Music of Spain

The classical guitar originated from southern Spain

The Music of Spain has a long history and has played an important part in the development of western music. It has had a particularly strong influence upon Latin American music. The music of Spain is often associated abroad with traditions like flamenco and the classical guitar but Spanish music is, in fact, diverse from region to region. Flamenco, for example, is an Andalusian musical genre from the south of the country. In contrast, the music in the north-western regions is centred on the use of bagpipes, while the nearby Basque region, with its own traditional styles, is different again, as are traditional styles of music in Aragon, Catalonia, Valencia, Castile and León. Spain has also played an important role within the history of western classical music, particularly in its early phase from the 15th to the 17th centuries; with composers like Tomás Luis de Victoria to the zarzuela of Spanish opera or the passionate ballets of Manuel de Falla and the guitarist Pepe Romero. Nowadays, like elsewhere, the different styles of commercial popular music dominate.

Origins of the Music of Spain

Early history

Cantigas de Santa maría, medieval Spain

In Spain, several very different cultural streams came together in the first centuries of the Christian era: the Roman culture, which was dominant for several hundred years, and which brought with it the music and ideas of Ancient Greece; early Christians, who had their own version of the Roman Rite; the Visigoths, an East Germanic tribe who overran the Iberian peninsula in the 5th century; Jews of the diaspora; and eventually the Moors and Arabs. Determining exactly the various influences is, after more than two thousand years of internal and external influences and developments, impossible but the result has been a large number of unique musical traditions.

Isidore of Seville wrote about music in the 6th century. His influences were predominantly Greek, and yet he was an original thinker, and recorded some of the first information about the early music of the Christian church. He perhaps is most famous in music history for declaring that it was not possible to notate sounds—an assertion which reveals his ignorance of the notational system of ancient Greece, so that knowledge had been lost by the time he was writing.

Codex Las Huelgas, a medieval Spanish music manuscript, circa 1300 AD.

The Moors of Al-Andalus were usually relatively tolerant of Christianity and Judaism, especially during the first three centuries of their long presence in the Iberian peninsula, during which Christian and Jewish music continued to flourish. Music notation was developed in Spain as early as the eighth century (the so-called Visigothic neumes) to notate the chant and other sacred music of the Christian church, but this obscure notation has not yet been deciphered by scholars, and exists only in small fragments. The music of the early medieval Christian church in Spain is known misleadingly as the "Mozarabic Chant". The chant developed in isolation prior to the Islamic invasion and was not subject to the Papacy's enforcement of the Gregorian chant as the standard chant around the time of Charlemagne, by which time the Muslim's had conquered most of the Iberian peninsula. As the Christian reconquista progressed, these chants were almost entirely replaced by the Gregorian standard, once Rome had regained control of the Iberian churches. The style of Spanish popular songs of the time is presumed to have been heavily influenced by Moorish music, especially in the south, but as much of the country still spoke various Latin dialects while under Moorish rule (known today as Mozarabic) earlier musical folk styles from the pre-Islamic period continued in the countryside where most of the population lived, in just the same way as the Mozarabic Chant continued to flourish in the churches. In the royal Christian courts of the reconquistors, the music, like the Cantigas de Santa Maria, also absorbed Moorish influences. Other important medieval sources include the Codex Calixtinus collection from Santiago de Compostela and the Codex Las Huelgas from Burgos. The so-called Llibre Vermell de Montserrat (red book) is an important devotional collection from the 14th century.

Renaissance and Baroque

In the early Renaissance, Mateo Flecha el viejo and the Castilian dramatist Juan del Encina rank among the main composers in the post-Ars Nova period. Some renaissance songbooks are the Cancionero de Palacio, the Cancionero de Medinaceli, the Cancionero de Upsala (it is kept in Carolina Rediviva library), the Cancionero de la Colombina, and the later Cancionero de la Sablonara. The organist Antonio de Cabezón stands out for his keyboard compositions and mastery.

Early 16th century polyphonic vocal style developed in Spain was closely related to the style of the Franco-Flemish composers. Melting of styles occurred during the period when the Holy Roman Empire and Burgundy were part of the dominions under Charles I(king of Spain from 1516 to 1556), since composers from the North both visited Spain, and native Spaniards travelled within the empire, which extended to the Netherlands, Germany and Italy. Music for vihuela by Luis de Milán, Alonso Mudarra and Luis de Narváez stands as one of the main achievements of the period. The Aragonese Gaspar Sanz was the author of the first learning method for guitar. The great Spanish composers of the Renaissance included Francisco Guerrero and Cristóbal de Morales, both of whom spent a significant portion of their careers in Rome. The great Spanish composer of the late Renaissance, who reached a level of polyphonic perfection and expressive intensity equal or even superior to Palestrina and Lassus, was Tomás Luis de Victoria, who also spent much of his life in Rome. Most Spanish composers returned home late in their careers to spread their musical knowledge in their native land or at the service of the Court of Philip II at the late 16th century.

18th to 20th centuries

Front cover of book: Escuela Música según la práctica moderna published in 1723-1724

By the end of the 17th century the "classical" musical culture of Spain was in decline, and was to remain that way until the 19th century. Classicism in Spain, when it arrived, was inspired on Italian models, as in the works of Antonio Soler. Some outstanding Italian composers as Domenico Scarlatti or Luigi Boccherini were appointed at the Madrid court. The short-lived Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga is credited as the main beginner of Romantic sinfonism in Spain.

Fernando Sor, Dionisio Aguado, Francisco Tárrega and Miguel Llobet are known as composers of guitar music. Fine literature for violin was created by Pablo Sarasate and Jesús de Monasterio.

Zarzuela, a native form of opera that includes spoken dialogue, is a secular musical genre which developed in the mid 17th century, flourishing most importantly in the century after 1850. Francisco Asenjo Barbieri was a key figure in the development of the romantic zarzuela; whilst later composers such as Ruperto Chapí, Federico Chueca and Tomás Bretón brought the genre to its late 19th-century apogee. Leading 20th century zarzuela composers included Pablo Sorozábal and Federico Moreno Torroba.

Musical creativity mainly moved into areas of popular music until the nationalist revival of the late Romantic era. Spanish composers of this period include Felipe Pedrell, Isaac Albéniz, Enrique Granados, Joaquín Turina, Manuel de Falla, Jesús Guridi, Ernesto Halffter, Federico Mompou, Salvador Bacarisse, and Joaquín Rodrigo.

Music by Region

Spain's regions have their own distinctive musical traditions. There is also a movement of singer-songwriters with politically active lyrics, paralleling similar developments across Latin America and Portugal. As an example of open-mindedness and use of the available sources, singer and composer Eliseo Parra (b 1949) can afford to record music from the Basque country and from Castile.

Andalusia

Flamenco dancing in Seville.

Main article: Music of Andalusia

Though Andalusia is best known for flamenco music, there is also a tradition of gaita rociera (tabor pipe) music in western Andalusia and a distinct violin and plucked-string type of band music known as panda de verdiales in Málaga.

Panda de Verdiales in Málaga.

Sevillanas is related to flamenco and most flamenco performers have at least one classic sevillana in their repertoire. The style originated as a medieval Castilian dance, called the seguidilla, which was increasingly "flamenconized" from the late 18th century and through the 19th century in parallel with the appearance and evolution of flamenco. Today, this lively couples' dance is popular in most parts of Spain, though the dance is often associated with the city of Seville's famous Easter feria.

The region has also produced singer-songwriters like Javier Ruibal and Carlos Cano, who revived a traditional music called copla. Catalan Kiko Veneno and Joaquín Sabina are popular performers in a distinctly Spanish-style rock music, while Sephardic musicians like Aurora Moreno, Luís Delgado and Rosa Zaragoza keep alive-and-well Andalusian Sephardic music.

Aragon

Aragonese jota dancing

Main article: Music of Aragon

Jota, popular across Spain, might have its historical roots in the southern part of Aragon. Jota instruments include the castanets, guitar, bandurria, tambourines and sometimes the flute. Aragonese music can be characterized by a dense percussive element that some have tried to attribute to an influence from the North African Berbers. The guitarro, a unique kind of small guitar also seen in Murcia, seems Aragonese in origin. Besides its music for stick-dances and dulzaina (shawm), Aragon has its own gaita de boto (bagpipes) and chiflo (tabor pipe). As in the Basque country, Aragonese chiflo can be played along to a chicotén string-drum (psaltery) rhythm.

Asturias, Cantabria and Galicia

Main article: Music of Galicia, Cantabria and Asturias

An Asturian gaitera (bagpipe player)

Northwest Spain (Asturias, Galicia and Cantabria) is home to a distinct musical tradition extending back into the Middle Ages. The region's signature instrument is the gaita {bagpipe). The gaita is often accompanied by a snare drum, called the tamboril, and played in processional marches. Other instruments include the requinta, a kind of fife, as well as harps, fiddles, rebec and zanfona (hurdy-gurdy). The music itself runs the gamut from uptempo muinieras to stately marches. As in the nearby Basque Country, Cantabrian music also features intrincate arch and stick dances but the tabor pipe does not play as an important role as it does in Basque music.

There are local festivals celebrating a presumed musical survival of the region's pre-Roman celtic culture, of which Ortigueira's Festival del Mundo Celta is especially important. Drum and bagpipe couples range among the most beloved kinds of Galician music, that also includes popular bands like Milladoiro. Groups of pandereteiras are traditional sets of singing women that play tambourines and sing. The bagpipe virtuosos Carlos Núñez and Susana Seivane are especially popular performers.

Traditionally, Galician music characteristically included a type of chanting song known as alalas. Alalas may include instrumental interludes, and are believed to have a very long history; most of it is clearly legendary.

Asturias is also home to popular musicians such as José Ángel Hevia (another virtuoso bagpiper) and famous group Llan de Cubel. Circle dances using a 6/8 tambourine rhythm are also a hallmark of this area. Vocal asturianadas show melismatic ornamentations similar to those of other parts of the Iberian Peninsula. There are many festivals, such as "Folixa na Primavera" (April, in Mieres), "Intercelticu d'Avilés" (Interceltic festival of Avilés, in July), as well as many "Celtic nights" in Asturias.

Balearic Islands

Main article: Music of the Balearic Islands

In the Balearic Islands, Xeremiers or colla de xeremiers is a traditional ensemble that consists of flabiol (a five-hole tabor pipe) and xeremies (bagpipes). Majorca's Maria del Mar Bonet was one of the most influential artists of nova canço, known for her political and social lyrics. Tomeu Penya, Biel Majoral, Cerebros Exprimidos and Joan Bibiloni are also popular.

Basque Country

Main article: Basque music

Ezpatadantza of the Basque Country.

The most popular kind of Basque music is called after the dance trikitixa, which is based on the accordion and tambourine. Popular performers are Joseba Tapia and Kepa Junkera. Very appreciated folk instruments are txistu (a tabor pipe similar to Occitanian galoubet recorder), alboka (a double clarinet played in circular-breathing technique, similar to other Mediterranean instruments like launeddas) and txalaparta (a huge xylophone, similar to the Romanian toacă and played by two performers in a fascinating game-performance). As in many parts of the Iberian peninsula, there are ritual dances with sticks, swords and vegetal arches. Other popular dances are fandango, jota and 5/8 zortziko.

Basques on both sides of the Spanish-French border have been known for their singing since the Middle Ages, and a surge of Basque nationalism at the end of the 19th century led to the establishment of large Basque-language choirs that helped preserve their language and songs. Even during the persecution of the Francisco Franco era (1939–1975), when the Basque language was outlawed, traditional songs and dances were defiantly preserved in secret. They continue to thrive despite the popularity of commercially marketed pop.

Canary Islands

Main article: Music of the Canary Islands

In the Canary Islands, Isa, a local kind of Jota, is now popular, and Latin American musical (Cuban) influences are quite widespread, especially in the presence of the charango (a kind of guitar). Timple, the local name for ukulele / cavaquinho, is commonly seen in plucked string bands. A popular set in El Hierro island consists of drums and wooden fifes (pito herreño). Tabor pipe is customary in some ritual dances in Tenerife island.

Castile, Madrid and León

The Fandango originated in Castile. Castillian Folk Dancers by Pierre Chasselat (1753-1814)

Main article: Music of Castile, Madrid and León

A large inland region, Castile, Madrid and Leon were Celtiberian country before its annexation and cultural latinization by the Roman Empire but it is doubtful if anything from the musical traditions of the Celtiberians has survived. Ever since, the area has been a musical melting pot; including Roman, Visigothic, French, Italian, Gypsy, Moorish, and Jewish influences but the most important influences are the longstanding and continuing ones from the surrounding Spanish regions, to the north, east and south as well as from Portugal, to the west. Areas within Castile and Leon generally tend to have more musical affinity with neighbouring regions than with other, more distant, parts of Castile and Leon. This has given the region a locally diverse musical tradition.

Jota is popular, but is uniquely slow in Castile and Leon, unlike its more energetic Aragonese version. Instrumentation also varies much from the one in Aragon. Northern León, that shares a language relationship with the northern Portuguese town of Miranda do Douro and the Spanish regions of Asturias and Galicia, also shares their musical influences. Here, the gaita (bagpipe) and tabor pipe playing traditions are prominent. In most of Castile, there is a strong tradition of dance music for dulzaina (shawm) and rondalla groups. Popular rhythms include 5/8 charrada and circle dances, jota and habas verdes. As in many other parts of the Iberian peninsula, ritual dances include paloteos (stick dances). Salamanca is known as the home of tuna, a serenade played with guitars and tambourines, mostly by students dressed in medieval clothing. Madrid is known for its chotis music, a local variation to the 19th century schottische dance. Flamenco, although not considered native, is popular among some urbanites but is mainly confined to Madrid.

Catalonia

Main article: Music of Catalonia

The Sardana of Catalonia

Though Catalonia is best known for sardana music played by a cobla, there are other traditional styles of dance music like ball de bastons (stick-dances), galops, ball de gitanes. Music is at the forefront in cercaviles and celebrations similar to Patum in Berga. Flabiol (a five-hole tabor pipe), gralla or dolçaina (a shawm) and sac de gemecs (a local bagpipe) are traditional folk instruments that make part of some coblas.

Catalan gipsies created their own style of rumba called rumba catalana which is a popular style that's similar to flamenco, but not technically part of the flamenco canon. The rumba catalana originated in Barcelona when the rumba and other Afro-Cuban styles arrived from Cuba in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Catalan performers adapted them to the flamenco format and made it their own. Though often dismissed by aficionados as "fake" flamenco, rumba catalana remains wildly popular to this day.

The havaneres singers remain popular. Nowadays, young people cultivate Rock Català popular music, as some years ago the Nova Cançó was relevant.

Extremadura

Main article: Music of Extremadura

Having long been the poorest part of Spain, Extremadura is a largely rural region known for the Portuguese influence on its music. As in the northern regions of Spain, there is a rich repertoire for tabor pipe music. The zambomba friction-drum (similar to Portuguese sarronca or Brazilian cuica) is played by pulling on a rope which is inside the drum. It is found throughout Spain. The jota is common, here played with triangles, castanets, guitars, tambourines, accordions and zambombas.

Murcia

Main article: Music of Murcia

Murcia is a region in the south-east of Spain which, historically, experienced considerable Moorish colonisation, is similar in many respects to its neighbour, Andalusia. The guitar-accompanied cante jondo Flamenco style is especially associated with Murcia as are rondallas, plucked-string bands. Christian songs, such as the Auroras, are traditionally sung a cappella, sometimes accompanied by the sound of church bells, and cuadrillas are festive songs primarily played during holidays, like Christmas.

Navarre and La Rioja

Ioaldunak dancers of Navarre.

Main article: Music of Navarre and La Rioja

Navarre and La Rioja are small northern regions with diverse cultural elements. Northern Navarre is Basque in language, while the Southern section shares more Aragonese features. The jota is also known in both Navarre and La Rioja. Both regions have rich dance and dulzaina (shawm) traditions. Txistu (tabor pipe) and dulzaina ensembles are very popular in the public celebrations of Navarre.

Valencia

Main article: Music of Valencia

Traditional music from Valencia is characteristically Mediterranean in origin. Valencia also has its local kind of Jota. Moreover, Valencia has a high reputation for musical innovation, and performing brass bands called bandes are common, with one appearing in almost every town. Dolçaina (shawm) is widely found. Valencia also shares some traditional dances with other Iberian areas, like for instance, the ball de bastons (stick-dances). The group Al Tall is also well-known, experimenting with the Berber band Muluk El Hwa, and revitalizing traditional Valencian music, following the Riproposta Italian musical movement.

Popular music

Although Spanish pop music is currently flourishing, the industry suffered for many years under Francisco Franco's regime, with few outlets for Spanish performers during the 1930s through the 1970s. Regardless, American and British music, especially rock and roll, had a profound impact on Spanish audiences and musicians. The Benidorm International Song Festival,founded in 1959 in Benidorm, became an early venue where musicians could perform contemporary music for Spanish audiences. Inspired by the Italian San Remo Music Festival, this festival was followed by a wave of similar music festivals in places like Barcelona, Majorca and the Canary Islands. Many of the major Spanish pop stars of the era rose to fame through these music festivals. An injured Real Madrid player-turned-singer, for example, became the world-famous Julio Iglesias.

During the 1960s and early 1970s, tourism boomed, bringing yet more musical styles from the rest of the continent and abroad. However, it wasn't until the 1980s that Spain's burgeoning pop music industry began to take off. During this time a cultural reawakening known as La Movida Madrileña produced an explosion of new art, film and music that reverberates to this day. Once derivative and out-of-step with Anglo-American musical trends, contemporary Spanish pop is as risky and cutting-edge as any scene in the world, and encompasses everything from shiny electronica and Eurodisco, to homegrown blues, rock, punk, ska, reggae and hip-hop to name a few. Artist like Alejandro Sanz, have become successful internationally, selling million of albums worldwide and winning major music awards such as the coveted Grammy Award.

Ye-Yé

Main article: Yé-yé

From the English pop-refrain words "yeah-yeah", ye-yé was a French-coined term which Spanish language appropriated to refer to uptempo, "spirit lifting" pop music. It mainly consisted of fusions of American rock from the early 60s (such as twist) and British beat music. Concha Velasco, a talented singer and movie star, launched the scene with her 1965 hit "La Chica Ye-Yé", though there had been hits earlier by female singers like Karina (1963). The earliest stars were an imitation of French pop, at the time itself an imitation of American and British pop and rock. Flamenco rhythms, however, sometimes made the sound distinctively Spanish. From this first generation of Spanish pop singers, Rosalia's 1965 hit "Flamenco" sounded most distinctively Spanish.

Performers

Main article: List of Spanish musicians

Main article: List of bands from Spain

Some of Spain's most famous musicians and bands are:

Cantautores

• Luis Eduardo Aute
• Braulio García
• Pedro Guerra
• Paco Ibáñez
• José Antonio Labordeta
• Lluís Llach
• Rosana Arbelo
• Joaquín Sabina
• Joan Manuel Serrat
• Víctor Manuel
• José Luis Perales

Electropop bands

• Aviador Dro
• Fangoria
• Hidrogenesse
• The Pinker Tones

Flamenco, New Flamenco or copla singers, guitarists and bands

• Charo
• Concha Buika
• El Fary
• Camarón de la Isla
• María Jiménez
• Rocío Jurado
• Ketama
• Paco de Lucía
• Pepe de Lucía
• Antonio Molina
• Enrique Morente
• Ojos de Brujo
• Isabel Pantoja
• Domingo DeGrazia

Pop music or ballad singers and bands

• Alejandro Sanz
• Ana Torroja
• Álex Ubago
• Amaia Montero
• Amaral
• David Bisbal
• David Bustamante
• Miguel Bosé
• Café Quijano
• Chenoa
• Conchita
• Sergio Dalma
• Dúo Dinámico
• Edurne
• El Sueño de Morfeo
• Fórmula V
• Enrique Iglesias
• Julio Iglesias
• La Oreja de Van Gogh
• La Quinta Estación
• Rosa López
• Mecano
• Mónica Naranjo
• Nena Daconte
• Presuntos Implicados
• Raphael
• Paloma San Basilio
• Marta Sánchez
• Mil i Maria

Pop rock or Rock singers and bands

• Enrique Bunbury
• Celtas Cortos
• Dover
• Duncan Dhu
• Alaska y Dinarama
• El Canto del Loco
• El Último de la Fila
• Estopa
• Héroes del Silencio
• Hombres G
• Jarabe de Palo
• Las Ketchup
• Loquillo
• Los Bravos
• Los Rodríguez
• Los Toreros Muertos
• Mojinos Escozíos
• Nacha Pop
• Pereza
• Pignoise
• Radio Futura
• Miguel Ríos
• Siniestro Total
• Tequila
• Triana

Hard Rock or Heavy Metal bands

• Mägo de Oz
• Ángeles del Infierno
• Ángelus Apátrida
• Avalanch
• Avulsed
• Barón Rojo
• Bella Bestia
• Centinela
• Hamlet
• Lujuria
• Nahemah
• Obús
• Panzer
• Saratoga
• Stravaganzza
• Tierra Santa
• Warcry
• Zarpa

Hip hop bands

• Violadores del Verso
• La Mala Rodríguez
• SFDK
• El Chojin
• Tote King
• Falsalarma
• Nach
• Chirie Vegas
• Xcese
• Mitsuruggy
• Primer Dan
• Látex Diamond
• Trad Montana
• Sholo Truth

Other genres

• Paloma Berganza (chanson singer)
• Rocío Dúrcal (ranchera singer)

Also from Spain was the famous trio of singing clowns Gaby, Fofó y Miliki.

Sample

• Download recording of "Venid pastores", a Spanish-American Christmas song from the Library of Congress' California Gold: Northern California Folk Music from the Thirties Collection; performed by Aurora Calderon on April 10, 1939 in Oakland, California

References

• Fairley, Jan "A Wild, Savage Feeling". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 1: Africa, Europe and the Middle East, pp 279–291. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0
• Fairley, Jan with Manuel Domínguez. "A Tale of Celts and Islanders". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 1: Africa, Europe and the Middle East, pp 292–297. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0
• Alan Lomax: Mirades Miradas Glances. Photos and CD by Alan Lomax, ed. by Antoni Pizà (Barcelona: Lunwerg / Fundacio Sa Nostra, 2006) ISBN 84-9785-271-0

External links

• (French) Audio clips: Traditional music of Spain. Musée d'Ethnographie de Genève. Accessed November 25, 2010.
• AlejandroSanz4EnglishSpeakers A collection of translated songs from one of Spain's most famous singers.
• Bloomingdale School of Music Piano Project: Sonidos de Espana/Music of Spain - extensive monthly features on the history of Spanish music.
• Spanish language music Traditional and contemporary Spanish-language music, with genre descriptions, representative artists, CDs & audio samples.
• MIDI samples of traditional music from the Iberian peninsula
• Learn Spanish with songs Morkol will help you to learn Spanish with songs. Listen to the songs while you read the lyrics.
• Spainmusictv.com Spanish music videos
• Spanish Folk Music in Havana (Photo Album)