''Alegrías'' () is a

flamenco Flamenco () is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the Gitanos, gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and Region of Murcia, ...

palo Palo may refer to: Places * Palo, Estonia, village in Meremäe Parish, Võru County, Estonia * Palo, Huesca, municipality in the province of Huesca, Spain * Palo, Iowa, United States, a town located within Linn County * Palo Laziale, a location ...

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 Cádiz ( , , ) is a city in Spain and the capital of the Province of Cádiz in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. It is located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula off the Atlantic Ocean separated fr ...

. Alegrías belongs to the group of ''palos'' called Cantiñas and it is usually played in a lively rhythm (120-170 beats per minute). The livelier speeds are chosen for dancing, while quieter rhythms are preferred for the song alone. One of the structurally strictest forms of flamenco, a traditional dance in alegrías must contain each of the following sections: a salida (entrance), paseo (walkaround), silencio (similar to an adagio in ballet), castellana (upbeat section) zapateado (literally "a tap of the foot") 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 ...

. This structure though, is not followed when alegrías are sung as a standalone song (with no dancing). In that case, the stanzas are combined freely, sometimes together with other types of cantiñas. Recommended listenings for this ''palo'' include most singers from Cádiz, like

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 ...

, La Perla de Cádiz, Aurelio Sellés, but also general singers like

Manolo Caracol Manuel Ortega Juárez (9 July 1909 – 24 February 1973) was a Spanish flamenco cantaor (singer). Life and family Born in Seville, Spain, he was descended from a long line of flamenco artists including Enrique Ortega (father and son) and Curr ...

or La Niña de los Peines. Also, you can listen "Mar Amargo" from Camarón and "La Tarde es Caramelo" from Vicente Amigo. It is one of the

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 oft ...

forms of flamenco. The word Alegrías literally means "joys."

Sources

ÁLVAREZ CABALLERO, Ángel: ''La discoteca ideal del flamenco'', Editorial Planeta, Barcelona, 1995

External links

Flamenco Institute Flora Albaicín.
Flamenco dance company and academy (the oldest and biggest of its kind in the world).
Flamenco Forum
Flamenco styles Music of Spain Music of Andalusia Spanish dances Spanish folk music {{music-genre-stub