The Sevillian professor Antonio Plaza Orellana He holds a degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Seville and a higher diploma from the Manuel Castillo Conservatory of Music. He completed the doctoral program in Advanced Studies in Flamenco After successfully defending her doctoral thesis, she has published numerous articles on the relationship between flamenco lyrics, folk lyrics, and the more refined poetry of traditional songs. She works as a secondary school teacher.
I approach his book with my own comments and some of the author's answers to questions related to it and to his passion for flamencoPersonally, I am fortunate to have followed this work through my participation as a professor in the aforementioned doctoral program at the University of Seville, which ceased a few years ago and of which I became coordinator. It was a period in which I learned a great deal from the doctoral students and fellow PhDs.
I consider his doctoral thesis to be a magnificent work, extensive in both pages and content necessary to better understand the emergence and development of flamenco in its literary aspect, from the lyrical support of canteLarge, then, in physical size and scope, and in content, a fundamental reference work. It was directed by professors David Florido del Corral y Rocío Plaza Orellana.
Congratulations, and we look forward to the publication of the next volumes in the collection. flamenco from the aforementioned university, whose link you can consult here.
The idea for the work arose from the guidance of the thesis committee, which, after the defense, deemed its publication appropriate. The author explains: "Given the length of the research, I agreed with the supervisors to publish it in three volumes, following a chronological order, and this is the first."
The literary richness we have in this literary field of songs and songbooks is striking and evident. Plaza summarizes: "Although the flamenco It is limited to a little over two centuries, when a flamenco singer or a flamenco singer aims a cante, is expressing ancestral ideasAnalyzing the small variations of the same couplet that has been, throughout the centuries, a mote, folia, tirana, malagueña or rumba, provides a lot of symbolic information about the new aesthetic context that shelters it, and from those adaptations to the styles flamencoYes, I have tried to outline some elements of his universe."
"The relationship that exists between popular lyric poetry, couplets, and the historical origins of flamenco It is studied here in detail and with a scientific approach without forgetting the informative aspect, which is aided by the constant presence of lyrics comparing its presence in songbooks and flamenco or various summary diagrams and charts»
It is difficult to summarize how the transfer of flamenco lyrics from songbooks to the flamenco repertoire occurred. This is not only necessary for research into the flamencoLet us not forget that the lyrics contained in the words are a basic and nuanced contribution, but rather, as the researcher indicates, "the flamenco As we can see, it is part of a continuum. Orality is the premise championed by many songbooks, especially those from the 19th century, which seek to reclaim the Romantic concept of "popular." The important pioneering studies of Demophilus They maintain oral transmission, but move away towards content that is exclusively or purportedly “flamenco“or “Gypsy.” Research shows that while most songbooks do indeed have a memorized development, they are also reworkings of material that fluctuates from one songbook to another; that is, they are literary, and sometimes they even keep alive verses that were never popular. Then there is the songbook as a direct source to facilitate the inspiration of performers, the main motivation that he expressed Mr. Precise in his collection, and that it has been valid from 1799 until Enrique MorenteHence the continuous re-editions of the work. The search for new horizons in the flamenco He continually renews this old material from the songbooks, as he mentioned to you. Antonio Mairenaand they have also always been an indispensable tool, as we see in the productions of Blas Vega, Grande, Murciano, Caballero Bonald, Domínguez, etc.".
Because of Enrique's mention, I'll leave you with this cante by women from Malaga with Pepe Habichuela, both young people here:
The relationship that exists between popular lyric poetry, folk songs, and the historical origins of flamenco It is studied here in detail and with a scientific approach without forgetting the informative aspect, which is aided by the constant presence of lyrics comparing its presence in songbooks and flamenco or various diagrams and summary charts. Antonio Plaza comments: «It is difficult to pinpoint when these short meter pieces would be interpreted with an artistic intention similar to the current one. flamencoThis concept is currently recognized in the 1840s, the period I cover in the second volume. In this first eighteenth-century volume, we recognize seguidillas, tiranas, caballos, malagueñas, and polos, but we are unaware of the most important aspect: their interpretive context. In this first volume, we do not perceive the term "popular"; what predominates is the musical style, the meter, and the character, whether sad or joyful.
The author's fondness for flamenco Besides the presence of [something] in his family, his sister Rocío has done great work in research, becoming a leading figure in the field, and she encouraged him to follow in her footsteps. He continues to be, he tells us, a "consumer" of [something]. canteand encompasses it in new digital formats. And he concludes about his Seville neighborhood: "Furthermore, I am fortunate to live in a neighborhood with numerous peña"And gatherings that allow me to enjoy live performances by established artists, new generations, and the unclassifiable."
Don't miss this book, then. Whether you're a researcher or a fan, you'll enjoy these profound interdisciplinary analyses and what is also a broad and engaging anthology of songs, chants, and canteAnd they will know much more about that process, generally in the flamenco, of the gestation and development of the letters of the cantebased on contributions from other fields.
→ Antonio Plaza Orellana, The legacy in the flamenco of traditional songbooks from 1761 to 1808, Publications of the University of Seville, 2026.
