The ''cantiñas'' () is 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 ...

''palos'' (

musical forms In music, ''form'' refers to the structure of a musical composition or performance. In his book, ''Worlds of Music'', Jeff Todd Titon suggests that a number of organizational elements may determine the formal structure of a piece of music, such a ...

), originated in the area of

Cádiz Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia. Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a ...

(although some styles of cantiña have developed in the province of

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

). They share the same ''

compás 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 ...

'' or

rhythmic pattern Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular recu ...

with the '' soleá'' and are usually sung in a lively rhythm (between 120 and 160 beats per minute). They are normally sung in a major mode and have a festive mood. The usual chord positions for the tonic chord in the guitar are those of E major, C major and, occasionally, A major, the latter usually reserved for solo guitar pieces. The chord progression is normally of the simple tonic-dominant type, although modern guitar players introduce other transitional chords. The ''palos'' classified under this group are: * '' Alegrías'' * '' Romeras'' * ''

Caracoles Caracoles was a small, but important town dedicated to the mining of the silver resources located in Carmen Gloria Bravo Quezada, ''La flor del desierto. Caracoles y su impacto sobre la economía chilena'', Ediciones de la Dirección de Bibliotec ...

'' * '' Mirabrás'' * Other ''cantiñas'', including the ''"cantiñas de Pinini"'' (or ''"cantiñas de

Utrera Utrera () is a municipality in south-west Spain. It is in the province of Seville, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. As of 2018 it has a population of 52,617. The town is of great historical interest. It was occupied by Muslims in the 8 ...

''), ''"cantiña del contrabandista"'', ''"cantes de las Mirris"'' or "'' alegrías de Córdoba''". The main

verse Verse may refer to: Poetry * Verse, an occasional synonym for poetry * Verse, a metrical structure, a stanza * Blank verse, a type of poetry having regular meter but no rhyme * Free verse, a type of poetry written without the use of strict me ...

has four eight-syllable lines. They frequently also include a small

refrain A refrain (from Vulgar Latin ''refringere'', "to repeat", and later from Old French ''refraindre'') is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in poetry — the "chorus" of a song. Poetic fixed forms that feature refrains include the vi ...

with three five-syllable lines. Their popularity increased at the time of the flamenco '' cafés cantante'' that became the centre of professional flamenco performances from the mid 19th century to the 1920s. Originally, this songs were intended as support for dance. Reference recordings for this ''palos'' are those by

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 ...

Aurelio Sellé Aurelio may refer to: People Politicians * Aurelio D. Gonzales Jr. (born 1964), congressman in the Philippines *Aurélio de Lira Tavares (1905–1998), President of Brazil *Aurelio Martínez, Honduran politician *Aurelio Mosquera (1883–1939), Pr ...

, Manolo Vargas and

La Perla de Cádiz LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...

for the Cádiz styles; Bernarda de Utrera and

Fernanda de Utrera Fernanda is a Portuguese, Spanish and Italian feminine equivalent of Fernando, a male given name of Germanic origin, with an original meaning of "adventurous, bold journey". __TOC__ People *Fernanda Abreu (born 1961), Brazilian popular singer *Fe ...

for the Pinini styles; Curro de Utrera for the "''alegrías de Córdoba''" or Antonio Chacón for the "''caracoles''".

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 ...

is also an important reference for all these styles. Some modern singers who have recorded excellent versions of this styles are Camarón de la Isla,

Carmen Linares Carmen Pacheco Rodríguez (Born in 1951 in Linares, Jaén), better known by her stage name Carmen Linares, is one of the finest flamenco singers in Spain. She belongs to the best generation of flamenco artists with Paco de Lucía, Camarón ...

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 ...

External links

Sources

MARTÍN SALAZAR, Jorge: ''Los cantes flamencos'', Diputación Provincial de Granada ÁLVAREZ CABALLERO, Ángel: ''La discoteca ideal del flamenco'', Planeta, 1995 Flamenco styles Spanish music Andalusian music Vocal music {{music-genre-stub