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I have a tendency to include references, appositions, and other errata in my text as I write. As I realize that not everyone cares for such digressions, however, I generally "hide" them in scripts. To access this "additional information," just click on the boldfaced text. To expand all errata at once (brave soul!), click here.

 

Flamenco Dance Accompaniment for Guitarists

This article series discusses how to prepare the principle song forms commonly demanded of dance accompanists. It is broken up into five sections:

• Part I: Accompaniment Basics
• Part II: Sevillanas
• Part III: Alegrias
• Part IV: Soleá
• Part V: Further Afield

 

Part III: Alegrias (continued)

9 August 2008

4 . Silencio

Silencio (sencillo) (N)
Sencillo means “single” and refers to the most common form of silenciowhich spans six compáses. Some sources argue that the silencio itself is becoming less and less common. Its presence on the Solo Compás recordings (which are widely used both in Spain and abroad), however, tells me that it is far from extinct. Silencio, of course, translates as “silence,” though rest assured—we’re not talking about total silence here, but rather the silence of the singer. In fact, the silencio is typically a place where the spotlight (so to speak) is on the toque.

The silencio sencillo is traditionally played much slower than the rest of the alegrias and in a minor key, as is transcribed here. The silencio I’ve arranged for this score is adapted from the Grupo de José Galván alegrias and, again, has a more “modern” feel:

Many silencios resolve after six compáses, upon which the guitarist moves on to the next section in his or her alegrias. This is the case, for example, with the silencio Juan Martin gives in his El Arte Flamenco de la Guitarra books.The traditional silencio can, however, be extended another four compáses by the doble. Or, as is the case with the actual silencio played on the Solo Compás disc, it can take another form altogether—the Grupo de José Galván gives their silencio ten compáses.

Silencio (doble) (O)
The doble is even less common than the silencio sencillo, but is a good way to add more texture and variety to your alegrias. The doble I’ve transcribed here is mostly arpeggio, but the doble can easily include more picado passages or chord variations. The traditional doble is four compáses long and is played in the same major key as the rest of the alegrias.

Notice that the last compás of the doble accelerates in order to bring the tempo back up to alegrias speed by the end of the silencio. Another alternative is to use the next section (a llamada, for example) to pick up the pace.

5. Castellana

Llamada (P) (cf. “E” above)

Paseo Castellano (Q)
The Castellana is, again, a section that some say is becoming extinct, but, as with the silencio, it still hangs on in some circles (and in Solo Compás recordings). As you’ll notice in the score, the guitar part for the castellana is not much different than the standard alegrias toque, such as you would play for footwork. What sets the castellana off from other sections is primarily the cante (singing) and baile (i.e. the way it is danced—paso is a step or a series of steps).

Cierre (R)
The cierre given here is of the more traditional variety.  I’ve placed this cierre here because the castellana is a more “traditional” element of alegrias, though this cierre and the cierre above (cf. rehearsal letter “M”) are interchangeable.

6. Escobilla

Escobilla (S)
Escobilla literally means “broom.” The section takes its name from the brushing/shuffling step dancers use at times during the escobilla. This section, like the subida, often begins slowly and accelerates as the footwork builds. While escobilla toque, like much of the alegrias, is open to interpretation, the arpeggiated forms of E major and B7 are the most common accompaniment. Even given this minor constraint, however, the escobilla still offers lots of room for interpretation and embellishment. Each escobilla phrase is typically two compáses long:

Following this initial phrase are four examples of different ways the escobilla can be played, all of which might be played in turn in any given section of footwork. An escobilla section may be much longer than is written here. Likewise, sections of escobilla may be punctuated by llamadas or interspersed in other sections.

Llamada (or Ida) (T)
In the example given here, the escobilla is tied off with a llamada before the song transitions into bulerías. In very old styles of alegrias, this is where the ida would go. I feel secure in saying, however, that this is one part of alegrias that is resting cozily in permanent retirement. I’ve never actually heard an ida played. I once asked Rubina Carmona, who learned flamenco dance in Spain from the gypsies in the 60’s and 70’s about the ida and she told me, in no uncertain terms, that the ida is not only dead and buried, but is in no way missed by those that remember it.

7. Buleria

Buleria de Cadíz (U)
Like many flamenco forms, the alegrias often ends by shifting to a “lighter” song form, in this case buleria de Cadíz. Buleria de Cadíz is, of course, played to the same compás as any other buleria, but the chords are in the key of E major. In fact, as it is primarily the cante that distinguishes buleria de Cadíz from other forms of buleria, by playing this accompaniment, you will be inferring this particular cante, and, in turn, buleria de Cadíz. As you transition to buleria you will want to both increase your tempo and change the aire of your playing. Even though you’re still moving (with passing chords) between E major and B7, whereas in alegrias the chord change typically happens on count ten of the compás, in buleria the chords typically change on the twelve count.

Cierre (or desplante) (V)
The final cierre transcribed here is another more “modern” innovation to alegrias (borrowed from the Solo Compás track). One could also (and equally as well) make the final close with a desplante or either cierre shown above.

Interpretation and Solo Guitar

As I stated at the beginning of this article, a good alegrias accompaniment may contain all or only a few of these elements, either in this order or in some other order that makes better sense to the dancers and musicians involved. The important part, of course, is that there is some sense to the arrangement, that it builds meaningfully in some way, and that musicians and dancers are able to use the form to “say something.”

Basically, the goal is to get away from simply playing notes or falsetas and instead play the form. This is why learning how to accompany other flamencos is important to learning to play solo flamenco guitar: flamenco is by nature an ensemble art form; an accomplished flamenco guitar player will be able to evoke flamenco cante  and baile, even when there are no singers or dancers present. This intuition—along with staying in compás, of course—is a key element in the difference between playing nice music inspired by flamenco and actually playing flamenco.

In the next part of this series on dance accompaniment, we’ll explore the soleá.  Soleá is considered by many to be the "mother of all flamenco forms." Although it is much less structured than either sevillanas or alegiras, soleá is also made up of particular forms and structures which, once understood, offer unique opportunities for creativity and individual expression.

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