- Cantes libres
Cantes libres (sing. cante libre) is a Spanish expression that literally means "free songs". It is applied any
flamenco palos (musical forms ) in which there is no recognisablemetre (music) or rhythmic pattern. The melody thus flows freely, unconstricted by metre, so singers can shorten or lengthenmusical phrase s at will, as long as they respect the basic melodic line of the style they are singing.The meaning of this expression should not be confused with concepts like
rubato , orad libitum which usually refer to a relative freedom of the musician in following thetime signature . In this type of singing there is no time signature at all, so freedom is absolute, and the only restrictions are those imposed by the traditional basic melody.Roles of guitar and dance
When these palos are played in the guitar, either as accompaniment or as solo, they are known as "toques libres", meaning "free guitar playing". The guitar accompaniment used for most of this "palos" (when they are accompanied) consists in short musical phrases leading to a chord that the singer has previously reached at the end of a line of verse. So the function of the guitar, more that really "accompanying" the melody throughout, consists in responding to the singer and underlying the harmonic progression of the song, plus adding a chord occasionally to support the singer. Guitar written scores for "toques libres" do not include any
time signature for the totally free sections. However,falseta s (guitar solo interludes between stanzas) can include sections with a definite time signature.Owing to their lack or regular rhythm, these "palos" are not normally danced. However, from the 1960s there was a tendency to create choreographies for them, as they provide an opportunity for the dancer to show other aspects of flamenco dance, like "braceo" (movement of the arms).
Palos classified as cantes libres
The "palos" traditionally classified as "cantes libres" are all derived from earlier rhythmic
fandangos .*Fandangos naturales. They are structurally derived from the "fandangos de Huelva" and can also be referred to as "fandangos libres", or simply "fandangos" (when the word "fandango" is not qualified, nowadays by default it refers to the free styles). Although the "Fandango de Huelva" is always played rhythmically, since the beginning of the 20th century some singers started to create personal free styles. At the beginning of the process, the rhythm of the "Fandango the Huelva" was simply slowed down and played more
rubato , with the guitar even stopping occasionally to conclude a line of verse. This is still visible in the fandango style byEl Gloria . Finally, any hints of regular rhythm were dropped and singers started creating personal forms or variations from traditional fandangos with no time signature at all. The fashion of personal fandangos produced dozens (or maybe hundreds) of this personal forms, especially in the years 1920-1950. For this reason, the expression "fandangos personales" (personal fandangos) has come to be identified with any free fandango. Nevertheless, a few personal fandangos do follow regular metre.*Eastern Andalusian free styles, all derived from older "fandangos abandolaos". These were also rhythmic styles, originally played with a lively
tempo . They derive their name from their characteristic guitarstrum s (quite different from the typical in "fandangos de Huelva"), which resemble the typical strums of thebandola andbandurria (instruments of themandolin type), used in the folkloric precedents of these styles. These "palos" followed the same process as the fandangos derived from Huelva: they were first slowed down, and finally the regular metre disappeared. Singers likeEnrique el Mellizo andAntonio Chacón and guitarists likeRamón Montoya played a decisive role in freeing these styles from their melodic constraints. The "palos" that suffered this process were the malagueñas,granaína andmedia granaína , and the group of thecantes de las minas , including:tarantas ,cartageneras ,minera ,murciana andlevantica .Other palos with more or less free rhythm
Apart from the styles usually called "cantes libres", there are other "palos" to which this term could be applied, even if traditionally it is not. Such is the case of the group of "palos" known as
Cantes a palo seco (that is, "Songsa cappella ", also known as thetoná group. It comprisestonás ,martinete s andcarcelera s, saetas,debla and trilla. Although percussion can be added to them, its function is not to constrain the melody to a rhythm: it is rather added to create ambience. When these styles are sung as a basis for the dance, they are known as "martinetes", even when they include other styles of this group.There is, therefore, a reversible tendency in flamenco: many styles that originally started as rhythmical and dance-oriented were later slowed-down and eventually lost their link to dance and their metre subjection, while other styles, originated as free songs, were later adapted to a rhythm to make them apt for dancing.
Discography
BLAS VEGA, José (compiler) "Magna antología del cante flamenco", CD edition, 1982, Vols. I, , VII, VIII, IX,
ources
GRANADOS, Manuel: "Teoría musical de la guitarra flamenca", , Ventilador, 1998
MARTÍN SALAZAR, Jorge: "Los cantes flamencos" Diputación Provincial de Granada
ROSSY, Hipólito: "Teoría del cante jondo", Second edition, CREDSA, S.A., 1998 (fist edition 1966)
ISBN 978-84-7056-354-6
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