Verdiales are a
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 ...
music style, and song form belonging to
cante chico
The cante flamenco (), meaning "flamenco singing", is one of the three main components of flamenco, along with ''toque'' (playing the guitar) and ''baile'' (dance). Because the dancer is front and center in a flamenco performance, foreigners ofte ...
.
Originating in Almogía, near the Spanish port of
Málaga in
Andalucía, it is based upon the
fandango
Fandango is a lively partner dance originating from Portugal and Spain, usually in triple meter, traditionally accompanied by guitars, castanets, or hand-clapping. Fandango can both be sung and danced. Sung fandango is usually bipartite: it has ...
. For this reason, the verdiales are sometimes known as ''fandangos de Málaga.''
Normally played in the key of E phrygian (key of C major with a sharpened fifth) and rarely in A minor, the verdiales have a 12-count rhythm similar to the
soleares, and
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 ...
.
Listen to verdiales(2:18, 502Kb). This example shows some of the more common
falseta {{for, the male singing voice, Falsetto
A Falseta is part 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 ...
s you are likely to hear at an informal flamenco performance.
External links
Get to know the flamenco forms: verdialesverdiales site
Flamenco styles
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