zata -> RE: Some observations and a cante question or 2. (Oct. 19 2003 20:29:36)
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Hmmm. I did a quick survey and that's not what I see. Perhaps it depends on who you listen to. No, not at all Andy. The vast majority of solea por buleria verses are 3 lines. In fact, I’ve only come across one 4-line spb. And you’re thinking “Is she nuts?” The problem is in identifying a verse of spb ‘in the wild’. For one thing, as I warned, many singers mix solea with solea por buleria. Spb is not just another rhythm for solea, it’s an actual style of cante with specific melodies attributed to historic singers. Another pitfall is the interjections I mentioned in another message. A verse of spb has three lines, but it’s traditional, almost obligatory, to add interjections such as “mare de mi alma”, “compan~era mia” or anything else the singer feels like sticking in. It’s a bit like the old vaudevillians who in the middle of a song would interject “and I really mean it” or “one more time”. These insertions are *not* part of the verse, are not standardized, and are at the whim of the singer. Here’s a rundown of the styles of solea por buleria (buleria por solea). The names are of historic singers who are credited with the styles, probably more than you wanted to know, but it’s the only way to put this in perspective: MARIA LA MORENO: This style accounts for perhaps 80% of spb. A common and traditional verse begins “Al de la puerta real”. It has a 3-line melodic framework and corresponding verse which is often expanded with the above-mentioned interjections. ANTONIO LAPEN~A: Needless to say, if the previous style is so common, these others are far less often heard. A common verse is “Dejo la puerta entorna”. Three-line melodic framework and corresponding verse, may or may not incorporate above-mentioned interjections. EL GLORIA 1: (The numbers ‘one’ and ‘two’ are arbitrary, simply to distinguish between the two styles El Gloria popularized). This one is sometimes used to close out a set of spb. Three-line melodic framework and corresponding verse. Offhand I don’t recall hearing this style with the characteristic interjections. EL GLORIA 2: This style is very popular in Jerez, (where El Gloria was from), and the Sorderas work it up and flesh out the melody almost into a “flamenco aria”, a real work of art and incredibly dramatic. *This* is the only four-line style I know and the interjection which is always inserted (notice how it throws the rhyming pattern out of kilter) brings it up to five lines when you hear it sung. This is a very special case because the interjection (shown in parentheses) “pero yo culpita no tengo” has the rare quality of relating to the verse as opposed to being a universal line which could be inserted into any spb. It’s a masterpiece of cante: Y dios te va a mandar un castigo porque tu te lo mereces y tu me vienes culpando (pero yo culpita no tengo) de que de ti hable la gente. The following is a loose translation of the above verse, intended to pin down the intent and meaning and show how the interjection packs a whollop: You’re gonna get yours baby ‘cause you got it coming, you wanna pin the blame on me (I didn’t do nothing!) ‘cause everyone’s talking about you. A quick look at the examples you gave... “Por alli viene mi bata” is 3-lines, but it’s a classic verse of solea, attributed to Juaniqui de Lebrija. It’s not spb. “Te tengo en mi pensamiento” is a Juan Villar modification of the Maria la Moreno style...I say “Juan Villar modification” because I never heard any other singer copy it. He sings the third line with the classic melody of an interjection, and yet that line of poetry does not break the rhyming pattern. In other words, an odd exception which proves the rule and hasn’t been repeated as far as I know: Te tengo en mi pensamiento y tu no me quieres a mi (la vida sera un tomento) tengo que vivir sin ti Don’t overlook the fact that there’s a fair amount of 3-line solea verses and they may surface mixed with spb. Estela ‘Zata’
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