The Art, Language, and Culture of Flamenco (LIGN 187GS - 4 Units)
Syllabus - UCSD Global Seminar – Cádiz, Spain
John Moore, Professor, Department of Linguistics, UCSD
This course will introduce the structure, history, language and culture of flamenco - a
highly structured music and dance form from Southern Spain (Andalucia). The course
will integrate ethnomusicology, linguistics, and history to gain an understanding of the
Andalucian and Andalucian Gypsy cultures that gave rise to this complex art form.
The course will be roughly structured around two topics: FLAMENCO STRUCTURE and
FLAMENCO HISTORY. We will see how flamenco structure informs communication among
flamenco performers. We will also gain insight into the evolution of the art form,
playing close attention to its relationship to aspects of Andalucian and Gitano language
and culture.
Since the course will be conducted in English and no knowledge of Spanish will be
assumed, the readings will be in English (but readings in Spanish will be mentioned and
summarized in lectures, including Mil y una noches de Pericón de Cádiz – a narrative
about the flamenco scene in Cádiz in the early 20th century). Coursework will include
readings, a group map project, video/audio labwork, a group class presentation, a quiz,
and a final exam.
Cádiz, both the city and the province, are at the very epicenter of flamenco culture.
Holding this seminar in Cádiz opens up numerous possibilities for fieldtrips, excursions,
and performances. Many flamenco festivals take place throughout Andalucia during the
summer. We will attend a few of these, as well as a fieldtrip to Jerez de la Frontera,
where we will go on a guided tour of the Gypsy neighborhoods of San Miguel and
Santiago. We will also visit a publicly-accessible flamenco research institute, Centro
Andaluz de Flamenco, where one can access books, articles, documents, recordings, and
films.
Topics:
Week 1:
Flamenco Structure
Three flamenco arts:
Cante (singing)
Toque (guitar playing)
Baile (dancing)
the role of jaleo (percussion, shouts, etc.)
The forms of flamenco:
criteria for distinguishing the 50+ palos (forms):
aire - cante jondo vs. cante chico
compás (rhythmic patterns)
melodies
letras (verses)
READING: Howson, Chapters 1-3; Pericón
Week 2:
The forms – continued
READING: Howson, Chapters 5 & 8; recommended: Pohren, Part 3
PERICON PROJECTS DUE
Week 3: Flamenco venues:
fiesta (private gatherings, personal and paid)
cuadro (club performances)
festival (larger-scale public performances)
teatro (choreographed theatrical productions)
MIDTERM
Week 4: Flamenco History
Moors, Jews, Christians, and Gitanos
The early origins of flamenco (1700s- mid 1800s):
- Gitanista versus Antigitanista postions
- Cante Gitano versus Cante Andaluz The emergence of commercial
flamenco (mid-1800s):
- Café Cantantes
- Melding of cante gitano and cante andaluz
- Flamenco guitar
- Flamenco dance The Golden Age of flamenco (late 1800s):
- Cante libre (Malagueñas, Fandangos, Cantes de Levante), Bulerías
- Mellizo, Breva, Chacón, Torre, Los Pavones
- Beginnings of solo flamenco guitar and basic dance forms
GROUP PRESENTATIONS
READING: Leblon, Part 1
Week 5: History, continued
The Opera Flamenca Period (1920s-1950s):
- Opera Flamenca, Antigitanismo
- Lorca, de Falla, and the Granada Concurso
- Theatrical dance companies
- Concert flamenco guitar
- Carmen Amaya
Resurgence of Cante Gitano (1960s):
- Mairenismo,
- Foreign aficionados, Diego del Gastor and Morón de la Frontera
- Tourist Flamenco
The Paco/Camarón Revolution (1970s-1980s):
- Madrid as a flamenco melting-pot
- The rise and fall of tablaos
- the role of festivales
Flamenco Nuevo (1980s-present):
- Paco and jazz fusion
- sevillanas discos
- flamenco nuevo (Ketama, Gipsy Kings, Pata Negra, and others)
FINAL EXAM
Course Work:
Pericón Project:
This is a group project based on the translation of Mil y una historias de Pericón de
Cádiz. This is a collection of stories, mainly about Cádiz in the early 20th century. Your
job is to create a walking tour based on interesting places mentioned in the book, using
Google Maps. The idea is to get a feel for the flamenco history of Cádiz, and also get a
feel for the city. When doing this, keep two things in mind:
(i) You want to show that you have read the book – this means you should cite
locations from the entire book – not just the first chapter. EVERYONE SHOULD
READ THE WHOLE BOOK – don’t divide it up. There will be questions on the
book on the final exam.
(ii) You should provide evidence that you actually visited the places you mention –
e.g., by including a picture.
Be sure to write short paragraphs for each place on the tour – there should be about
twenty places. These paragraphs should be well-written (complete sentences, etc.) and
should describe clearly the significance of the place to the story or stories in which it is
mentioned.
Midterm:
This will test your knowledge of the structure of flamenco. It will require that you be
able to identify several flamenco forms (there will be listening material provided to help
you prepare). It will also include a few short answers and one essay question on
flamenco structure. A study sheet will be provided before the test.
Group Presentation:
Each group will be assigned a flamenco singer from the Cádiz area and will give a power
point presentation on his or her life and career. Be sure to include videos, audio, etc., and
find out as much as you can about him/her. Also, find out if there is a plaque somewhere
in Cádiz commemorating him/her, or perhaps a peña in their honor – if so, include
pictures. Your presentation should make it clear why this person is famous and what
their contributions have been. Include interesting gossip as well as the more mundane
facts! Here are some tips on presentation:
(i) Everyone should talk – if someone doesn’t talk, I’ll assume they didn’t participate;
that will affect everyone’s grade.
(ii) Don’t read from a script – make it clear you know what you are talking about. Also
make sure you know how to pronounce all the words you use.
(iii) Be entertaining, but don’t substitute cute gimmicks for real content.
Final exam:
This will cover aspects of flamenco history and flamenco in Cadiz; hence, there will be
questions related to the readings.
Grading:
Pericón Project (group)
Midterm
Group presentation – singer bio (group)
Final Exam:
20%
25%
30%
25%
Readings:
Howson, Gerlad. 1994. The Flamencos of Cádiz Bay, The Bold Strummer, Wesport, CT.
Leblon, Bernard. 2003. Gypsies and Flamenco: The Emergence of the Art of Flamenco in
Andalusia, Interface Collection Volume 6. Gypsy Research Centre, University of
Herfordshire Press, Hatfield.
Pericón de Cádiz (José Luis Ortiz Nuevo) Mil y una historias de Pericón de Cádiz
(traslation).
Pohren, Donn E. 2005. The Art of Flamenco. The Bold Strummer, Westport, CT.