Fortunately, there are many authors. -and authors, although less so- Award winners in flamenco lyrics competitions. There should be more female authors, as there are some good ones, and there should also be more competitions, to encourage poetic creation and offer new avenues for lyrical expression to flamenco. canteA blog you can visit, titled precisely Lyricists flamencos, collects samples of this matter.
One of these award-winning and renowned poets and lyricists is Jose Francisco Lopez -Arahal, Seville, 1963-, a retired professor. His writings have been collected in a book, aptly titled, Echoes of the people, subtitled Flamenco Lyrics, elegantly and precisely edited by the young publishing house Lower AndalusiaA black and white photo of the flamenco singer Juan José Vargas 'Chozas de Jerez', Steve Khan, intentionally brings back memories of flamenco Traditional, from the people and their echoes, as the title says. We can remember this very special singer, not strictly a professional, born in Lebrija in 1903 and who died in Jerez, where he went to live, in 1974. This soleá with long verses is one of the best known in his repertoire, with Manuel Morao in 1970, for the legendary television series Rite and geography of cante:
I had the honor of writing the prologue to this work by José Francisco, which we titled precisely as this commentary. I say the following:
Jose Francisco Lopez -Arahal, Seville, 1963-, a retired teacher, has worked almost his entire professional career at the CEIP Miguel Rueda school in Stops, my town. There he has done a great job promoting the flamenco among the youngest. Their unique program Flamenco brushstrokes It has received praise and awards, such as the award Flamenco in the classroom of the Junta de Andalucía (2015), all very well deserved, because the radio program he promoted, with young children, is truly educational, useful, and, of course, moving. For me, hearing some of the best songs and biographies of [the region] recited by such young children was a truly special experience. flamenco It has been a great source of satisfaction. Congratulations on that.
Furthermore, he has won virtually every prize for flamenco lyrics and songs awarded in Spain. In fact, this book, which we are introducing, is a selection of his winning entries, almost always first prizes, from competitions such as Mirando a la Torre. (Alhaurín de la Torre, 1999 and 2004), Festival of Cante of the Mines (The Union, 2004), The Forge of the Island (San Fernando, 2014, 2018 and 2023), Sons of Almachar (Barakaldo, 2014), or they start from the proclamation of the Olive Harvest Festival (Arahal, 1996).
She has also received other awards such as those from the Love Declarations Contest (Paradas, 1998), the Saeta Festival (Arahal, 1998), the Arahal City Poetry Contest (2007), the Villa de Marchena Short Story Contest (2009), and the Children's Story Contest at the 15th Arahal City Contest (2011). She writes for the magazine Unicorn and presents the Medial TV program Heart Flamencoboth from his hometown. In 1999 he published the book of poetry Abysses of solitude and silence. She runs the blog Flamenco and literatureAs we can see, a rich and varied trajectory, in which we have coincided more than once: magazine UnicornLiterary awards, an interview on his TV show, etc.
This book includes, along with other previously unpublished works, the lyrics of the aforementioned prize-winning flamenco lyrics competitions, as we have already mentioned. Here we have a guarantee, a filter of quality and accessibility for the reader, even for a particularly discerning reader such as—or at least the juries. Their numerous award wins are not by chance or due to other circumstances. They are prizes for their quality, for their effective literary and flamenco merit.
From the finest sap of tradition—where else?—the author draws inspiration and skill to deliver true gems, many of which are on par with the best works of that school, corpus, or tradition. This is true in the various palos flamencothat are cultivated, as well as in the metric molds and varied themes, all adjusted to the palos or styles discussed, which cover the recognized branches of flamenco: cantes from Levante, fandango and its derivatives, canteround trip, cantes without guitar or a cappella, others like soleares, seguiriyas, tonás or bulerías…
Flamenco Lyrics That's the subtitle, we believe, because, although flamenco lyrics are lyrical works, of course, like any other lyrical poem, the truth is that before each palo It includes a poem of generally free meter and varied length, a kind of gloss, in the style of what we know they masterfully did, for example, García Lorca, big felix, Antonio Murciano, Jose Luis Rodriguez Ojeda or many others. Thus, he dedicates this introduction to the fandango:
A sting to the soul,
white spark of snow,
throbbing wounded heart
and goosebumps in the storm…
He follows a musical criterion in cases like the soleá, with stanzas of three—soleá—or four—copla or assonant quatrain—both valid for singing, as he says, in the soleá style. This demonstrates his knowledge of the cante in itself and makes these letters ideal to be taken to their most desirable place, the canteHe knows – as a true fan – that every palo It has its own meter, its own theme, its own tone, its own feel, and like a good poet, it elevates this knowledge to aesthetic depth, literary quality, and emotion.
In this way, it approaches love in all its facets: compliments, reciprocated love, heartbreak, sensuality, euphemistic carnality…
Solea
From the Triana bridge
I have seen the sun cry
when he looks at your face.
bulerías
When the grinding arrives
I say to my miller's wife:
lock the hacienda.
bambera
When you get on the shoe
You fly over the avenue,
you're like a paloma
with wings of silver and silk.
Dawn
The bride is coming
with her white veil,
It has a crown
stars in the sky.
Joys
For your hair and your lips
I'm sailing,
through your body and your eyes
smuggled.
Highland
Through the Sierra Nevada
a mountain man comes down,
She carries a broken heart
In your hands.
They broke it
for a dream of love,
of forbidden love.
Fandango
Your eyes and a candle,
the morning frost,
the embers of the bonfire,
the field at daybreak,
your body among the stars.
Serious issues such as madness, the death of loved ones – the mother, central to the flamenco—, pain or discomfort in general are also reflected with distinction by various palos:
Solea
The night was dark.
And the wind heard the voice
serene from my madness.
Let the bells not toll,
that my mother has died
And I don't want her to leave!
Seguiriya
Take the track away from me
and give me death,
But leave my eyes open
so I can see you.
malagueña
My soul turns black
When I walk along the avenue,
Not even the moon accompanies me,
Look how great the sorrow is.
that comes from my insides.
Tonas
With anvil, hammer, and forge
they bend «to» metals,
but not even quicksilver melts
the echo of my sorrows.
Or, of course, the philosophical and metaphysical reflections combined with social concerns, freedom as a necessity, the denunciation of mistreatment or situations of hard work without fair remuneration – a particular sensitivity towards miners in the canteFrom Levante – already the men of the countryside, the olive growers, because of their experiences in their town of Arahal: sea of olive groves, green sea, as their fellow countryman, the very young and brilliant guitarist, titles his album David from Arahal.
fandangos
Like the golden eagle,
like the peregrine falcon,
I walk with my loneliness
along paths and roads
seeking my freedom.
Don't hit that child
for defending his mother,
Treat me with kindness,
who is neither a man nor a good father
the one who mistreats his children.
touches
The olive-picking children
They have silver hands,
new moon reflections
and morning frost.
And when evening comes
It makes my back hurt,
He is an olive-picking boy
without youth in the soul.
Tonas
Tied to a galley
in the vastness of the sea,
You won't keep me awake
to find freedom.
And so on with any other topic with its palos suitable, with verses very well achieved in meter and theme for, for example, granaínas or saetas, as we see here:
Granada
They say they are haunted
The two rivers of Granada,
Darro and Genil bewitched
for a Moor who was crying
sighing in love.
Arrow
I ask the heavens for strength
«pa» Carry it with love,
I wish I were a Cyrenian
to relieve his pain
to this Christ of Nazareth.
We finish with this love letter to Andalucía, by fandangos, which brings together some of the themes of flamenco lyrics:
Of mountains and joy,
land of olive trees and sea,
of sun and philosophy,
of dreams and freedom,
That's our Andalusia.
We hope that this book will find a place in the readings and lives of many poetry readers in general, and particularly among fans and artists of poetry. flamencoThose from cante They will have the opportunity to bring these valuable examples of flamenco lyricism, these first-rate flamenco lyrics, from the earth to the air, from paper to recital or to record.
That concludes my introductory remarks. I wish this book and this fledgling collection the best of luck. I'll leave you with a few examples of how our author's work has been adapted for different audiences. cante, its ultimate goal. In this case, the cante de Francisco Reche by tonás, at the book presentation in Arahal, with recitation by the author himself:
And finally, a presentation in Paradas, my hometown, where José Francisco has worked as a teacher, with various participants:
→ José Francisco López. Echoes of the people, Paradas and Morón (Seville), Editorial La Baja Andalucía, 2025.
