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 a ...

''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 ...

), 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 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 ...

(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 Penins ...

). They share the same '' compás'' 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 ''Soleares'' (plural of ''soleá'', ) is one of the most basic forms or '' palos'' of Flamenco music, probably originating among the Calé Romani people of Cádiz or Seville in Andalusia, the most southern region of Spain. It is usually accompa ...

'' 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 In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from the common practice ...

is normally of the simple tonic-dominant type, although modern guitar players introduce other transitional chords. The ''palos'' classified under this group are: * ''

Alegrías ''Alegrías'' () is a flamenco palo or musical form, which has a rhythm consisting of 12 beats. It is similar to Soleares. Its beat emphasis is as follows: 1 2 '' 4 5 '' 7 '' 9 0'' 11 2''. Alegrías originated in Cádiz. Alegrías belongs to ...

'' * '' 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''), ''"cantiña del contrabandista"'', ''"cantes de las Mirris"'' or "''

alegrías ''Alegrías'' () is a flamenco palo or musical form, which has a rhythm consisting of 12 beats. It is similar to Soleares. Its beat emphasis is as follows: 1 2 '' 4 5 '' 7 '' 9 0'' 11 2''. Alegrías originated in Cádiz. Alegrías belongs to ...

de Córdoba''". The main verse 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 v ...

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 Alej ...

, Aurelio Sellé, Manolo Vargas and La Perla de Cádiz 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 * ...

for the Pinini styles; Curro de Utrera for the "''alegrías de Córdoba''" or

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 ...

for the "''caracoles''". La Niña de los Peines 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 José Monje Cruz (5 December 1950 – 2 July 1992), better known by his stage name Camarón de la Isla (), was a Spanish Romani flamenco singer. Considered one of the all-time greatest flamenco singers, he was noted for his collaborations ...

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 ...

or Mayte Martín.

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