METODO GUIT FLAMENCA vol2 OK.indd

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HISTORY
The flamenco guitar, a mix of the tradition of the popular strummed guitar with
the “Andalusian airs” of the nineteenth-century concert players
The doctoral thesis (1) shows and concludes that the flamenco guitar has evolved from the mixture of a
long Spanish tradition of popular strummed guitar, and the repertoire of “Andalusian airs” made popular
in the second half of the nineteenth century by concert guitarists, who directly or indirectly were disciples
of the Dionisio Aguado school of guitar. What follows is a summary of these main musical
transformations, which are also related to structural changes in the instrument itself.
The concept of “popular guitar” first appears in Andalusia as a four-course guitar characterized by a
simple manner of accompaniment compared to the more sophisticated methods of playing the vihuela.
Sources from the sixteenth century indicate that the guitar was commonly used to mark rhythm, using
rasgueado, one of the basic techniques of flamenco guitar. Vihuelists based some of their own repertoire
on popular music, and their method of composing variations called “diferencias”, continued later in
flamenco guitar playing as “falsetas”.
Seventeenth century sources show the use of different combinations of rasgueado in the main European
countries, which were most commonly used in the accompaniment of Spanish dances. This guitar has five
courses and became internationally known as the “Spanish guitar”, which was used to play dance rhythms
by plucking and strumming, and was generally accompanied by different percussion instruments. An
analysis of baroque repertoire shows how different rhythmic, harmonic and melodic aspects crystallized
to form part of flamenco guitar and dance. This holds in the relationship between “diferencias” and
falsetas, and popular music as a source for writing music in tablature.
According to sources from the eighteenth century, the baroque aesthetic of rhythmic guitar predominated
at that time. Cadiz also became well known for its guitar production and guitar scene. An analysis of
repertoire shows once again the mutual influences between popular and academic guitar. New forms
burst out to inherit the old, such as the fandango and the jota. The former, documented since 1705,
contains the definitive harmonic basis of flamenco guitar, the harmonization of the Andalusian cadence,
while also maintaining the culture of composing short variations on popular motifs. The guitar’s
construction in five courses combined with musical sources, allow us to conclude that the “toque por
medio” or “playing in the mode of A” was the first style of “toque” to appear in the history of flamenco
guitar.
MUESTRA
In the second half of the eighteenth century structural changes occurred when an extra sixth course was
added to the guitar, with Cadiz as a centre. This resulted in the division of two great guitar schools, the
rhythmic guitar of accompaniment, (which re-appears later with flamenco guitar), and the more
sophisticated plucked guitar as the future of classical concert guitar. The literary sources bear testimony
to the constant presence of the popular strummed guitar in Spain, particularly in Andalusia. Musical
sources revealed the development of a theory to find a new sound and technique, which elevated the guitar
from “rough” or “noisy music”. This was a necessary step to reach the level of the other relevant
instruments of the period, like the violin and the piano.