This is a glossary of terms that relate to flamenco arts.
A
aficionado: one interested in flamenco ('afición' a liking for)
aflamencado: flamencoized
a golpe: A tap, it can refer to a particular footstep by the dancer or a tap on the guitar, but it can also just refer to any tap (i.e. tapping the table in compás)
alboreá: the Gypsy wedding song sung in the soleá compás
alegrÃÂas: festive compás of the cantiñas group; one of the cantes chicos
alzapúa: guitar-playing technique that uses solely the thumb
ángel: see duende
a palo seco: without accompaniment
apodo: nickname, which Gypsies receive for life
arranque: spontaneous outbursts of uncontrolled emotion that a performer may emit
a seco: playing the guitar rasgueado, with the fingers of the left hand damping the strings
atravesarse: for the guitarist - cutting corners and rhythm during a falseta, making the dancer's job difficult
B
babeio: repeated meaningless sounds such as 'bababa' in the middle of words
bailaor, bailaora: flamenco dancer (male, female), as opposed to 'bailarin', which is any other dancer.
baile: flamenco dance; other (non-flamenco) types are referred to as 'danza'
baile de mantón: a dance with a shawl
balanceo y vaivén: swaying of the body and hips. Balanceo is gentle; vaiven is violent
bamberas: song form for swings
bata de cola: dress with a train (literally: "gown [of/with] a tail")
bonito: "pretty"; in other words, not good flamenco
braceo: a dancer's use of the arms
bulerÃÂas: song form; an evolving rhythm that started about a century ago
bullanguero: festive; adjectival form of bulerias
C
cabal: final version of the siguiriya; literally, honest, exact, complete.
café cantante: prime venue for flamenco in the 19th century
cambio: change of key and lightening of tone to end a song
campanilleras: songs that originally came from a religious brotherhood who would go to prayers to the sound of handbells - hence the name, which means "bellringers"
cantaor, cantaora: flamenco singer (male, female); other singers are often called a 'cantantes'
cante: flamenco song; other (non-flamenco) songs are cantos
cante pa'adelante: literally, "singing from in front"; singing not done for dancers, often with the singer seated [pa = "por"]
cante pa'atras: literally, "singing from behind"; singing for dancers, often with the singer standing [pa = "por"]
cantes de ida y vuelta: songs brought back from Latin America
cantes de levante: songs from the eastern province of Grandada, Jaen, Almeria, and Murcia
caracoles: a song form which started as a street snail-vendor's song in Zarzuela (a popular Spanish form of operetta)
cartageneras: song form derived from the taranta, with a florid vocal line, more "artistic" and decorative than forceful and rough
castañuelas: castanets
cejilla: capotasto or capo, used by guitarists to raise tone of all strings; a mechanical 'barré'
chufla: any festive and frivolous song
cierre: close of a series of steps or a line of song
coba: flattery, often with something false in it
coletilla: a short form of estribillo
compás: a measure or bar; flamencos use the word to mean both (a) the name of the type of twelve-count and (b) the rhythmic skill of a performer
contratiempo: cross-rhythms; including syncopation and rubato
copla: verse of cante flamenco, as against the cuple of a (non-flamenco) canto
coraje: a way of performing that shows impetuosity or daring (lit. "courage")
corrido: ballad, or also a romance
corte: the way the singer ends a musical phrase
crótalo: Phoenician and Roman form of castanets
cuadro: a flamenco troupe
D
debla: a form of toná. It is an old song form, now seldom used
dejes: the way the singer ends a phrase
desgarro: literally "tear, rip"; wilderness, heartbreak
desplante: technically, a point in the dance that marks the end of a section. In fact, a high point, a climax in the dance at which the dancer pauses and the audience applauds
desplazamiento: see marcar
diapasón: the neck or fingerboard of the guitar
ducas, duquelas: Caló (Romany or Gypsi) word for "sorrows"
duende: literally, "spirit" of "demon"; suggesting possession. Flamencos may prefer the word ángel or el age
E
escobilla: literally "broom"; the section of a dance in which the bailaor/a does an extended zapateados
escuela bolera: a graceful and balletic form of the old bolero; dance in time popular in the last century
estampa: look, appearance by the stance, positioning, form, and dress
estribillo: short phrases sung repeatedly at the end of a song; the last section of a dance done with singing, where the cantaor/a sings while the baile is danced; see 'coletilla'
F
falsetas: solo passages on the guitar, short melodies played at the start and between verses of a song
fandangos: an old family of song forms; thought to be of Moorish in origin; very popular in the early/mid 20th century
farruca: folk song adopted from northern Spain (Galicia), now above all a dance; once "only performed by men"
figura: a star; a performer who has achieved a name and fame
G
gachó: Caló (Gypsy or Romany) word for non-Gypsy (compare payo)
gancho: literally a "hook"; by extension, anything that gets to you, that "hooks" you
garra: literally "claws"; guts, force
garrotÃÂn: song adopted from northern Spain (Asturias)
gesto: tapping the face of the guitar with the second and/or third finger while playing
granaÃÂna: form of Fandango in free rhythm that in many ways stands apart, from Granada
guajira: an ida y vuelta song; now meaning "girl", word from Yucateca, a native language of Cuba
guasa: joking in bad taste, rustic trickiness
guitarrero: guitar builder
H
I
ir con tiento: to move slowly
J
jaberas: form of Fandango from Malaga
jalear: to stimulate a performer, to encourage with words and/or palmas
jaleo: vocal encouragement given to performers, when the audience calls out such phrases as ezo!, arsa!, olé!, toma!, vamo
jarana: "spree" when a group enjoys themselves doing flamenco
jipio: a cry (such as ay) used by the singer to find his pitch or simply put into the middle of a song
jondo: the Gypsy pronunciation on hondo (deep); formerly applied to the song forms, but now used often to describe a manner of singing
juerga: a lively flamenco party, often with only cante a golpe.
K
L
letra: copla of a song taken at its literary value; section of a dance when the cantaor/a is singing the lyrics, doing the tercios
ligado: in guitar, sounding the note with the fingers of the left hand only
llamada: literally "call"; the opening of a dance
M
macho: usually a three-line verse used as remate to the siguiriya; usually in a major key
malagueñas: song form characterized by its sad, elegiac tone. The city and province of Malaga are considered the home of the flamenco fandango
mutis: the exit made off the stage by the bailaor(a)s
marcar: to mark time, done by bailaor(a)s, usually while the cantaor(a) is singing; 'marcajes'; see desplazamientos
martinetes: songs of the blacksmith, can be performed to the rhythm of hammers beating an anvil; in compás similar to the siguiriya
melisma: series of notes sung on a single syllable of the coplas. To the ear unaccustomed to it, the sound may seem like unmusical wailing
milonga: a type of folk song from the RÃÂo de la Plata area of Argentina, where it is still very popular
mineras: best described as watered-down tarantas
mote: see apodo
mudanza: see punteado
N
nanas: lullabyes
O
oposición: refers to the asymmetry of flamenco; e.g., in dance, if the arms are going one way the face will look the other
P
Palillos: flamenco name for castanets
palmas: hand clapping. It is intricate art, requiring skill and knowledge of compas.
palmas altas: percussive effect performed with the fingers of the right hand on the left palm, resulting in a sharp sound; also called palmas claras and palmas agudas
palmas sordas: muted clapping done with cupped hands (often by the singer); also called palmas graves
palmero: performer of palmas
palo: song form; literally, a suit of cards. Palos fall into two main categories: those done in free rhythm (sin compás) and those done in rhythm (con compás)
paso: step or a series of steps
payo: sometimes thought to be the Calo (Romany or Gypsy) word for non-Gypsy, but in fact prison slang for an easy mark, a sucker. The Calo word for non-Gypsy is gachó
pellizco: literally, "nip, pinch"; that quality (usually in a dancer) that turns you on
peña: flamenco club
peteneras: Legendary or real, la Petenera was a girl from Cadiz, notorious for her beauty and hardness of heart. A 19th century writer mentions hearing 'peteneras' sung in a voice that conveyed "inexplicable sadness."
picar: to pluck on a guitar
pitos: finger snapping
playero: lamenting
por arriba: on guitar - in the hand position for the key of E
por medio: on guitar - in the hand position for the key of A
punteando: steps and movements that are not part of the zapateado, including 'paseo' (walking steps) and 'mudanzas' (more complicated movements, lit. "variations")
Q
R
rasgueado: on guitar, a drumroll effect created by using the backs of the fingers, i.e., the fingernails, striking the strings one after another (held back by the thumb)
remate: way of ending a song, either by raising a pitch, changing to the major, or simply speeding up, in a strong decisive manner
roas: Sacromonte form of the alboreá (wedding song)
romances: songs (ballads) in a form of toná, now when done with a guitar, it is usually played in a soleá rhythm
romeras: songs of a girl traveling on a pilgrimage
rumbas: a song form influenced by Cuban rumba
S
Sacromonte: a hillside in Granada with cave dwellings, in which Gypsies used to live. It was one of the heartlands of Gypsy flamenco, with a style all its own
salida: start of the baile (literally, going or coming out)
saeta: a song of passionate devotion to Christ or the Virgin, often aflamencao
sevillanas: non-flamenco song that has been flamencoized in various ways due to its popularity, including the hand and arm movements of the dancers
siguiriyas: heart of cante jondo (deep song). It expresses anguish, lament and despair, and has been described as an outcry against fate and the quintessence of tragic song
soleares: As song, the soleá lies at the heart of flamenco, together with siguiriyas and toná. As dance, it stands aloneâÂÂat least for women
son: all sound accompanying the flamenco song: guitar, palmas (clapping), pitas (finger snappin), knuckle tapping
sonanta: flamenco slang for guitar
soniquete: literally, "droning"; it is applied to performers being what-jazz-players-call "in the groove"
T
tablao: the venue for a tourist-oriented flamenco show
tablas: literally, "boards"; the stage on which the dance is performed; tiene tablas means "to be an experienced performer"
tangos: probably the oldest flamenco song form in a simple rhythm of time, as reflected in the time beaten by the palmeros; not the same as "el tango argentino"
tanguillos: songs of Cadiz; festive, light, sometimes mocking, and always suitable for Carnival
tapa: the face of the guitar
tarantas: a mining song of free rhythm and by far the hardest to sing, demanding tragic intensity as well as unusual control, both vocal and artistic, in the melismas
templar: to tune
temple: tuning or temperament
temporeas: songs of the farm - harvesting and threshing songs
tercio: a short section (musical phrase, line of verse); lit. "third"
tientos: a song form, similar to the tango
tocaor, tocaora: guitarist; from "tocar" (to play)
toná: oldest flamenco, gypsy-Andalusian song, probably from romances or corridas
toque: guitar playing
torsión y convulsión: stages, usually in the soleá, wherein the dancer reaches a more or less ecstatic state
trémolo: on guitar, playing high notes with the fingers (or bass notes with the thumb) in quick succession (back and forth) to make a continuous sound
Triana: the traditional Gypsy quarter of Sevilla, now yuppified
U
V
vibrato: repeated meaningless sounds uttered during the song, such as jajaja, but unlike babeo, not within a word
vito: Andalucian folk song and dance in fast time (non-flamenco)
voz afillá: hoarse voice like that of El Fillo, a 19th-century singer; this quality is also known as rajo
W
X
Y
Z
zambra: (a) a form of Sacromonte tangos, (b) a noisy fiesta originally of the Moors
zapateo, zapateado: the form of "tap" dancing peculiar to flamenco; from zapato [shoe]
zorongo: an old song and dance in time (not flamenco), revived by Federico Garcia Lorca; also called 'zarongo'
References
Bibliography
- Andres Batista, Maestros y Estilos. Manual Flamenco (Madrid: Graficas Agenjo 1985); alphabetically arranged.
- Irving Brown, Deep Song (New York: Macmillan 1929); glossary at 337-346.
- Anselmo González Climent, FlamencologÃÂa (Madrid: Editorial Escelicer 1955, 2d ed. 1964).
- Paul Hecht, The Wind Cried (New York: The Dial Press 1968); glossary at 177-180.
- Julian Pemartin, El Cante Flamenco. Guia alfabetica (Madrid: Edita Afrodisio Aguado 1966); alphabetic guide.
- D. E. Pohren, The Art of Flamenco (Madrid: Society of Spanish Studies 1962, 1990); glossary at 121-124.
- Barbara Thiel-Cramér, Flamenco (Lidingö, Sweden: Remark 1990), English translation 1991; glossary at 147-152.
- Robin Totton, Song of the Outcasts (Portland, Oregon: Amadeus 2003); glossary at 189-199.
External links