
''Malagueñas'' () is one of the traditional styles of Andalusian music (
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, ...
), derived from earlier types of
fandango
Fandango is a lively partner dance originating in Portugal and Spain, usually in triple metre, triple meter, traditionally accompanied by guitars, castanets, tambourine or hand-clapping. Fandango can both be sung and danced. Sung fandango is u ...
from the area of
Málaga
Málaga (; ) is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 591,637 in 2024, it is the second-most populo ...
, classified among the Cantes de Levante. Originally a folk-song type, it became a flamenco style in the 19th century. It is not normally used for dance, as it is generally interpreted with no regular rhythmic pattern, as a "cante libre." It has a very rich melody with virtuous flourishes and use of microtones. Its guitar accompaniment is normally played in open position first inversion giving E for the tonic, which can be transposed by using a capo.
History
Origins
Malagueñas derive from local variety of the
Fandangos, a type of dance that, with different regional variations and even different names, became very popular in great part of Spain in the 18th century. Although nowadays malagueñas are a typical instance of "cante libre", performed at libitum and normally not used for the dance, folkloric fandangos were originally sung and played at a fast speed, with a rhythmic pattern in , to accompany dance. Some of these primitive fandangos from Málaga, called
Verdiales Verdiales are a Flamenco music style, and song form belonging to cante chico.
Originating in Almogía, near the Spanish port of Málaga in Andalucía, it is based upon the fandango. For this reason, the verdiales are sometimes known as ''fandang ...
are still performed nowadays at folkloric gatherings by large non-professional groups called "Pandas", which use a high number of guitars, "bandurrias" (a sort of mandoline), violins, and tambourines.
Development
Malagueña styles
Some of the traditional malagueña styles (melodic schemes) more frequently performed are listed below. Many though, have been omitted as they are rarely performed or are just variations of other main styles.
1.
Juan Breva. He recorded three of his malagueña styles personally in the early 20th century.
2.
Enrique el Mellizo. It is often said that he derived his malagueña from the preface to the catholic mass. After his influence, the rhythmic pattern of the malagueña guitar accompaniment was lost and it became a "cante libre". Among the interpreters of this style who helped to establish it we may mention
El Niño de la Isla,
Aurelio Sellé,
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 ...
and
Pericón de Cádiz. Each of them has added personal touches to the Malagueña, so it is difficult to know which one resembles the original model most.
3.
José Alberto "El Canario". He created one style of Malagueña.
4.
Antonio Chacón. He was the most prolific creator of malagueñas and the styles he created are probably the most frequent in recordings. The number of the malagueñas he created varies, though, as some have been attributed to him only by tradition. Some of these styles can often be seen as simple variations. Most of these styles were already recorded by him between 1909 and 1928.
5.
La Trini. Her legacy was preserved by singers like
Sebastián el Pena.
Antonio Chacón created a personal variation of one of her styles.
The guitar in the malagueña
Originally the guitar was, together with other instruments, already part of the accompaniment of folkloric fandango of Málaga. At that time its function was merely rhythmic and limited to the use of one technique, the strumming pattern called "abandolao". As malagueñas slowed down their tempo and professional guitarists came into place, short solos and ornaments were incorporated. The great revolution of the malagueña guitar playing came together with its transformation into a "cante libre": flamenco virtuosos like
Ramón Montoya started introducing
classical guitar techniques like
arpeggio
An arpeggio () is a type of Chord (music), chord in which the Musical note, notes that compose a chord are individually sounded in a progressive rising or descending order. Arpeggios on keyboard instruments may be called rolled chords.
Arpe ...
,
scales
Scale or scales may refer to:
Mathematics
* Scale (descriptive set theory), an object defined on a set of points
* Scale (ratio), the ratio of a linear dimension of a model to the corresponding dimension of the original
* Scale factor, a number ...
,
tremolo
In music, ''tremolo'' (), or ''tremolando'' (), is a trembling effect. There are multiple types of tremolo: a rapid repetition of a note, an alternation between two different notes, or a variation in volume.
Tremolos may be either ''measured'' ...
, and enriched it with a wider variety of chord positions. They also started introducing short guitar solos in between verses, called
falseta {{for, the male singing voice, Falsetto
A Falseta is part of Flamenco music. They are usually short melodies played by the guitarist(s) in between sung verses, or to accompany dancers. In a guitar solo, the artists play already created falsetas or i ...
s in the flamenco jargon, following the model of other flamenco songs.
Malagueña is rarely performed as a guitar instrumental piece and very rarely danced.
Musical analysis
The singing develops on a
major mode (
tonic,
subdominant
In music, the subdominant is the fourth tonal degree () of the diatonic scale. It is so called because it is the same distance ''below'' the tonic as the dominant is ''above'' the tonicin other words, the tonic is the dominant of the subdomina ...
,
dominant), resolving in the corresponding
Phrygian mode
:
The Phrygian mode (pronounced ) can refer to three different musical modes: the ancient Greek ''tonos'' or ''harmonia,'' sometimes called Phrygian, formed on a particular set of octave species or scales; the medieval Phrygian mode, and the m ...
of the same scale. The Phrygian mode is used for the short interludes after of before verses. The usual
progression is the typical of all fandangos:
*First line of singing: G7, C Major
*Second line: C Major, C7, F Major
*Third line is just a repetition of the first
*Fourth line: C Major, G7
*Fifth line: G7, C Major
*Sixth line: C Major, C7, F Major, G Major, F Major, E Major
To this typical progression other transition chords can be added. For example, D7 is often used in the transition to G Major. A minor often appears in guitar interludes (or even during the singing, as in the case of the Malagueña del Mellizo). These chords can also be transported by using a capo on the guitar, maintaining the same chord positions.
Its melodies are normally lyric in style and very ornate. Malagueña has traditionally been favoured by mellow voices, but there are many exceptions to this rule. Quite often, flamenco singers, after singing several verses of malagueña in "cante libre" style, link directly with the more vivid styles of
Fandangos abandolaos.
Sources
*MARTÍN SALAZAR, Jorge: ''Los cantes flamencos'', Diputación Provincial de Granada, 1987
*ÁLVAREZ CABALLERO: 'El cante flamenco', Alianza Editorial, Madrid, 1998
*ROSSY, Hipólito: 'Teoría del cante jondo', Ayuntamiento de Córdoba, 1998
{{DEFAULTSORT:Malaguenas (Flamenco Style)
Flamenco styles