One hundred years ago, in Granada’s Alhambra, guests filed into the embellished Plaza de los Aljibes, and many were eager to begin the extraordinary contest that would soon occur. The Concurso de Cante Jondo, organized by Andalucian composer Manuel de Falla, was a memorable fiesta of performances by professional musicians and dancers, and though they received considerable applause, the real competition was only available for amateur singers to perform original pieces of cante jondo.
Adorned with elaborate tapestries, fragrant plants and glowing lamps, the Alcazaba was no doubt a magnificent sight for the 4,000 people invited to the event. Falla, along with a small group of artistic leaders including the playwright and poet Federico García Lorca and the artists Ignacio Zuloaga, had a clear purpose for organizing the contest: to elevate cante jondo, a type of flamenco practiced by the Roma people. Afraid that the music was losing its essence and being contaminated by the popular “flamenco,” Falla wanted to convert it into a serious art form.
Since the 1850s, flamenco had been slowly losing its purpose. According to Falla and Lorca, the music played at the cafés cantantes of Seville and Málaga wasn’t actual flamenco, but instead a watered-down version called cante chico that mixed popular music with Andalucian folklore, and the original musical forms would become extinct if not protected. Flamenco had begun to be viewed as a negative and cheap form of music since the 19th century. Many thought flamenco was a tawdry form of entertainment instead of art.
Falla spread word of the Concurso de Cante Jondo nationally and internationally , encouraging famous artists to participate to extend its cultural influence. In order to invite people who knew the ancient songs in the original musical forms, Falla and Lorca spent time before the concert travelling Roma neighborhoods in hopes of finding flamenco in its purist form.
Over the course of two enthralling nights, Falla created a historic event that treated 4,000 people to a huge musical concert of inspiration and excitement. Performers and prize-winners include Diego “El Tenazas” Bermúdez and Manolo Ortega, a 12-year-old Roma boy from Seville, who would later become the famous El Caracol. Singers and guitarists such as Antonio Chacón and Ramón Montoya entertained the crowd.
The Concurso de Cante Jondo inspired many concursos all over Spain that saved several styles of flamenco from almost certain extinction, such as the martinete and liviana. According to an interview done by BBC reporter Brendan Sainsbury, José Javier León, a writer and professor, stated, “Contrary to its own principles, the competition ended up benefiting popular flamenco. It widened its format, prompted the recording of musical styles that might have been lost because of their weak commercial pull, and heralded subsequent flamenco festivals that were attended purely by professionals.”
Link to Article: Flamenco and the 1922 Woodstock of Spain – BBC Culture.pdf
Adorned with elaborate tapestries, fragrant plants and glowing lamps, the Alcazaba was no doubt a magnificent sight for the 4,000 people invited to the event. Falla, along with a small group of artistic leaders including the playwright and poet Federico García Lorca and the artists Ignacio Zuloaga, had a clear purpose for organizing the contest: to elevate cante jondo, a type of flamenco practiced by the Roma people. Afraid that the music was losing its essence and being contaminated by the popular “flamenco,” Falla wanted to convert it into a serious art form.
Since the 1850s, flamenco had been slowly losing its purpose. According to Falla and Lorca, the music played at the cafés cantantes of Seville and Málaga wasn’t actual flamenco, but instead a watered-down version called cante chico that mixed popular music with Andalucian folklore, and the original musical forms would become extinct if not protected. Flamenco had begun to be viewed as a negative and cheap form of music since the 19th century. Many thought flamenco was a tawdry form of entertainment instead of art.
Falla spread word of the Concurso de Cante Jondo nationally and internationally , encouraging famous artists to participate to extend its cultural influence. In order to invite people who knew the ancient songs in the original musical forms, Falla and Lorca spent time before the concert travelling Roma neighborhoods in hopes of finding flamenco in its purist form.
Over the course of two enthralling nights, Falla created a historic event that treated 4,000 people to a huge musical concert of inspiration and excitement. Performers and prize-winners include Diego “El Tenazas” Bermúdez and Manolo Ortega, a 12-year-old Roma boy from Seville, who would later become the famous El Caracol. Singers and guitarists such as Antonio Chacón and Ramón Montoya entertained the crowd.
The Concurso de Cante Jondo inspired many concursos all over Spain that saved several styles of flamenco from almost certain extinction, such as the martinete and liviana. According to an interview done by BBC reporter Brendan Sainsbury, José Javier León, a writer and professor, stated, “Contrary to its own principles, the competition ended up benefiting popular flamenco. It widened its format, prompted the recording of musical styles that might have been lost because of their weak commercial pull, and heralded subsequent flamenco festivals that were attended purely by professionals.”
Link to Article: Flamenco and the 1922 Woodstock of Spain – BBC Culture.pdf
