The ''copla,'' ''copla andaluza'' ("

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost 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 "historical nationality". The t ...

n ''copla''"), ''canción andaluza'', ''canción española'', ''tonadilla'' or ''canción folklórica'' is a form of

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

popular song, deriving from the poetic form of the same name. Although the genre has a long heritage, it flourished in the 1930s and 1940s, and is epitomized by songwriters Antonio Quintero,

Rafael de León Rafael may refer to: * Rafael (given name) or Raphael, a name of Hebrew origin * Rafael, California * Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Israeli manufacturer of weapons and military technology * Hurricane Rafael, a 2012 hurricane Fiction * ''R ...

and Manuel Quiroga. One of the first singers of ''coplas'' was Raquel Meller. Initially she sang ''

cuplé The cuplé was a popular risqué Spanish theatre song style in the late years of the 19th century. From 1893–1911 the songs were a feature of the "género ínfimo" (lowest type) cabaret theatre sung by solo female singers, or men in drag, and a ...

'', which later evolved in Andalusian and Spanish song into the ''copla'' as it is known today. Other well-known singers of ''coplas'' are

Imperio Argentina María Magdalena Nile del Río (26 December 1906 – 22 August 2003) was an Argentine professional singer and movie actress, better known as Imperio Argentina; she became a citizen of Spain in 1999. María Magdalena Nile del Río was born ...

, Manolo Corrales,

Estrellita Castro Estrella Castro Navarrete known professionally as Estrellita Castro (26 June 1908 in Seville – 10 July 1983 in Madrid) was a Spanish singer and actress. Early career Born to a humble family (her father, born in 1875, was a Galician fishe ...

Concha Piquer María de la Concepción Piquer López (13 December 190612 December 1990), better known as Concha Piquer (and sometimes billed as Conchita Piquer), was a Spanish singer and actress. She was known for her work in the '' copla'' form, and she perfor ...

Miguel de Molina --> Miguel is a given name and surname, the Portuguese and Spanish form of the Hebrew name Michael. It may refer to: Places *Pedro Miguel, a parish in the municipality of Horta and the island of Faial in the Azores Islands * São Miguel (disamb ...

Lola Flores Lola may refer to: Places * Lolá, a or subdistrict of Panama * Lola Township, Cherokee County, Kansas, United States * Lola Prefecture, Guinea * Lola, Guinea, a town in Lola Prefecture * Lola Island, in the Solomon Islands People * Lola ...

, Marifé de Triana,

Juanita Reina Juana Reina Castrillo (August 25, 1925 in Seville – March 19, 1999 in Seville) better known as Juanita Reina, was a Spanish actress and copla singer. She was born in the Sevillian district, la Macarena, Seville and studied in Enrique el ...

Manolo Escobar Don Manuel García Escobar MML (19 October 1931 – 24 October 2013), better known as Manolo Escobar, was a Spanish singer of Andalusian '' copla'' and other Spanish music. He was also an actor and performed in multiple musicals. His popular ...

Juanito Valderrama Juan Valderrama Blanca (24 May 1916 – 12 April 2004), better known as Juanito Valderrama, was a Spanish flamenco and folk singer. Although he was known for singing copla, he always claimed to be a flamenco singer. Born in Torredelcampo, Jua ...

Sara Montiel María Antonia Abad Fernández MML (10 March 1928 – 8 April 2013), known professionally as Sara Montiel, also Sarita Montiel, was a Spanish actress and singer, who also held Mexican citizenship since 1951. She began her career in the 1940s an ...

and Antonio Molina. Particularly of note is Carlos Cano, who was a key figure in reviving the popularity of the ''copla'' in the later 20th century. More recent singers of ''coplas'' include

Rocío Jurado María del Rocío Mohedano Jurado (, 18 September 1944 – 1 June 2006), better known as Rocío Jurado, was a Spanish singer and actress. She was born in Chipiona (Cádiz) and nicknamed "La más grande" ("The Greatest"). In 2000 in New York Ci ...

, Bambino, María Jiménez,

Isabel Pantoja María Isabel Pantoja Martín (; born August 2, 1956) is a Spanish singer. She was born in the Triana district of Seville, Spain. She has released more than a dozen albums throughout a career spanning many decades, mostly of '' copla'' genre, ...

Martirio Maribel Quiñones or ''María Isabel Quiñones Gutiérrez'' in full, known under her stage name as Martirio (a Spanish given name meaning ''Martyrdom'' or ''Torment'', in English) is a Spanish singer born in 1954 in Huelva, Spain. She borrows he ...

, and

Miguel Poveda Miguel Ángel Poveda León (born 13 February 1973) is a Spanish flamenco singer known by his stage name Miguel Poveda. Biography Born in Barcelona, Spain, his father is from Lorca in Murcia and his mother from Puertollano ( Castilla-La Mancha ...

and, even more recently, Pasión Vega, Clara Montes,

Pastora Soler María del Pilar Sánchez Luque (born 28 September 1978 in Coria del Río, Seville), better known by her stage name Pastora Soler, is a Spanish singer. She is also a songwriter and her compositions usually mix copla or flamenco with pop or elect ...

, Aurora Guirado,

Diana Navarro Diana Navarro Ocaña (born 21 April 1978 in Málaga) is a Spanish singer. She rose to fame in 2005 with the single "Sola" from her first album ''No te olvides de mí''. She was nominated for a Latin Grammy as Best New Artist in 2005. Her songs ...

Pilar Boyero Pilar Boyero Gómez (born May 28, 1974), better known as Pilar Boyero, is a Spanish singer, radio presenter and professor specializing in copla. She was born in Cáceres, Spain, Cáceres and nicknamed "La Catedrática de la Copla" ("The Professor ...

Concha Buika María Concepción Balboa Buika (born 11 May 1972), known as Concha Buika or Buika, is a Spanish singer. Her album ''Niña de Fuego'' was nominated for the 2008 Latin Grammy Award for Album of the Year and ''La Noche Más Larga'' was nominated ...

, Montse Delgado and

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

singer

Plácido Domingo José Plácido Domingo Embil (born 21 January 1941) is a Spanish opera singer, conductor, and arts administrator. He has recorded over a hundred complete operas and is well known for his versatility, regularly performing in Italian, French ...

, who released an album of ''coplas'' entitled ''Pasión Española'' in 2008. Some of these artists, particularly Pasión Vega (born 1976) and Diana Navarro (born 1978), have bent and stretched the genre in directions that have come to be known as ''Nueva Copla'' ("''New'' ''Copla''"). Some examples of famous ''coplas'' include "Ojos verdes" (Green Eyes), "Tatuaje" (Tattoo), "La falsa moneda" (The Fake Coin), "María de la O," and "Rocío." The lyrics often feature marginalized characters, including prostitutes, sailors, escaped convicts, gypsies and so on, and have themes based on the "illegitimacy of all relationships outside the recognized heterosexual marriage" (i.e., mistreated women, abandoned children and extramarital affairs). Because these were stories of love gone wrong, of women who crossed the line of sexual mores, and of men's honor, they used to be criticized for being old-fashioned and sexist. However, more recently, modern performers have given the songs a new twist by "selecting ''coplas'' that vindicate a women's power, their independence and their passion." ''Id''. at 287.

References

{{Authority control Spanish music Spanish folklore Andalusian music Song forms 20th century in music

See also

References