SPAIN

By Nathan, Matt and Kayla

 

Hola! And welcome to the magical world of Spanish music. Here you will be able to find a taste of Spain’s vast musical history, unique styles, beautiful instruments, important musical figures and even get an earful of traditional Spanish music. Buena Vista!

 

 

HISTORY

 

Early History:          Very early Spanish music was influenced by Christianity, hence Gregorian chant became popular. This ultimately led to the creation of neumes, the first type of musical notation.

 

Renaissance:             After the Renaissance period began, Spanish musicians started to experiment more with instruments rather than the plain vocal chants of the previous eras. It was in this era that the infamous Spanish guitar was invented, and polyphonic music was made popular. Styles in this era were mostly influenced by music from Arabia, Rome, France and Flanders. Two important composers to this era were Francisco Guerrero and Tomas Luis de Victoria.

 

17th & 18th Century: It was in this era that a popular form of Spanish music known as Zarzuela was created. This was a very light form of opera. More classical forms of Spanish music became unpopular and were replaced by a new love for folk music. Ruperto Chapi and Jesús Guridi are among the famous composers of this era.

 

20th Century:            This was during the time that Francisco Franco had power, and he banned folk music. After Franco, pop and rock filled the place of folk music and was influenced mostly by French music, which was influenced by American and British music. Some important musicians include Rosalia and Julio Iglesias

 

COMMON MUSICAL STYLES

 

Flamenco:                 Flamenco music is very popular in the Andalusian community of Spain, influenced strongly by the gypsies, Moors, and possibly Egypt, Pakistan and India. It has three types: Cante, the song, Baile, the dance, and Guitarra, guitar playing. Early flamenco consisted of dance, vocals and rhythmic clapping but soon evolved to include guitar solos. This type of music is used to display strong emotions through the actual music as well as the dance that accompanies it.

 

Zarzuela:       A form of musical that includes dramatic songs and spoken lines that is a sort of light version of opera. These productions included dances and were usually performed in front of royalty. Zarzuela disappeared in most or Spain after the Spanish Civil War.

 

INSTRUMENTS

 

Spanish Guitar:       Spanish guitar is played by plucking nylon strings which give it a different tone than most guitars, which are usually equipped with metal strings.

 

Tabor Pipe:               Found in many styles of Spanish music. It is a pipe with 3 holes and can play a full octave. It is usually accompanied by a drum.

 

DAVID BISBAL

David Bisbal is a Spanish pop star who was born June 5th, 1979 in the southern state Andalucia, Spain.

 

After dropping out of school at the age of 18, Bisbal was discovered by the orchestra Orquesta Expresiones. In 2001, Bisbal appeared on the T.V show Operacion Triunfo, a show similar to that of American Idol. He placed 2nd on the show.

 

Due to the coverage he received on Operacion Triunfo, Bisbal was picked up by Vale Music who offered him a deal in exchange for a solo CD. His first CD, Corazon Latino was released in the summer of 2002 and turned out to be an instant success.

 

His CD beat records, selling 1 million copies in only months. In 2002, he began to tour over Spain in which he sold out all of his concerts. Later that year, Bisbal received an award for best album of the year, along with 8 gold discs for the sales of Corazon Latino and an award for best new international artist on Premion TV and Novelas de Mexico.

His single "Lloraré las penas" topped the Billboard Latin Tropical/Salsa charts and was number three on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks. Others single include Ave Maria, Buleria, and Premonicion.

 

 

MUSIC ANALYSIS

 

Concierto de Aranjuez for guitar and orchestra:

 

The melody of this piece is melancholic, and very conjunct and step-wise which gives the listener a feeling of floating and swaying through the piece. The melody is first played by a woodwind instrument, most likely an oboe, but is then switched to the Spanish guitar like a musical. This gives the effect of a musical conversation, where each instrument is almost vocalizing its own emotion. Soon the emotion builds as more woodwinds are added to the melody, strengthening its emotional effect, and the single Spanish guitar still calls back. The piece is polyphonic, as there are many melodies occurring as once in some areas. The harmony of the piece is very light, as a catalyst that allows the melody to soar through.  This is mostly played my strings and lower woodwinds. As for the rhythm, there is a usage of many connective devices such as slurs and ties which slightly blur the solidity of beats and bar lines so that the rhythm is very smooth and free. The texture of the piece is moderately thin as there are not many complex harmonies being played, and you can generally pick out each layer very easily. The dynamics of the piece are extremely expressive as they move from piano to forte and back once again. The timbre of the instruments is somewhat thin and airy like smoke. The form of the piece seems to be ABACA.

 

Bulerias:

 

The melody of this piece is sung by a male vocalist and is very disconjunct and certainly not step-wise. It is also very up beat. The harmony is extremely simple as it is a few strummed chords played by a Spanish guitar. The piece is polyphonic. The rhythms are very complex and syncopated, and are played by the castanets and clapping, which also give the piece a happy sounding quality. The texture of the piece is very messy and intertwined as there are many rhythms occurring at once with the various instruments. The dynamic through the whole piece is forte. The timbre of the voice is very rich and wide sounding, while the timbre of the guitar is on the thinner side. Finally the form of the piece is ABAB.

 

Bibliography:

 

"Wikipedia." Music of Spain. 22 Dec. 2006 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_music>.

 

"Enforex." Spanish Music History. 22 Dec. 2006 <http://www.enforex.com/culture/spanish-music-history.html>.

 

"Spanish Music." Modern Spanish Music and Who Was There. 15 Jan. 2007 <http://www.alicante-spain.com/spain-tips/spanish-music.html>.

 

"All About Spain." Flamenco. 15 Jan. 2007

<http://www.red2000.com/spain/flamenco/>.

 

"Green Man's Morrris and Sword Club." The Pipe and Tabor. 15 Jan. 2007 <http://www.greenmanmorris.org/fltabour.htm>.

 

“David Bisbal” 15 Jan 2007

<http://davidbisbal.com/multimedia/>

 

 

MAP OF MUSICAL STYLES

Andalusia

  • best known for flamenco music
  • gaita rociera (tabor pipe). a traditional music called copla
  • Sephardic music.

Aragon

  • Jota, originated in Aragon.
  • Gaita de boto (bagpipes)
  • Chiflo (tabor pipe)

Asturias, Cantabria and Galicia

·        bagpipe music

·        Galician folk music

·        pandereteiras

·        Alalas

·        asturianadas

·        Cantabrian folk music

 

Balearic Islands

  • Xeremiers
  • colla de xeremiers

Basque Country

·        trikitixa

Canary Islands

·        Isa (a local kind of Jota)

·        Latin American musical (Cuban)

·        plucked string bands.

 

 

Castile, Madrid and León

Jota (uniquely slow in Castile and Leon)

  • Gaita (bagpip)
  • Tabor pipe
  • Dulzaina (shawm)
  • Rondalla
  • Chotis
  • Flamenco

Catalonia

  • Sardana
  • Galops
  • Ball de gitanes.
  • Rock Catala
  • Rumba catalana.

Extremadura

  • Tabor pipe
  • Jota

Murcia

·        Flamenco

·        Cante Jondo

·        Rondallas (plucked-string bands).

Navarre and La Rioja

  • Tabor pipe
  • Jota
  • Dulzaina (shawm)

 

Valencia

·        Jota

·        Bandes

·        Dolçaina (shawm)