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Table of Contents
Flamenco
What Is It?
Flamenco is a folklore music form from southern Spain's autonomous communities of Andalusia and Murcia. In a broader sense, the phrase refers to a wide range of Spanish musical styles.1)
First Recording
Flamenco music was first recorded in 1774. It is documented in José Cadalso's book Las Cartas Marruecas (Akombo 2016, 240–241).2)
Influences
Flamenco is connected with and influenced by the Romani people of Spain. Its origins and style, however, are distinctly Andalusian (Hayes 2009, 31-37).3)
Romani and non-Romani
Flamenco artists have always comprised both Romani and non-Romani Spaniards.4)
Development
The evolution of flamenco is well documented, according to Manuel Ros Ruiz: “the theatre movement of sainetes (one-act plays) and tonadillas, popular song books and song sheets, customs, studies of dances and toques, perfection, newspapers, graphic documents in paintings and engravings….in continuous evolution together with rhythm, the poetic stanzas, and the ambiance”.5)
Origins
Flamenco's precise origins are obscure and the subject of several speculations. Flamenco was established around the sixteenth century, notably in East Andalusia, through cross-cultural exchange between moriscos and gitanos (Romani people of Spain).6)