Glossary of flamenco terms

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

alegrías

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

bulerías

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 3/4 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

garrotín

song adopted from northern Spain (Asturias)

gesto

tapping the face of the guitar with the second and/or third finger while playing

granaína

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

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.

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 Río 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")

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 alone—at 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 2/4 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

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 3/8 time (non-flamenco)

voz afillá

hoarse voice like that of El Fillo, a 19th-century singer; this quality is also known as rajo

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 2/4 time (not flamenco), revived by Federico Garcia Lorca; also called 'zarongo'

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, Flamencología (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

• Flamenco glossary at flamenco.org
• Flamenco glossary at novareinna.com