The Arab Roots of Flamenco Run Deep in Spain

Many of the details of the origins of flamenco are lost in Spanish history. The mysteries of the passionate, classical music and dance of Spain, also extend to the very word “flamenco”.

Flamenco is used to describe a way of life centered around this uniquely Spanish music. Andalucista politician, writer, historian and musicologist, Blas Infante, claimed in his book “Orígenes de lo flamenco y secreto del cante jondo”, that the word flamenco comes from Hispano-Arabic word “fellahmengu”, which would mean "expelled peasant” derived from a root meaning "to flee".   Infante links the term to the ethnic Andalucians of Muslim faith, the Moriscos, who would have mixed with the Gypsy newcomers in order to avoid religious persecution.   Still some scholars believe the word’s etymology include connections with Flanders, the place believed by some to be the place of origin of the Gypsies (as flamenco also means Flemish in Spanish).  In the 14th century, people started using the term to describe the Andalusian Gypsies (ie. gitanos or flamencos).

Flamenco music dates back to the Middle Ages, a time of turmoil on the Iberian peninsula. It was a period when, the Moors, the Gitanos and the Jews were all persecuted. The Moors and Jews were expelled by the Spanish Inquisition in 1492.   Many of the songs and melodies of flamenco reflect the desperation, struggle, hope, and pride of the people during this time of persecution. The crossroads between the Muslim and Christian realms were the scene of vibrant cultural exchange and artistic cross-pollination. Flamenco was born in a place where Arabs, Jews, Christians and gitanos mixed freely.

For a better understanding of flamenco, attention should be paid to the cultural and musical background of the Iberian Peninsula since the Ancient times.  Moorish influence in the peninsula goes back thousands of years, but it was the Islamic invasion in 711, that determined the musical influences from North Africa.  The Moors and Arabs brought their musical forms to the Peninsula. The Emirate, and later Caliphate of Córdoba became a center of influence in both the Muslim and Christian worlds and it attracted musicians from all Islamic countries.  The presence of the Moors was also critical in shaping the cultural diversity of Spain. The degree of Moorish influence on culture, customs and language varies enormously between the North and the South. While music in the North of the Peninsula has a clear Celtic influence which dates to pre-Roman times, southern music is certainly reminiscent of Eastern influences.   

Another important cultural influence present were the Jewish people.   Enjoying a relative religious and ethnic tolerance in comparison to Christian countries, they formed an important ethnic group, with their own traditions, rites, and music, and probably reinforced the middle-Eastern element in the culture and music forms in the Iberian Peninsula.   Certain flamenco palos like the Peteneras are attributed a direct Jewish origin.

Understanding of flamenco's Arab ancestry was reinforced by the rise over the last six decades of Andalusian cultural nationalism. The 1930’s saw the beginning of a rebirth of al-Andalus and the place of Arabs and Muslims in Spanish history and culture. Andalucismo (the cultural nationalism of the Andalusian people) grew steadily over these years and blossomed after the death of Dictator Francisco Franco in 1975. 

Today, flamenco is a mix of collaboration between ancient and modern times, and cultures. Musicians from both sides of the Straits of Gibraltar have collaborated to discover their musical roots, remember their cultures' past triumphs and tragedies and explore their common heritage. The flamenco guitar strings weave between the tones of the kamanjeh (a  Moroccan violin), underpinned by the frenetic clatter of castanets and a beat of Arab type hand drums.  Lyrics are sung in both Spanish and Arabic, and occasionally the two languages melt into one. The resulting Hispano-Arab music is extraordinary. This musical "fusion" has resulted in modern flamenco, a truly unique sound from the Iberian Peninsula.

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