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Fandango is a lively
partner dance Partner dances are dances whose basic choreography involves coordinated dancing of two partners, as opposed to individuals dancing alone or individually in a non-coordinated manner, and as opposed to groups of people dancing simultaneously in a ...
originating from Portugal and Spain, usually in
triple meter Triple metre (or Am. triple meter, also known as triple time) is a musical metre characterized by a ''primary'' division of 3 beats to the bar, usually indicated by 3 ( simple) or 9 ( compound) in the upper figure of the time signature, with ...
, traditionally accompanied by guitars, castanets, or hand-clapping. Fandango can both be sung and danced. Sung fandango is usually bipartite: it has an instrumental introduction followed by "variaciones". Sung fandango usually follows the structure of "cante" that consist of four or five
octosyllabic The octosyllable or octosyllabic verse is a line of verse with eight syllables. It is equivalent to tetrameter verse in trochees in languages with a stress accent. Its first occurrence is in a 10th-century Old French saint's legend, the '' Vie de S ...
verses (coplas) or musical phrases (tercios). Occasionally, the first copla is repeated. The meter of fandango is similar to that of the
bolero Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It has ...
and
seguidilla The seguidilla (; ; plural in both English and Spanish ''seguidillas''; diminutive of ''seguida'', which means "sequence" and is the name of a dance). Accessed May 2008. is an old Castilian folksong and dance form in quick triple time for two pe ...
. It was originally notated in time, of slow tempo, mostly in the minor, with a trio in the major; sometimes, however, the whole was in a major key. Later it took the 3-4 tempo, and the characteristic Spanish rhythm.


Origins

The earliest fandango melody is found in the anonymous "Libro de diferentes cifras de guitarra" from 1705, and the earliest description of the dance itself is found in a 1712 letter by Martín Martí, a Spanish priest. The fandango's first sighting in a theatrical work was in Francisco de Leefadeal's ''entremés'' "El novio de la aldeana" staged in Seville, ca. 1720. By the late 18th century it had become fashionable among the aristocracy and was often included in tonadillas,
zarzuela () is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular songs, as well as dance. The etymology of the name is uncertain, but some propose it may derive from the name of ...
s,
ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...
s 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 libre ...
s, not only in Spain, but also elsewhere in Europe. Widely varying claims have been made about the origin of fandango: its relation to the soleá, jabera and
petenera 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 sta ...
; to the Andalusian malagueñas (flamenco style), malagueña, granadina, murciana and
rondeña A Rondeña is a ''palo'' or musical form of flamenco originating in the town of Ronda in the province of Málaga in Spain. In common with other ''palos'' originating in Málaga, the rondeña antedated flamenco proper and became incorporated into ...
; to the canario and gitano; to the jota aragonesa.


Condemnation and liberation by Spanish Church

There is a curious piece of history said to be connected with this dance. Soon after its first introduction, in the 17th century, it was condemned by the ecclesiastical authorities in Spain as a "godless dance". Just as the Consistory were about to prohibit it, one of the judges remarked that it was not fair to condemn anyone unheard. Two celebrated dancers were accordingly introduced to perform the fandango before the Consistory. This they did with such effect, that, according to the old chronicler, "every one joined in, and the hall of the consistorium was turned into a dancing saloon". No more was heard of the condemnation of the fandango.


Classical music

The form of fandango has been used by many European composers, and often included in stage and instrumental works. Notable examples include J. P. Rameau's "Les trois mains" (in "Nouvelles suites de pièces de clavecin", ca. 1729–30); Fandango forms #19 in the part 2 of
Gluck Christoph Willibald (Ritter von) Gluck (; 2 July 1714 – 15 November 1787) was a composer of Italian and French opera in the early classical period. Born in the Upper Palatinate and raised in Bohemia, both part of the Holy Roman Empire, he g ...
's ballet ''
Don Juan Don Juan (), also known as Don Giovanni ( Italian), is a legendary, fictional Spanish libertine who devotes his life to seducing women. Famous versions of the story include a 17th-century play, '' El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra' ...
'' (1761); in the third-act finale of
Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...
's opera ''
The Marriage of Figaro ''The Marriage of Figaro'' ( it, Le nozze di Figaro, links=no, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' (opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It premi ...
'' (1786); in the finale of
Luigi Boccherini Ridolfo Luigi Boccherini (, also , ; 19 February 1743 – 28 May 1805) was an Italian composer and cellist of the Classical era whose music retained a courtly and '' galante'' style even while he matured somewhat apart from the major Euro ...
's String Quartet Op. 40 No. 2 (1798) and Guitar Quintet G.448;
Antonio Soler Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular ma ...
's Fandango for harpsichord; and the finale of
Rimsky-Korsakov Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov . At the time, his name was spelled Николай Андреевичъ Римскій-Корсаковъ. la, Nicolaus Andreae filius Rimskij-Korsakov. The composer romanized his name as ''Nicolas Rimsk ...
's ''
Capriccio Espagnol ''Capriccio espagnol'', Op. 34, is the common Western title for a five movement orchestral suite, based on Spanish folk melodies, composed by the Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov in 1887. It received its premiere on 31 October 1887, in S ...
''. Luis de Freitas Branco's third movement of his "Suite Alentejana No. 1" is inspired on the fandango of the regions of
Alentejo Alentejo ( , ) is a geographical, historical, and cultural region of south–central and southern Portugal. In Portuguese, its name means "beyond () the Tagus river" (''Tejo''). Alentejo includes the regions of Alto Alentejo and Baixo Alen ...
and
Ribatejo The Ribatejo () is the most central of the traditional provinces of Portugal, with no coastline or border with Spain. The region is crossed by the Tagus river (''Ribatejo'' translates to "upper Tagus", or more precisely, "up the Tagus" relative ...
of Portugal. Italian composer
Domenico Scarlatti Giuseppe Domenico Scarlatti, also known as Domingo or Doménico Scarlatti (26 October 1685-23 July 1757), was an Italian composer. He is classified primarily as a Baroque composer chronologically, although his music was influential in the devel ...
, who was influenced by Iberian folk music, had several passages reminiscents of fandango, such as in his keyboard sonata K. 492 (1756) which has been called "Fandango portugués". The piece "Fandango del Sigr. Escarlate" has been attributed to him, but some scholars dispute this claim and its similarity to fandangos. The Spanish form of fandango is given by Dohrn in the ''Neue Zeitschrift f. Music.''


Spanish dance

The current pattern of the fandango, its distinctive progression (i–iv–V) lyrics with octosyllabic verses and the use of castanets and guitars are well-documented from the 18th century. The ''fandangos grandes'' (big fandangos) are normally danced by couples, which start out slowly with gradually increasing tempo. Many varieties are derived from this one. The ''fandanguillos'' (little fandangos) are livelier, more festive derivations of fandangos. Some regions of Spain have developed their own style of fandangos, such as Huelva ''(fandangos de Huelva)'' and Málaga ''(fandangos de Málaga'', or ''Verdiales)''. Northern areas such as the Principality of Asturias, the Basque Country and Castile and León have preserved a more relaxed performance.


Portuguese dance

Fandango is one of the main folk dances in
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of the ...
. The choreography is quite simple: on its more frequent setting two male dancers face each other, dancing and tap-dancing one at a time, showing which has the most lightness and repertoire of feet changes in the tap-dancing. The dancers can be boy and girl, boy and boy (most frequent) or rarely, two girls. While one of the dancers dances, the other just "goes along". Afterwards, they "both drag their feet for a while" until the other one takes his turn. They stay there, disputing, seeing which one of them makes the feet transitions more eye-catching. The "fandango do Ribatejo" refers specifically the form of fandango practiced in
Ribatejo The Ribatejo () is the most central of the traditional provinces of Portugal, with no coastline or border with Spain. The region is crossed by the Tagus river (''Ribatejo'' translates to "upper Tagus", or more precisely, "up the Tagus" relative ...
, Portugal. The dance is usually performed by two
Campino A campino () is a cattle herder in the Portuguese region of Ribatejo. Campinos work on horse-back, using a long pole (a ''pampilho'' or lance A lance is a spear designed to be used by a mounted warrior or cavalry soldier (lancer). In anci ...
s.


Figurative meaning

As a result of the extravagant features of the dance, the word ''fandango'' is used as a synonym for "a quarrel", "a big fuss", or "a brilliant exploit".


Fandango in Veracruz

In
Veracruz, Mexico Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...
, a fandango is a party where people get together to dance, to play and to sing in a community setting. As local musicians perform the
Son Jarocho Son jarocho ("Veracruz Sound") is a regional folk musical style of Mexican Son from Veracruz, a Mexican state along the Gulf of Mexico. It evolved over the last two and a half centuries along the coastal portions of southern Tamaulipas state ...
music, people dance " zapateado" atop a large wooden platform known as a Tarima.


References


Bibliography

* Diccionario de la lengva castellana (Madrid, 1726–37/R1963 as Diccionario de autoridades) ubn of the Real Academia Español* P. Minguet e Irol: Breve tratado de los pasos de danzar a la española que hoy se estilan en seguidillas, fandangos y otros tañidos (Madrid, 1760, 2/1764) * F. M. López: : Variaciones al Minuet afandangado (late 18th century) E-Mn M.1742), ff. 1–6 * M. L. E. Moreau de Saint-Méry: Danse (Paris, 1798) * B. Foz: Vida de Pedro Saputo (Zaragoza, 1844/R) * E. Calderón: Escenas andaluzas (Madrid, 1847) * E. Ocón y Rivas: Cantos españoles (Málaga, 1874, 2/1906) * M. de Larramendi: Corografía o descripción general de la muy noble y muy real Provincia de Guipúzcoa (Barcelona, 1882) * ‘La jota y el fandango’, La correspondencia musical, iv/198 (1884), 2–3 * J. Ribera y Tarragó: La música de la jota aragonesa: ensayo histórico (Madrid, 1928) * M. N. Hamilton: Music in Eighteenth-Century Spain (Urbana, IL, 1937) * P. Nettl: The Story of Dance Music (New York, 1947) * B. Pottier: ‘A propos de fandango’, Les langues néo-latines, xlii (1947), 22–5 * A. Gobin: Le flamenco (Paris, 1975) * J. Crivillé i Bargalló: El folklore musical (Madrid, 1983) * M. R. Alvarez Martínez: ‘Dos obras inéditas de Domenico Scarlatti’, RdMc, viii (1985), 51–6 * E. Osorio Bolio de Saldívar: ‘El códice Saldívar: una nueva fuente de música para guitarra’, España en la música de occidente: Salamanca 1985, 87–91 * R. Puyana: ‘Influencias ibéricas y aspectos por investigar en la obra para clave de Domenico Scarlatti’, ibid., 39–49 * J. Blas Vega: ‘Fandango’, Diccionario enciclopédico ilustrado del flamenco (Madrid, 1988), 284–5 * J. Etzion: ‘The Spanish Fandango from Eighteenth-Century “Lasciviousness” to Nineteenth-Century Exoticism’, AnM, xlviii (1993), 229–50 * J.-M. Sellen: ‘Langage du fandango: de la poétique musicale au sens poétique du cante jondo’, AnM, 1 (1995), 245–70


External links


Libro de diferentes cifras de guitara escojidas de los mejores autores
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fandango (Dance Style) Flamenco styles Portuguese folk dances Spanish folk music Spanish dances European folk dances Dance forms in classical music Triple time dances Spanish music