MichaelBee -> RE: Petenera Goes to Amazon! (Dec. 19 2009 14:19:44)
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Hola Doisujin, I'm not a musicologist but I was raised by a flamenco singer-guitarist (and more recently dancer) who learned the old school with people like Carlos Montoya. Hence we are not fans of Paco de Lucias, Joachin Cortez and the likes, although I absolutely acknowledge the very important role they play in what flamenco has become today. What you can see or hear on Petenera Dance Drama is nowhere near as flashy or fast as what contemporaries are doing, but it comes closer to what was performed 100 years ago in courtyards, juergas and the mines, for example. There is a unique piece on the DVD, a Martinete, performed á capella by José Galván that answers your questions better than I ever could. But in a nutshell, it is said that flamenco really started with the singing. Petenera was known to be a singer and a dancer, and that is known to be about 5 centuries ago. The guitar didn't really come in till the 19th century, although I've heard of vihuela flamenco pieces before that; and the guitar played an important role in the early 2oth century, when flamenco was a very popular art form before the Franco regime when it was literally banned. Musicologists base the theory of flamenco originally coming from India on transcripts that were only recently deciphered, but of course the Gypsies did really bring it to Spain along with a great mixture of influences through their travels both the north route via Europe and the south via Africa. Add the influence of the Moors and the rest of Spanish history, blend it with the Gypsies being flamenco's main carriers for so long, add the last decades and the end of the Franco regime and you get what we have now. In other words, the answer to your final question is "none". It was only singing and dancing and it was not really that popular at all until about 150 years ago. Do yourself a holiday favor and order the DVD. It is a lesson in flamenco history that our artists are better in giving than I am – I am more than happy to have had the honor of capturing it for the screen. Best from Michael, the director and editor of Petenera – a Flamenco Drama in Music and Dance. musicfilmfactor.com, amazon.co.uk and amazon.com
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