl who cross-dresses as a gaucho to be able ...
. Originated in the folklore of northern Argentina. Its stanza is made of four octosyllabic lines. It is perhaps the less frequently recorded style in this group. The best remembered recordings from the ''ópera flamenca'' period are those by
Pepe Marchena
José Tejada Marín (November 7, 1903 – December 4, 1976), known as Pepe Marchena and also as Niño de Marchena in the first years of his career, was a Spanish flamenco singer who achieved great success in the ópera flamenca period (1922–19 ...
and
Juan Valderrama, but after that period, with the deprecation of non-Gypsy styles by the singers of the generation of
Antonio Mairena
Antonio Cruz García, known as Antonio Mairena (1909–1983), was a Spanish musician, who tried to rescue a type of flamenco, which he considered to be pure or authentic. He rescued or recreated a high number of songs that had been almost lost ...
, it was practically forgotten. Recently, after
Mayte Martín
Mayte Martín (born in Barcelona, Spain, April 19, 1965) is a Flamenco cantaora (singer), bolero singer, and composer. She is widely recognized as one of the most important flamenco voices of her generation. She has also devoted part of her care ...
's recording of Valderrama's version, it enjoyed new popularity and it has even been recorded by Gypsy singer
Diego El Cigala.
*
Rumbas. This style of
Afro-Cuban
Afro-Cubans or Black Cubans are Cubans of West African ancestry. The term ''Afro-Cuban'' can also refer to historical or cultural elements in Cuba thought to emanate from this community and the combining of native African and other cultural ele ...
origin has a lively 4/4 rhythm still very reminiscent of its Cuban origin. The style had been more or less marginal in the flamenco artists' repertoires, although it was recorded by some singers like
La Niña de los Peines
Pastora Pavón Cruz, known as La Niña de los Peines (10 February 1890 – 26 November 1969), is considered the most important woman flamenco singer of the 20th century. She was a sister of singers Arturo Pavón and Tomás Pavón, also an importan ...
or Manuel Vallejo, among others. However, it reached enormous popularity after the decades of the 60s and 70s, when it was adopted by Catalan gypsies like Antonio González ''El Pescaílla'' and
Peret
Pedro Pubill Calaf ( ; 24 March 1935 – 27 August 2014), better known as Peret, was a Spanish Romani singer, guitar player and composer of Catalan rumba from Mataró (Barcelona).
Known for his 1971 single, "Borriquito" (Ariola Records), Per ...
. Since then, it has become the regular "hit track" in the recordings of many singers and guitarists, including specialists like ''Bambino'' or Maruja Garrido, Gypsy groups like
Los Chunguitos, ''Los Amaya'', and practically all modern flamenco guitarists like
Paco de Lucía
Francisco Sánchez Gómez (21 December 194725 February 2014), known as Paco de Lucía (;), was a Spanish virtuoso flamenco guitarist, composer, and record producer. A leading proponent of the new flamenco style, he was one of the first flam ...
,
Tomatito
José Fernández Torres, known as Tomatito (born Fondón, 1958), is a Spanish roma flamenco guitarist and composer. Having started his career accompanying famed flamenco singer Camarón de la Isla (with Paco de Lucía), he has made a number of ...
or
Vicente Amigo
Vicente Amigo Girol (born 25 March 1967) is a Spanish flamenco composer and guitarist, born in Guadalcanal near Seville. He has played as an accompanying guitarist on recordings by flamenco singers Camarón de la Isla, and Luis de Córdoba, an ...
. It is rarely sung by more traditional flamenco singers (with great exceptions like
Chano Lobato
Chano Lobato (December 1927 in Cadiz – 5 April 2009 in Seville) was a Spanish flamenco singer.
Born in the Santa María neighborhood of Cadiz, he began performing at nightclubs in his hometown and later moved to Madrid, where he joined Al ...
, an excellent performer of all rhythmic styles), and flamencologists have tended to regard this genre as "not flamenco".
The melodies of guajiras, colombianas and milongas have also frequently been adapted to the rhythms of other palos like
bulerías
''Bulería'' (; interchangeable with the plural, ''bulerías'') is a fast flamenco rhythm made up of a 12 beat cycle with emphasis in two general forms as follows:
This may be thought of as a measure of followed by a measure of (known ...
or
tangos
Tangos may refer to:
* "Tangos" (song), a song popularized in Spain
* Tangos (district), a district or barangay in Navotas, Philippines
* ''Tangos'' (album), a 1973 album by Buenos Aires 8
* ''Tangos'' (Rubén Blades album), a 2014 album by Ru ...
.
Other styles of possible Latin American influence
Although not normally classified under the category of the ''cantes de ida y vuelta'', some critics consider flamenco
tangos
Tangos may refer to:
* "Tangos" (song), a song popularized in Spain
* Tangos (district), a district or barangay in Navotas, Philippines
* ''Tangos'' (album), a 1973 album by Buenos Aires 8
* ''Tangos'' (Rubén Blades album), a 2014 album by Ru ...
to be of Afro-Cuban origin. However, the question of the origins of tangos is much debated.
[MARTÍN SALAZAR, Jorge: ''Los cantes flamencos'', Diputación de Granada, 1991 ] Molina and Mairena considered it a basic flamenco song and therefore Gypsy. Guitarist Manuel Cano found Indian, Arabian and American influences in it. However, the rhythms of tangos can be found in many parts of the world.
Discography
Various artists: ''Los cantes hispanoamericanos en el mundo del flamenco'', Pasarela, 2001
Various artists, (compiled by BLAS VEGA, José): ''Magna Antología del cante'', Hispavox, CD Edition, Vol X, 1992
References
External links
Tanguillos
*
ttps://web.archive.org/web/20070106082729/http://www.diariodigital.com.do/articulo%2C8148%2Chtml Plagios, periplos y música de doble vía a partir de una canciòn sobre los tangos y sus parentescos
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cantes De Ida Y Vuelta
Flamenco