Cantes de ida y vuelta
Encyclopedia
Cantes de ida y vuelta is a Spanish expression literally meaning roundtrip songs. It refers to a group of flamenco
musical form
s or palos
with diverse musical features, which "travelled back" from Latin America (mainly Cuba
) as styles that, having originated in the interplay between Spanish musical traditions and those of the African slaves and Native American
s, developed into renewed forms that were reintroduced in Spain
. Usually they have a more mellow character than the more traditional flamenco songs.
, dramatists like Lope de Vega
and Tirso de Molina
already included songs and dances of Latin American influence.. There is also evidence of their popularity in the 19th century: many examples still remain of printed songbooks and sheets, often mixing Andalusian and Latin American songs, which were sold in the streets, and Baron Charles Davillier, in his trip in Spain in 1862 described a fiesta (party) in these terms:
The exchange of musical influences was particularly important at the end of the Spanish-American War
in 1898, when the United States gained control over Cuba, the last Spanish territory in Latin America. The defeat involved the return of many Spanish emigrants to Spain. These returned migrants, popularly called indianos, also brought back their songs and their music, which were soon included in the repertoire of flamenco artists, after a process of adaptation to the flamenco style of singing and playing. Although Antonio Chacón
already sang these styles (he recorded the milonga in 1913), the first flamenco singer who recorded a significant repertoire of guajiras, milongas, and vidalitas was Manuel Escacena. He made popular the milonga "Juan Simón", which he learnt from Mexican bullfighters around 1911, and which was later recorded by several other singers.
The melodies of guajiras, colombianas and milongas have also frequently been adapted to the rhythms of other palos like Bulerías
or Tangos
.
to be of Afro-Cuban origin. However, the question of the origins of tangos is much debated. Molina and Mairena considered it a basic flamenco song and therefore Gypsy. Guitarist Manuel Cano found Indian, Arabian and American influences in it. Tanguillos, a lively palo in 6/8 rhythm, usually with humorous lyrics, are sometimes also related with Latin American Origin. Again, their origin is rather controversial, and they are rarely the subject of study of flamencologists. However, the rhythms of tanguillos and, especially, tangos, (or very similar ones) can be found in many parts of the world.
Various artists, (compiled by BLAS VEGA, José): Magna Antología del cante, Hispavox, CD Edition, Vol X, 1992
Flamenco
Flamenco is a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusian music and dance and in whose evolution Andalusian Gypsies played an important part....
musical form
Musical form
The term musical form refers to the overall structure or plan of a piece of music, and it describes the layout of a composition as divided into sections...
s or palos
Palo (flamenco)
A palo is the name traditionally given in the flamenco environment for the different musical forms that constitute the traditional musical heritage of flamenco...
with diverse musical features, which "travelled back" from Latin America (mainly Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
) as styles that, having originated in the interplay between Spanish musical traditions and those of the African slaves and Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
s, developed into renewed forms that were reintroduced in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. Usually they have a more mellow character than the more traditional flamenco songs.
History
In the Spanish Golden AgeSpanish Golden Age
The Spanish Golden Age is a period of flourishing in arts and literature in Spain, coinciding with the political rise and decline of the Spanish Habsburg dynasty. El Siglo de Oro does not imply precise dates and is usually considered to have lasted longer than an actual century...
, dramatists like Lope de Vega
Lope de Vega
Félix Arturo Lope de Vega y Carpio was a Spanish playwright and poet. He was one of the key figures in the Spanish Golden Century Baroque literature...
and Tirso de Molina
Tirso de Molina
Tirso de Molina was a Spanish Baroque dramatist, poet and a Roman Catholic monk.Originally Gabriel Téllez, he was born in Madrid. He studied at Alcalá de Henares, joined the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy on November 4, 1600, and entered the Monastery of San Antolín at Guadalajara,...
already included songs and dances of Latin American influence.. There is also evidence of their popularity in the 19th century: many examples still remain of printed songbooks and sheets, often mixing Andalusian and Latin American songs, which were sold in the streets, and Baron Charles Davillier, in his trip in Spain in 1862 described a fiesta (party) in these terms:
[...] and a young Gypsy [...] danced the American tango with an extraordinary grace. Another widely known music in Andalusia is the Punto de la Habana, whose name indicates its origin, and it is used to accompany the décimas sung between dances in parties.
The exchange of musical influences was particularly important at the end of the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
in 1898, when the United States gained control over Cuba, the last Spanish territory in Latin America. The defeat involved the return of many Spanish emigrants to Spain. These returned migrants, popularly called indianos, also brought back their songs and their music, which were soon included in the repertoire of flamenco artists, after a process of adaptation to the flamenco style of singing and playing. Although Antonio Chacón
Antonio Chacón
Antonio Chacón was a Spanish flamenco singer [cantaor].Chacón began earning a living by performing flamenco around 1884. He toured Andalucia with his two friends, the Molina brothers - dancer Antonio Molina, and guitarist Javier Molina. He was later hired by Silverio Franconetti for his café in...
already sang these styles (he recorded the milonga in 1913), the first flamenco singer who recorded a significant repertoire of guajiras, milongas, and vidalitas was Manuel Escacena. He made popular the milonga "Juan Simón", which he learnt from Mexican bullfighters around 1911, and which was later recorded by several other singers.
Palos classified as cantes de ida y vuelta
The palos included in this category have different musical characteristics, so the category of ida y vuelta is just a common denomination based on their origin. The palos normally included in this category are the following:- Guajiras. Sometimes called also punto cubano. Probably it was the first song of the ida y vuelta type to be incorporated into flamenco, in the second half of the 19th century, but its golden age, as with most of the songs of this group, was the period known as ópera flamenca (1922–1956). The lyrics are composed in stanzas called décimaDécimaA décima refers to a ten-line stanza of poetry, and the song form generally consists of forty-four lines...
s, consisting of 10 octosyllabic lines rhyming ABBAACCDDC. It has a 12-beat rhythmic pattern like the PetenerasPetenerasThe Petenera is a flamenco palo in a 12-beat metre, with strong beats distributed as follows: [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]...
, that is, a combination of 6/8 and 3/4 metres, ([1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]). - Colombianas. This style was created by singer Pepe MarchenaPepe MarchenaJosé Tejada Marín known as Pepe Marchena, and also as Niño de Marchena in the first years of his career, was a flamenco singer who achieved great success in the ópera flamenca period...
in 1931 and soon became very popular. Most singers of the ópera flamenca time recorded it.. While their melody resembles the Guajiras, their rhythm is 4/4. The stanza has six octosyllabic verses. - MilongaMilongaMilonga can refer to an Argentine, Uruguayan, and Southern Brazilian form of music which preceded the tango and the dance form which accompanies it, or to the term for places or events where the tango or Milonga are danced...
. It is based on Argentinian folklore, with 4/4 time signature and stanzas in four octosyllabic lines. Singer Pepa Oro learnt it while travelling in America and adapted it to flamenco style, making it popular in Spain. - Vidalita. Originated in the folklore of northern Argentina. Its stanza is made of four octosyllabic lines. It is perhaps the less frequently recorded style in this group. The best remembered recordings from the ópera flamenca period are those by Pepe MarchenaPepe MarchenaJosé Tejada Marín known as Pepe Marchena, and also as Niño de Marchena in the first years of his career, was a flamenco singer who achieved great success in the ópera flamenca period...
and Juan ValderramaJuan ValderramaJuan Valderrama Blanca was a Spanish flamenco and folk singer also known as Juanito Valderrama.Born in Torredelcampo, Juanito's recording career began in 1935 and lasted more than 60 years...
, but after that period, with the deprecation of non-Gypsy styles by the singers of the generation of Antonio MairenaAntonio MairenaAntonio Cruz García, known as Antonio Mairena was a famous flamenco singer. He led the movement towards the revival of traditional flamenco in the fifties and subsequent decades....
, it was practically forgotten. Recently, after Mayte MartínMayte MartínMayte Martín . Flamenco cantaora , bolero singer, and composer. She is widely recognized as one of the most important flamenco voices of her generation...
's recording of Valderrama's version, it enjoyed new popularity and it has even been recorded by Gypsy singer Diego El CigalaDiego El CigalaDiego Ramón Jiménez Salazar, known as El Cigala , is a famous Spanish Romani Flamenco singer...
. - RumbasCuban RumbaIn Cuban music, Rumba is a generic term covering a variety of musical rhythms and associated dances. The rumba has its influences in the music brought to Cuba by Africans brought to Cuba as slaves as well as Spanish colonizers...
. This style of Afro-CubanAfro-CubanThe term Afro-Cuban refers to Cubans of Sub Saharan African ancestry, and to historical or cultural elements in Cuba thought to emanate from this community...
origin has a lively 4/4 rhythm still very reminiscent of its Cuban origin. The style had been more or less marginal in the flamenco artists' repertoires, although it was recorded by some singers like La Niña de los PeinesLa Niña de los PeinesPastora Pavón Cruz, known as La Niña de los Peines , is considered the most important woman flamenco singer of the 20th century. She was a sister of singers Arturo Pavón and Tomás Pavón, also an important flamenco singer, and aunt to Arturo Pavón, the first flamenco pianist...
or Manuel Vallejo, among others. However, it reached enormous popularity after the decades of the 60s and 70s, when it was adopted by Catalan Gypsies like Antonio González El Pescaílla and Peret. Since then, it has become the regular "hit track" in the recordings of many singers and guitarists, including specialists like Bambino or Maruja Garrido, Gypsy groups like Los ChunguitosLos ChunguitosLos Chunguitos are a Spanish rumba group from Vallecas, Madrid, formed in 1973.The group's nucleus was the three brothers Juan, Manuel, and Jose Salazar, whose uncle was the flamenco singer Porrina de Badajoz...
, Los Amaya, and practically all modern flamenco guitarists like Paco de LucíaPaco de LucíaPaco de Lucía, born Francisco Sánchez Gómez , is a Spanish virtuoso flamenco guitarist and composer. He is considered by many to be one of the finest guitarists in the world and the greatest guitarist of the flamenco genre...
, TomatitoTomatitoJosé Fernández Torres, known as Tomatito , is a Spanish Romani flamenco guitarist. He grew up in a musical family, including two uncles: Niño Miguel, a flamenco guitarist, and Antonio, a professional guitarist....
or Vicente AmigoVicente AmigoVicente Amigo Girol is a Spanish flamenco composer and virtuoso guitarist, born in Guadalcanal, near Seville. He has played as backing guitarist on recordings by flamenco singers El Pele, Camarón de la Isla, Vicente Soto, Luis de Córdoba and the rociero band Salmarina, and he has acted as a...
. It is rarely sung by more traditional flamenco singers (with great exceptions like Chano LobatoChano LobatoChano Lobato 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 Alejandro Vega's Flamenco dance group...
, an excellent performer of all rhythmic styles), and flamencologists have tended to regard this genre as "not flamenco".
The melodies of guajiras, colombianas and milongas have also frequently been adapted to the rhythms of other palos like Bulerías
Bulerias
Bulería is a fast flamenco rhythm in 12 beats with emphasis in two general forms as follows:1 2 [3] 4 5 [6] 7 [8] 9 [10] 11 [12]or...
or Tangos
Tangos
Tangos is a flamenco palo closely related in form and feeling to the Rumba. It is often performed as a finale to a Tientos. Its compas and llamada are the same as that of the Farruca and share the Farruca's lively nature. However, Tangos is normally performed in the A Phrygian mode.Tangos is...
.
Other styles of possible Latin American influence
Although not normally classified under the category of the cantes de ida y vuelta, some critics consider flamenco tangosTangos
Tangos is a flamenco palo closely related in form and feeling to the Rumba. It is often performed as a finale to a Tientos. Its compas and llamada are the same as that of the Farruca and share the Farruca's lively nature. However, Tangos is normally performed in the A Phrygian mode.Tangos is...
to be of Afro-Cuban origin. However, the question of the origins of tangos is much debated. Molina and Mairena considered it a basic flamenco song and therefore Gypsy. Guitarist Manuel Cano found Indian, Arabian and American influences in it. Tanguillos, a lively palo in 6/8 rhythm, usually with humorous lyrics, are sometimes also related with Latin American Origin. Again, their origin is rather controversial, and they are rarely the subject of study of flamencologists. However, the rhythms of tanguillos and, especially, tangos, (or very similar ones) can be found in many parts of the world.
Discography
Various artists: Los cantes hispanoamericanos en el mundo del flamenco, Pasarela, 2001Various artists, (compiled by BLAS VEGA, José): Magna Antología del cante, Hispavox, CD Edition, Vol X, 1992
External links
- Tanguillos
- On the origin of tangos and the etymology of the word
- El mundo del flamenco: cantes de ida y vuelta
- Folías, Zarabandas, Gallardas y Canarios. Apuntes sobre la danza y el baile en la España del Siglo de Oro.
- Plagios, periplos y música de doble vía a partir de una canciòn
- sobre los tangos y sus parentescos