- Tonás
Tonás is the name given to a
palo or type offlamenco songs. It belongs to the wider category ofCantes a palo seco , that is, "palos" which are sung without accompaniment ora cappella . Owing to this feature, they are considered by traditionalflamencology to be the oldest survivingmusical form of flamenco. The first flamenco singer known in history,Tío Luis el de la Juliana , who lived inJerez de la Frontera in the last third of the 18th century was said to have excelled in this "palo".Other "cantes a palo seco", such as
martinetes anddebla are sometimes classified under "tonás", while at other times they are referred to as "palos" on their own.The "tonás" were almost in disuse by the end of the 19th century. The reason seems to be that they were considered a difficult style by the general public, and therefore were not considered apt for the stage. Although there were always some singers that kept singing them in private gatherings, their practical banning form the stage resulted in the total oblivion of some toná styles.
During the 1950s, with the reappraisal of purism led by singers like
Antonio Mairena , the tonás came back into use, and came to be considered as the main flamenco style together withseguiriya and soleá.
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