We know many male lyricists with solo books of flamenco lyrics, but frankly, very few female lyricists with individual, non-collaborative books. Hardly any. Carmen Camacho, Soledad Fernández Gomá, Encarna Lara...
These are now joined by Paqui Moreno with the book Pellizco and compass, certainly a very very title flamencoIts author, born in Jerez in 1953, from the San Miguel neighborhood steeped in flamenco history, is a self-taught woman passionate about reading and writing, according to the book jacket. Her passion for reading and creating is complemented by her work as a reciter, who craves the connection with an audience.
Ricardo RodríguezThe author of the prologue writes that the pollen of his love for poetry and his overflowing passion for the flamenco It is the perfect cocktail for his work, "which leaves in our mouths, on the one hand, the sweet nuances of his exquisite sensitivity, and on the other – especially the soleares – the metallic taste of blood, as I said when speaking of the cante the legendary Aunt Anica La Piriñaca». Edit the collection of flamenco from the Jerez publishing house Peripecia Books, of which it is the second title, after the biography of The Gomez of Jerez written Fran PereiraHopefully, more titles will follow.
Because of the allusion, let us recall the cante by seguiriyas from La Piriñaca, in the famous television series Rite and Geography of cante, with Manuel Morao in 1973:
The book, forty-three pages long, appears without an index or clearly defined sections, but one can discern, on the one hand, a section with several poems and, on the other, another with soleares and bulerías, more soleares than bulerías, really. If it refers to the three-line stanza of the soleá, there are a few, although the four-line stanza, called the assonant quatrain or cantar, is more common; both are suitable for the cante called soleá, to sing soleá, as well as bulerías and others palosMetrics are one thing, and the other is another. cante.
The first letter we see is the following. The author often writes each verse with an initial capital letter, which we respect, as well as the punctuation, and the absence of italics:
To Saint Lucy
I'm going to entrust myself to God,
So that it will blind me,
So I don't see you or pass by.
The last one in the book is:
May your God punish me,
If you love me, punish me.
Let madness send me.
So that I can't even think.
In between, there are various verses or lyrics, mostly of a romantic nature, whether of surrender and fulfillment, compliments, or, conversely, of heartbreak and disappointment—a classic in flamenco poetry and poetry of all times. These are examples of the former:
That look pierces me,
That sweet, honey-like mouth,
They've left me bewildered.
From head to toe.
That has nothing to do with it,
Money and riches,
When there is true love,
Even misery shines.
Regarding the second point, disillusionment, here are some others:
Even the vines were crying
When they were cutting their grapes,
Those trembling hands.
Where do loves go?
That bloomed one day,
And the bitterness remains,
For the remains of the road.
Of course, there were the gossips:
That I want you by my side
And the thought scares me,
Because of some malicious tongues,
I have to forget you.
Other topics covered include punishment, hypocrisy, death, and everyday details. Let's look at some examples:
My sorrows no longer hurt me,
I have the pain stuck in my throat,
I only feel inside,
darkness in the heart.
If I had the power,
even if it was just for one day,
would uproot it completely,
Damn hypocrisy.
Don't boast of greatness,
that death comes to us all,
Nothing is taken there,
just the little steps
and the unnamed fears.
In my palm basket,
I'm carrying agave leaves and thistles,
To make a good stew,
For my mother and my little boy.
Judge for yourselves the quality and relevance of these flamenco verses. Some are successful and appropriate, while others, I believe, require further revision and more rigorous selection. Their lesser quality, the filler, and the overall carelessness of the edition—spelling and punctuation errors, the uniform capitalization of each line, the repetition of the same letter twice on pages 21 and 25 ("Una puñalá en el alma…"), and forced rhymes—detract from the overall impression of the work and the edition. Here are some examples of what I'm saying, in my opinion:
The street of joy.
Where to take her for a walk is such a joy.
Even the ground resists.
Stop contemplating.
What's the point of dreaming?
If dreams are dreams,
Quotes from that great poet
De la Barca Calderón.
Should there be further releases or a reissue, our advice is to pay attention to these aspects. Meanwhile, welcome to this new collection of lyrics for the canteFinally, a woman's voice and pen are being heard, and we hope others will follow suit. There are great, award-winning, high-quality lyricists, like Mariví Verdú, Carmen Aguirreetc., and we eagerly await her solo book. It's a dream of mine, an idea I keep urging the authors themselves to pursue. Thanks to Paqui Moreno, with her enthusiasm, for taking this step, and to the publisher Peripecia Libros for launching this collection.
→ Paqui Moreno, Pellizco and compassPeripecia books, 2024
