Welcome to one of the most active flamenco sites on the Internet. Guests can read most posts but if you want to participate click here to register.
This site is dedicated to the memory of Paco de Lucía, Ron Mitchell, Guy Williams, Linda Elvira, Philip John Lee, Craig Eros, Ben Woods, David Serva and Tom Blackshear who went ahead of us.
We receive 12,200 visitors a month from 200 countries and 1.7 million page impressions a year. To advertise on this site please contact us.
Posts: 1607
Joined: Dec. 24 2007
From: Siegburg, Alemania
Gitanos and seafaring
I recently started thinking about the fact that no cantes/letras seem to deal with seafaring, fishing etc. There're plenty of letras about jail, mining, agriculture, war, emigration... why none about boats, the sea, navigation etc.? Perhaps this has to do with the socio-cultural background of the Gitanos and of flamenco.
In Alegrias (de Cai) from time to time the letras refers to the sea (soy marinero, en alta mar, mi barquita de color...). It's not something specific like the mine work but the evocation of the sea is present! (as the Napoleon Bonaparte episode and the french invasion). Alegria is a patriotic cante IMO (sometime)...
_____________________________
"The most important part of Flamenco is not in knowing how to interpret it. The higher art is in knowing how to listen." (Luis Agujetas)
I have no reference to back this up but I think its because historically, being sent to sea was a punishment for gitanos. Its been traditional to work in forges, mines, agriculture, tailoring and music for gypsies. After the fall of Granada in 1492 one of the punishments for gitanos was to be sent to a galley of a ship, from where it was unlikely you would return. Since the journey of gypsies from northern Pakistan through Europe was overland it makes sense that there is not a repertoire of sea faring songs.
As a side note the opposite is true of the portugese fardo. The portuguese are a great sea faring nation and many of the sad fardo songs are about sailors who never came home from the sea.
actually there is a type of Fandango abandolao from the coast of Malaga called Jabegote that deals with sailing and fishing. It is said it comes from the fishermen of malaga (who are called "marengos"), so it's not really a "cante gitano", but it is flamenco! ;)
Some examples:
Tu quieres echarme un nudo marinero, marinero, tu quieres echarme un nudo como sabes que te quiero? a hacer la laza te ayudo
se me mojaron las velas estando la mar en calma, se me mojaron las velas y fue de las puras lágrimas que yo derramé por ella
si a mí me raja la mar cuarentas betas afuera por qué si estás a mi vera yo no lo puedo aguantar y me entra la temblanera?
El cante por jabegotes es un cante mu marengo el cante por jabegotes igual que el novio que tengo que no hay jábega que bote que no traiga la copa lleno
Alegrias de cadiz. My quick non-scientific mental survey is that the great majority of alegrias letras are about mi barca marinera or navegando por la tacita de plata or capitana de mi barco, etc,etc it goes on and on. You must not listen to many alegrias.
Printable Version
New Messages
No New Messages
Hot Topic w/ New Messages
Hot Topic w/o New Messages
Locked w/ New Messages
Locked w/o New Messages
Post New Thread