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Español V El 29 de enero 2015Para Empezar/Capítulo I
Realidades 3 REPASOS y preparaciones...Introducción a Capítulo IMETA ¡Bienvenidos!PARA EMPEZAR el curso- Realidades 3 parte II
La cultura e historia de España
Gramática en repaso
Historia de ESPANAPrehistorical Times
The oldest historical findings made in Spain date of about 30000 to 50000 b.C. Among the most important remains of this period are the Cave of Altamira (Santander), Cova Negra (Játiva) and Piñar (Granada).
The Celt-Iberian SpainThe Greeks referred to the original inhabitants of the Iberian Peninsula as Iberians. There are, however, several different populations. According to archaeological, anthropological and genetic research, the Iberians should have arrived to the peninsula at the time of the Neolithic (5000 - 3000 BC).
Some scientists believe that they came originally
from the eastern Mediterranean, others believe that they were related to the founders of the megalithic culture (UK, Ireland, France), of which there are numerous findings also in Spain.
The most advanced Iberians were undoubtedly the Tartessos, who founded the oldest Western-European high culture, and their descendants "Turdetanos" and "Turdulos".
By 1200 b.C. Celtic tribes entered the peninsula from the north, mixing up with Iberians and so generating the celt-iberian race. The origin of the bask race living in the north of the country is uncertain, but many historians suppose that it goes back to a pre-iberian population.
Phoenicians, Greeks and CarthaginiansBy 1100 b.C. Phoenicians arrived to the peninsula and founded colonies, the most important of which was Gadir (today's Cadiz), Malaca (today's Malaga) and Abdera (today's Adra, in Almeria). Also Greeks founded colonies in southern Spain and along the Mediterranean coast.
During the Punic Wars between Rome and Carthago Carthaginians invaded Spain and conquered large parts of it. Their most important colonies were the island Ibiza and Cartagena, the "new Carthago".
Romans and GothsAfter Rome had defeated Carthago definitely, Romans also invaded the colonies in Spain, and ended up conquering the entire peninsula. The province Hispania became part and parcel of Roman empire and acquired great importance, even two Roman emperors, Traian and Hadrian, were born there. Spaniards absorbed completely the Roman culture as still today is very evident in their language.
In 409, when the Roman empire started to fall, Gothic tribes invaded the peninsula and established their kingdom in 419.
Moorish Epoch and Reconquista
Gothic dominance lasted until 711, when Muslim armies crossed the Straight of Gibraltar and defeated Roderic, the last Visigoth king. Specially the southern parts of Spain, called al-Andalus, were prospering in the Moorish epoch, thanks to new sciences and agricultural technics. The Moors conquered major parts of the country until they were defeated for the first time by Visigoth king Pelayo at Covadonga in northern Spain, 722.
Though the small Christian kingdoms in the north were a nucleus of resistence, the Arabian culture was prospering in the rest of the country. The Muslim Spain by the time got politically independent of the Arabian empire, and in 10th century Abderraman III. made Al-Andalus his own caliphate. In this epoch Cordoba was the indisputable cultural center of this area of the world. Decadence started in 11th century, when the various Arabian noble families were more and more at variance among themselves, and al-Andalus broke into numerous small caliphates. The
Christian kingdoms in the north started then the reconquest of Spain. The marriage between Isabel of Castilia and Ferdinand of Aragon in 1469, uniting the two most important among them, was the turning point of the Reconquista. From now on Muslims rapidly lost territory, until they were definitely expelled when they lost their last remaining caliphate, Granada, in 1492.
1527 A.D. The great invasion of RomeNapoles became the ViciroyoLanciano in Abruzzo became a large town of Spanish castles as an outpost
The Catholic MonarchsIsabel and Ferdinand succeeded in uniting the whole country under their crown, and their effort to "re-christianize" Spain resulted in the Spanish Inquisition, when thousands of Jews and Moors who didn't want to convert to Christianism were expelled or killed.
After the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus in 1492 tons of gold and silver were brought in from the new continent, and Spain became one of the most powerful nations of this epoch called the Golden Age.
Habsburg and Borbon Kings
After Isabel died in 1504, her daughter Joan who was married with the German emperor's son Philip succeeded to the throne. Charles I., at the same time Austrian king and German emperor united in 1517 one of the largest empires in history. Anyhow after his retirement in 1556 it was split between the Spanish and the Austrian line of Habsburg family.
Spain was prospering economically under the Habsburg crown thanks to the trade with its American colonies, but on the hand involved in wars with France, the Netherlands and England, culminating in the disastrous defeat of the "Invincible Armada" in 1588.
When the last Habsburg King Charles II. died
without descendant, the nephew of French King Louis XIV., Philip of Borbon, successed to the throne. As a consequence of the French Revolution, Spain declared war on the new republic but was defeated. Napoleon took the power in France and sent his troops against Spain in 1808. He established his brother Joseph as Spanish king, but Spaniards fought a 5-year Independence War against the French. After Napoleon's definite defeat at Waterloo in 1815, Ferdinand VII. was restored to the Spanish throne and reigned with rigid absolutism. When he changed the law of succession to the throne and his daughter Isabel was established as queen, his brother Charles rebelled against it and the War of Seven Years broke out. Economical recession and political instability were the consequences, Spain lost its colonies with the exceptions of Puerto Rico, Cuba and Philippines. The revolution of 1868 forced Isabel II. to renounce to the throne, and the First Republic was proclaimed. Anyhow, it lasted for just about one year. After a coup d'état Isabel's son, Alphonse XII., restored the kingdom. The rebellion of Cuba in 1895 resulted in a war against United States, with disastrous results for Spain. It lost its last overseas possessions.
20th Century
The economical crisis of the early 1920s led the country to the brink of civil war, and General Primo de Ribera established a military dictature until 1930. Elections in 1931 saw a triumph for the political left, and Alphonse XIII. left the country. Increasing conflicts between the Republican government and the Nationalist opposition led to the Spanish Civil War (1936-39). The Nationalists, led by General Franco, received extensive support from Nazi-Germany and fascist Italy and succeeded against the Republican block which was officially supported only by Russia, although many intellectuals (as Ernest Hemingway) and politically committed from other countries fought in the International Brigades. The nationalists succeeded.
Although Franco kept Spain neutral during World War II, his military dictature led to political and economical isolation. During the 1950s and 60s every effort was taken to improve international
relations, and the country's economy recovered. In 1969 Franco proclaimed Juan Carlos de Borbon, the grandson of Alphonse XIII., his successor with the title of king.
Franco died in 1975, and a constitutional monarchy was established. President Adolfo Suarez introduced important political reforms. When he surprisingly dismissed in 1981, a group of militars tried to take the power with a coup, but failed. In 1982 the socialist party won the elections and Felipe Gonzalez became president of the government. Spain became member of the NATO in 1985 and entered the European Community in 1986. In 1992 it appeared impressively at the world stage: Barcelona hosted the Olympic Games, Seville the world exposition EXPO'92, and Madrid was declared European Cultural Capital.
Historia del Flamenco
Orígenes del Flamenco Sobre sus orígenes o influencias, solo podemos aventurarnos, pues carecemos de antiguas referencias
escritas donde se mencione el flamenco como tal. El único dato conocido, por transmisión oral, es que se trata de un arte muy antiguo y que encuentra su cuna en Andalucía, en la rivera del Guadalquivir.
En el flamenco encontramos numerosas influencias de culturas muy diversas. Esto no es una sorpresa cuando sabemos que por esta tierra pasaron las más diversas civilizaciones y culturas. Fenicios, griegos, cartaginenses, romanos, judíos, musulmanes, godos y gitanos se han ido durante siglos asentado en esta tierra, y con seguridad estas influencias han sido absorbidas en la música y en el baile de esta tierra.
En escritos griegos encontramos el estilo melismático como característica típica del canto del sur de España, este estilo también lo tiene hoy el Flamenco. De la época romana, encontramos las reseñas de Marcial y Juvenal sobre las Puellae Gaditanae, jóvenes procedentes de Gades, la colonia que fundaron los fenicios en el territorio de la que hoy es Cádiz, ciudad que también tenía una cultura griega bastante asimilada. Estas bailarinas, que formaban compañía con músicos acompañantes, llegaron a ser muy apreciadas en los círculos de la aristocracia y
alta burguesía romana, que las contrataban para sus fiestas privadas o para espectáculos públicos. El espectáculo que estas chicas ofrecían, según relatos de la época, se convirtió en el punto álgido de estas fiestas. Curioso es que en los relieves aparecen las Puellae Gaditanae con castañuelas, y con posiciones de pies y de brazos idénticas a las del flamenco actual. Quizás sea sólo una coincidencia o que este modo de bailar fuese común entonces a toda la cuenca del Mediterráneo. En cualquier caso, hoy lo conocemos sólo en el Flamenco.
Otras teorías apuntan que la Seguiriya, la Saeta y el Fandango encuentran su cuna en la liturgia semita. Estos son datos que hoy no podemos comprobar, sin embargo los parecidos son evidentes, como también lo oímos en otros palos, donde los acordes nos recuerdan a los alegres ritmos judíos.
Otra influencia, que por evidente no ha creado mucha polémica, es la que se remonta a la edad media, en la época de la España musulmana: La música Andalusí, resultante de la fusión de la musulmana procedente del
norte de África, con la cristiana y judía, ya existentes en la península. Aquí la influencia mora vino de nuevo a enriquecer el estilo. La Granaina con su indiscutible origen moruno, o la Zambra, que es un vocablo que originalmente designaba las antiguas reuniones de músicos andalusíes, son claros exponentes de esta influencia.
La influencia gitana la encontramos tanto en el baile como en la música. Algunos caracteres del baile son muy similares a los de las regiones asiáticas de las que proceden los gitanos. También los ritmos flamencos diferentes a los europeos tienen caracteres que hoy sólo encontramos en la música India.
Y de este modo podríamos seguir aventurándonos a apuntar las variadas influencias u origines. Pero en cualquier caso, lo que es evidente, es que el flamenco durante su larga historia ha sido permeable a las más variadas influencias, y que es tan puro como mestizo.
Evolución del Flamenco a partir de 1765Haciendo un recorrido somero en lo que fuera la evolución del flamenco tal como lo conocemos hoy día, ya documentado y tratado profesionalmente, podemos
comenzar por una época mucho más reciente: Entre 1765 y 1860. En esta época encontramos tres focos de importancia que crearían escuela: Cádiz, Jerez de la Frontera, y el barrio de Triana, en Sevilla. Es a partir de esta época cuando el baile flamenco, empieza a tener un sitio entre los bailes españoles que se desarrollan en las escuelas, representándose frecuentemente en patios, ventas y salones privados cuando se celebraban fiestas.
En lo que se refiere a la guitarra, al principio no solía acompañar al cante, que normalmente se realizaba a palo seco, sin más acompañamiento que el toque de palmas. Algunos compositores, como Julián Arcas, comienzan a componer temas con sonidos flamencos que iniciarían una nueva era.
Entre 1860 y 1910 se ingresa en una época más prolífica que se ha llegado a llamar La Edad de Oro del Flamenco. En esta época florecen los cafés cantantes, desarrollando el flamenco todas sus facetas; la instrumental, la de cante y la de baile, hasta fijar definitivamente lo que pudiéramos considerar clasicismo de lo "jondo". El baile adquiere un esplendor sin precedentes, siendo éste el mayor atractivo para el público de estos cafés cantantes y
se da un gran impulso a la guitarra, como complemento fundamental e indispensable para el cante y para el baile.
Entre 1910 y 1955, el cante esta marcado por lo que ha llegado a llamarse la etapa de la Opera Flamenca donde mandan los cantes más ligeros como los fandangos y cantes de ida y vuelta (de influencia sudamericana, que trajeron los cantaores que habían sido emigrantes en Latinoamérica). Este camino nuevo que había tomado el flamenco no gusta a todo el mundo y en 1922 un grupo de intelectuales, como Falla y otros artistas de la Generación del 27 crean en Granada un Concurso, con la finalidad de buscar nuevos valores que cultiven el cante jondo auténtico. A partir de 1915, se produce un ciclo de baile teatral de excepcional calidad, llevando el baile español y flamenco por todos los escenarios del mundo.
A partir de 1955 nos encontramos con un Renacimiento del Flamenco, siendo Antonio Mairena su figura principal, con ese rigor interpretativo y su afán investigador y de divulgación de la ortodoxia del cante.
El baile en esta época se desarrolla en los tablaos, que son los herederos de los cafés cantantes anteriores, contando
con verdaderas personalidades del baile, que alternan sus actuaciones no sólo en los tablaos, sino en teatros, festivales y otros escenarios.
Los guitarristas, acompañando al cante y al baile adquieren un mayor protagonismo, alcanzando este arte su madurez. El guitarrista es actualmente no sólo acompañamiento, sino solista. Paco de Lucía marca el inicio de una nueva etapa de esplendor sin precedentes, dando a la guitarra una dimensión universal. Junto a él habría que citar a otros que verdaderos virtuosos de este instrumento, como Manuel Cano, Victor Monge Serranito y Manolo Sanlucar.
El Flamenco hoyEl flamenco sigue evolucionando para convertirse en universal.
De un lado notamos nuevas tendencias de mestizaje con otros estilos musicales de la mano de algunos artistas. A este punto hay bastante polémica; entre los defensores de la conservación de la ortodoxia flamenca, (como ya en su día lo hiciera Falla, y que
sirvió para conservar tan valioso patrimonio), y otros más interesados en su evolución y su permeabilidad.
De otro lado, importantes artistas han llevado el flamenco por los cinco continentes, llegando a una nueva era donde los medios de comunicación son testigos de su gracia, su fuerza y su duende. Por ello no podemos ya más afirmar que el Flamenco es una manifestación artística exclusivamente de Andalucía (como no podemos ya decir que el Jazz es una música exclusivamente de New Orleans), pudiendo hoy asistir en Andalucía a espectáculos del más auténtico purismo y clasicismo flamenco interpretados por una bailaora japonesa o un guitarrista italiano, ante el respeto de un gran público de entendidos, al mismo tiempo que los más grandes artistas andaluces llevan el flamenco a importantes escenarios en todo el mundo.
Naturalmente sigue siendo Andalucía la capital del flamenco, donde más concentrado se encuentra y donde con más frecuencia se puede disfrutar este arte en su más pura manifestación. Y al ser una música íntima por antonomasia, donde mejor se sentirá, será en ese círculo pequeño de amigos, donde sólo se encuentran una guitarra, una voz, y ese cuerpo bailando en una madrugada, y esto es lo que llamamos "una juerga flamenca".
Flamenco - Its Origin and evolution
Many of the details of the development of flamenco are lost in Spanish history.
There are several reasons for this lack of historical evidence:
1. Flamenco sprang from the lower levels of Andalucian society, and thus lacked the prestige of other art forms among the middle and higher classes. Flamenco music also slipped in and out of fashion several times during its existence.
2. The turbulent times of the people involved in flamenco culture. The Moors, the Gitanos and the Jews were all persecuted, and the Moors (moriscos) and Jews were expelled by the Spanish Inquisition in 1492. Many of the songs in flamenco still reflect the spirit of desperation, struggle, hope, and pride of the people during this time of persecution.
3. The Gitanos have been fundamental in maintaining this art form, but they have an oral culture. Their songs were passed on to new generations by repeated performances within their social community. The non-gypsy Andalucian poorer classes, in general, were also illiterate.
4. There was a lack of interest from historians and musicologists. "Flamencologists" have usually been flamenco connoisseurs of diverse professions (a high number of them, like Félix Grande, Caballero Bonald or Ricardo Molina, have been poets), with no specific academic training in the fields of history or musicology. They have tended to rely on a limited number of sources (mainly the writings of 19th century folklorist Demófilo, notes by foreign travellers like George Borrow, a few accounts by writers and the oral tradition), and they have often ignored other data. Nationalistic or ethnic bias has also been frequent in flamencology.
This started to change in the late 1970's and 1980s, when a growing number of musicologists and historians began to carry out more rigorous research.
There are questions not only about the origins of the
music and dances of flamenco, but also about the origins of the very word flamenco. Whatever the origins of the word, in the early 19th century it began to be used to describe a way of life centered around this music and usually involving Gypsies. In his 1842 book Zincali, George Borrow writes that the word flamenco is synonymous with "Gypsy".
Blas Infante, in his book Orígenes de lo flamenco y secreto del cante jondo, controversially argued that the word flamenco comes from Hispano-Arabic word fellahmengu, which would mean "expelled peasant". Yet there is a problem with this theory, in that the word is first attested three centuries after the end of the Moorish reign. 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. Other hypotheses concerning the term's etymology include connections with Flanders (flamenco also means Flemish in Spanish), believed by Spanish people to be the place of origin of the Gypsies.
Background
For a complete picture of the possible influences that gave rise to flamenco, attention must be paid to the cultural and musical background of the Iberian Peninsula since Ancient times. Long before the Moorish invasion in 711, Visigothic Spain had adopted its own liturgical musical forms, the Visigothic or Mozarabic rite, strongly influenced by Byzantium. The Mozarabic rite survived the Gregorian
reform and the Moorish invasion, and remained alive at least until the 10th or 11th century. Some theories, started by Spanish classical musician Manuel de Falla, link the melismatic forms and the presence of Greek Dorian mode (in modern times called “Phrygian mode”) in flamenco to the long existence of this separate Catholic rite. Unfortunately, owing to the type of musical notation in which these Mozarabic chants were written, it is not possible to determine what this music really sounded like, so the theory remains unproven.
Moor is not the same as Moslem. Moor comes from the Latin Mauroi, meaning an inhabitant of North Africa. The Carthaginians, for instance, came from North Africa. Moorish influence in the peninsula goes back thousands of years, but it was the Islamic invasion, by largely Berber armies in 711, that determined the main musical influences from North Africa. They called the Iberian Peninsula Al-Andalus, from which the name of Andalusia derives. The Moorish and Arab conquerors brought their musical forms to the Peninsula, and at the same time, probably gathered some native influence in their music. 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. One of those musicians was Zyriab, who imported forms of Persian music, revolutionized the shape and playing techniques of the Lute (which centuries later evolved into the vihuela and the guitar), adding a fifth string to it, and set the foundations for the Andalusian nuba, the style of music in suite form still performed in North African
countries.
The presence of the Moors was also decisive in shaping the cultural diversity of Spain. Owing to the extraordinary length of the Reconquesta started in the North as early as 722 and completed in 1492 with the conquest of Granada, the degree of Moorish influence on culture, customs and even language varies enormously between the North and the South. Music cannot have been alien to that process. 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. To what extent this Eastern flavor is owed to the Moors, the Jews, the Mozarabic rite (with its Byzantine influence), or the Gypsies has not been clearly determined.
During the Reconquest, another important cultural influence was present in Al-Andalus: The Jews. 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 of Al-Andalus. Certain flamenco palos like the Peteneras have been attributed a direct Jewish origin.
Andalusia after the Reconquest: social environment and implications on music.
The 15th century marked a small revolution in the culture and society of Southern Spain. We must highlight the
following landmarks, all with future implications on the development of flamenco: first, the arrival of nomad Gypsies in the Iberian Peninsula in 1425. Later on, the conquest of Granada, the discovery of America and the expulsion of the Jews, all of them in 1492.
In the 13th century, the Christian Crown of Castile had already conquered most of Andalusia. Although Castilian kings favored a policy of repopulation of the newly conquered lands with Christians, part of the Muslim population remained in the areas as a religious and ethnic minority, called mudéjares.
Granada, the last Muslim stronghold in the Iberian Peninsula, fell in 1492 when the armies of the Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and queen Isabella of Castile invaded this city after about 800 years of Moslem rule. The Treaty of Granada guaranteed religious tolerance, and this paved the way for the Moors to surrender peacefully. Months after, the Spanish Inquisition used its influence to convince Ferdinand and Isabella, who were political allies of the Church of Rome, to break the treaty and force the Jews to either convert to Christianity or leave Spain. The Alhambra decree of March 31, 1492 ordered the expulsion of all non-converted Jews from Spain and its territories and possessions by July 31, 1492, on charges that they were trying to convert the Christian population to Judaism. Some chose to adopt the Catholic religion (Conversos), but they often kept their Judaic beliefs privately. For this reason, they were closely watched by the Spanish Inquisition, and accusations of
being false converts often lead them to suffer torture and death.
In 1499, about 50,000 Moriscos were coerced into taking part in mass baptism. During the uprising that followed, people who refused the choices of baptism or deportation to Africa were systematically eliminated. What followed was a mass exodus of Moslems, Sephardi Jews and Gitanos from Granada and the villages, into the surrounding Sierra Nevada mountain region (and its hills) and the rural country. Many Moslems, now known as Moriscos, officially converted to Christianity, but kept practicing their religion in private and also preserved their language, dress and customs. The Moriscos rose up on several occasions during the 16th century, and were finally expelled from Spain, their rightful homeland, at the beginning of the 17th century.
The conquest of Andalusia implied a strong penetration of Castilian culture in Andalusia, which surely influenced the music and folklore. The expulsion of the Sephardi Jews and Moriscos could have led to a weakening of middle-Eastern influence on Andalusian culture. However, during the 15th century groups of Roma people (gypsies), known as Gitanos in Spain, entered the Iberian Peninsula. At the beginning, they were well tolerated. The Spanish nobles enjoyed their dances and music, and they were regularly employed to entertain guests at private parties. The Gypsies, therefore, were in touch (at least geographically) with the Morisco population until the expulsion of the latter in the 16th century. According to some theories,
suggested by authors like George Borrow and Blas Infante and supported by other flamenco historians like Mairena and Molina, many Moriscos even joined the Gypsy nomad tribes and eventually became indistinguishable from them. This has not been proved scientifically. It is generally accepted, however, that the Zambra of the Gypsies of Granada, still performed nowadays, is derived from the original Moorish Zambra.
The clash between Gypsies and the Spanish would be manifest by the end of the century. For centuries, the Spanish monarchy tried to force the Gypsies to abandon their language, customs and music. During the Reconquista, tolerance towards Gypsies ended and they were put into ghettos. This isolation helped them retain the purity of their music and dance. In 1782, the Leniency Edict of Charles III restored some freedoms to the Spanish gypsies. Their music and dance was reintroduced and adopted by the general population of Spain. This resulted in a period of great exploration and evolution within the art form. Nomadic Gypsies became social outcasts and were in many cases the victims of persecution. This is reflected in many lyrics of palos (cqatagories of songs) like seguiriyas, in which references to hunger, prison and discrimination abound.
The influence of the New World
Recent research has revealed a major influence of Sub-Saharan African music on flamenco's prehistory. This
developed from the music and dance of African slaves held by the Spanish in the New World. There are 16th and 17th century manuscripts of classical compositions that are possibly based on African folk forms, such as negrillas, zarambeques, and chaconas. We also find mention of the fandango indiano (Indiano meaning from the Americas, but not necessarily Native American). Some critics support the view that the names of flamenco palos, like the tangos or even the fandango, are derived from Bantoid languages, and most theories state that the rhythm of the tangos was imported from Cuba.
It is likely that in that stay in the New World, the fandango picked up dance steps deemed too inappropriate for European tastes. Thus, the dance for fandango, for chacon, and for zarabanda, were all banned in Europe at one time or another. References to Gypsy dancers can be found in the lyrics of some of these forms, e.g., the chacon. Indeed, Gypsy dancers are often mentioned in Spanish literary and musical works from the 1500s on. However, the zarabandas and jácaras are the oldest written musical forms in Spain to use the 12-beat meter as a combination of terciary and binary rhythms. The basic rhythm of the zarabanda and the jácara is 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12. The soleá and the Seguiriya, are variations on this: they just start the metre on a different beat.
The 18th century
During this period we see the development of the juerga (flamenco fiesta). More than just a party where flamenco is performed, the juerga, either unpaid or paid, sometimes lasting for days, has an internal etiquette with a complex set of musical and social rules. In fact, some might argue that the cultural phenomenon of the flamenco juerga is the basic cultural “unit” of flamenco.
A turning point in flamenco appears to have come about with a change of instruments. In the late 18th Century the favored guitar became the 6 string single-coursed guitar which replaced the double-coursed 5 string guitar in popularity. It is the 6 string guitar to which flamenco music is inextricably tied. Flamenco became married to the 6 string guitar.
The rise of flamenco
During the late-eighteenth to mid-nineteenth centuries, flamenco took on a number of unique characteristics which separated it from local folk music and prepared the way to a higher professionalization and technical excellence of flamenco performers, to the diversification of flamenco styles (by gradually incorporating songs derived from folklore or even other sources), and to the popularization of the genre outside Andalusia.
The first time flamenco is mentioned in literature is in 1774 in the book Cartas Marruecas by José Cadalso. During this period, according to some authors, there is little news
about flamenco except for a few scattered references from travelers. This led traditional flamencologists, like Molina and Mairena, to call the period of 1780 to 1850 as "The Hermetic Period" or the "private stage of flamenco". According to these flamencologists, flamenco, at this time was something like a private ritual, secretly kept in the Gypsy homes of some towns in the Seville and Cádiz area. This theory started to fall out of favor in the 1990s. José Blas Vega has denied the absence of evidences for this period:
There is disagreement as to whether primitive flamenco was accompanied by any instrument or not. For traditional flamencology, flamenco consisted of unaccompanied singing (cante). Later, the songs were accompanied by flamenco guitar (toque), rhythmic hand clapping (palmas), rhythmic feet stomping (zapateado) and dance (baile). Later theories claim that this is false. While some cante forms are sung unaccompanied (a palo seco), it is likely that other forms were accompanied if and when instruments were available. 19th century writer Estébanez Calderón already described a flamenco fiesta in which the singing was accompanied not only by guitars, but also bandurria and tambourine.
The Golden Age
During the so-called Golden Age of Flamenco, between 1869-1910, flamenco music developed rapidly in music cafés called cafés cantantes, a new type of venue with
ticketed public performances. This was the beginning of the "café cantante" period. Flamenco was developed here to its definitive form. Flamenco dancers also became the major public attraction in those cafés. Along with the development of flamenco dance, guitar players supporting the dancers increasingly gained a reputation, and so flamenco guitar as an art form by itself was born. A most important artist in this development was Silverio Franconetti, a non-Gypsy seaman of Italian descent. He is reported to be the first "encyclopedic" singer, that is, the first who was able to sing well in all the palos, instead of specializing on a few of them, as was usual at the time. He opened his own café cantante, where he sang himself or invited other artists to perform, and many other venues of this kind were created in all Andalusia and Spain.
Traditional views on flamenco, have often accused this period as the start of the commercial debasement of flamenco. The traditional flamenco fiesta is crowded if more than 20 people are present. Moreover, there is no telling when a fiesta will begin or end, or assurance that the better artists invited will perform well. And, if they do perform, it may not be until the morning after a fiesta that began the night before. By contrast, the café cantante offered set performances at set hours and top artists were contracted to perform. For some, this professionalization led to commercialism, while for others it stimulated healthy competition and therefore, more creativity and technical proficiency. In fact, most traditional flamenco forms were created or developed during this time or, at least, have been attributed to singers of this period like El Loco
Mateo, El Nitri, Rojo el Alpargatero, Enrique el Mellizo, Paquirri El Guanté, or La Serneta, among many others. Some of them were professionals, while others sang only at private gatherings but their songs were learned and divulged by professional singers.
In the 19th century, both flamenco and its association with Gypsies started to become popular throughout Europe, even into Russia. Composers wrote music and operas on what they thought were Gypsy-flamenco themes. Any traveler through Spain “had” to see the Gypsies perform flamenco. Spain - often to the chagrin of non-Andalucian Spaniards - became associated with flamenco and Gypsies. This interest was in keeping with the European fascination with folklore during those decades.
In 1922, one of Spain's greatest writers, Federico García Lorca, and renowned composer Manuel de Falla, organised the Concurso de Cante Jondo, a folk music festival dedicated to cante jondo ("deep song"). They did this to stimulate interest in some styles of flamenco, which were falling into oblivion as they were regarded uncommercial and, therefore, not appropriate for the cafés cantante. Two of Lorca's most important poetic works, Poema del Cante Jondo and Romancero Gitano, show Lorca's fascination with flamenco and appreciation of Spanish folk culture. However, the initiative was not very influential, and the derivations of fandango and other styles kept gaining popularity while the more difficult styles like siguiriyas and, especially, tonás were usually only performed in private parties.
The "Theatrical" period: 1892-1956
The stage after the Concurso de Cante Jondo in 1922 is known as Etapa teatral (Theatrical period) or Ópera flamenca (Flamenco Opera) period. The name Ópera flamenca was due to the custom, started by impresario Vedrines to call these shows opera, as opera performances enjoyed lower taxes. The cafés cantante entered a period of decadence and were gradually replaced by larger venues like theatres or bullrings. This led to an immense popularity of flamenco but, according to traditionalist critics, also caused it to fall victim to commercialism and economic interests. New types of flamenco shows were born, where flamenco was mixed with other music genres and theatrical interludes portraying picturesque scenes by Gitanos and Andalusians.
The dominant palos of this era were the fandangos personales, the cantes de ida y vuelta (songs of Latin American origin) and the song in bulería style. Fandangos personales were based on the Huelva traditional styles with a free rhythm (as a cante libre) and with many variations. The song in bulería style (Canción por bulerías) adapted any popular or commercial song to the bulería rhythm. This period also saw the birth of a new genre, sometimes called copla andaluza (Andalusian couplet) or canción española (Spanish song), a type of ballad with influences from zarzuela, Andalusian folk songs, and
flamenco, usually accompanied by orchestra, which enjoyed great popularity and was performed both by flamenco and non-flamenco artists. Owing to its links with flamenco shows, many people incorrectly consider this genre as "flamenco".
The leading artist at the time was Pepe Marchena, who sang in a sweet falsetto voice, using spectacular vocal runs reminding of bel canto coloratura. A whole generation of singers was influenced by him and some of them, like Pepe Pinto, or Juan Valderrama also reached immense celebrity status. Many classical flamenco singers who had grown up with the café cantante fell into oblivion. Others, like Tomás Pavón or Aurelio Sellés, found refuge in private parties. The rest adapted (though often did not completely surrender) to the new tastes: they took part in those mass flamenco shows, but kept singing the old styles, although introducing some of the new ones in their repertoire, as is the case of La Niña de los Peines, Manolo Caracol, Manuel Vallejo, El Carbonerillo and many others.
This period has been considered by the most traditionalist critics as a time of complete commercial debasement. According to them, the opera flamenca became a "dictatorship" (Álvarez Caballero 1998), where bad personal fandangos and copla andaluza practically caused traditional flamenco to disappear. Other critics consider this view to be unbalanced. Popular figures of traditional cante like La Niña de los Peines or Manolo Caracol enjoyed great success, and palos like siguiriyas or soleá were never completely abandoned, not even by the most
representative singers of the ópera flamenca style like Marchena or Valderrama.
Typical singers of the period like Marchena, Valderrama, Pepe Pinto or El Pena, have also been reappraised. Starting with singers like Luis de Córdoba, Enrique Morente or Mayte Martín, who recorded songs they created or made popular, a high number of singers started to rescue their repertoire. A CD in homage to Valderrama was recorded, and new generations of singers claim their influence. Critics like Antonio Ortega or Ortiz Nuevo have also vindicated the artists of the ópera flamenca period.
Musical characteristics
Harmony
Whereas, in most Western music, only the major and minor modes are explicitly named by composers, (except as an occasional oddity in jazz and classical music) flamenco has also preserved the Phrygian mode, commonly called the "Dorian mode" by flamencologists, referring to the Greek Dorian mode, and sometimes also "flamenco mode". The reason for preferring the term "Greek Dorian" is that, as in ancient Greek music, flamenco melodies are descending (instead of ascending as in usual Western melodic patterns). Some flamencologists, like Hipólito Rossy or guitarist Manolo Sanlúcar, also consider this flamenco mode as a survival of the old Greek Dorian mode. I will use the term
"Phrygian" to refer to this mode, as it is the most common way of referring to this mode in English speaking countries.
The Phrygian mode is in fact the most common mode in the traditional palos of flamenco music, and it is used for soleá, most bulerías, siguiriyas, tangos and tientos, and other palos. The flamenco version of this mode contains two frequent alterations in the 7th and, even more often, the 3rd degree of the scale: if the scale is played in E Phrygian for example, G and D can be sharp.
In the descending E Phrygian scale in flamenco music, G sharp is compulsory for the tonic chord. Based on the Phrygian scale, a typical cadence is formed, usually called “Andalusian cadence”. The chords for this cadence in E Phrygian are Am–G–F–E. According to guitarist Manolo Sanlúcar, in this flamenco Phrygian mode, E is the tonic, F would take the harmonic function of dominant, while Am and G assume the functions of subdominant and mediant respectively.
When playing in Phrygian mode, guitarists traditionally use only two basic positions for the tonic chord: E and A. However, they often transport these basic tones by using a cejilla (capo). Modern guitarists, starting with Ramón Montoya, have also introduced other positions. Montoya himself started to use other chords for the tonic in the doric sections of several palos: F sharp for tarantas, B for granaína, A flat for the minera, and he also created a new palo as a solo piece for the guitar, the rondeña, in C
sharp. Later guitarists have further extended the repertoire of tonalities and chord positions.
There are also palos in major mode, for example, most cantiñas and alegrías, guajiras, and some bulerías and tonás, and the cabales (a major mode type of siguiriyas). The minor mode is less frequent and it is restricted to the Farruca, the milongas (among cantes de ida y vuelta), and some styles of tangos, bulerías, etc. In general, traditional palos in major and minor mode are limited harmonically to the typical two-chord (tonic–dominant) or three-chord structure (tonic–subdominant–dominant). However, modern guitarists have increased the traditional harmony by introducing chord substitution, transitional chords, and even modulation.
Fandangos and the palos derived from it (e.g. malagueñas, tarantas, cartageneras) are bimodal. Guitar introductions are in Phrygian mode, while the singing develops in major mode, modulating to Phrygian mode at the end of the stanza.
Traditionally, flamenco guitarists did not receive any formal training, so they just relied on their ear to find the chords on the guitar, disregarding the rules of Western classical music. This led them to interesting harmonic findings, with unusual unresolved dissonances. Examples of this are the use of minor 9th chords for the tonic, the tonic chord of tarantas, or the use of the 1st unpressed string as a kind of pedal tone.
Melody
Dionisio Preciado, (quoted by Sabas de Hoces), established the following characteristics for the melodies of flamenco singing:
Microtonality: presence of intervals smaller than the semitone. Portamento: frequently, the change from one note to another is done in a smooth transition, rather than using discrete intervals. Short tessitura or range: The most traditional flamenco songs are usually limited to a range of a sixth (four tones and a half). The impression of vocal effort is the result of using different timbres, and variety is accomplished by the use of microtones. Use of enharmonic scale. While in equal temperament scales, enharmonics are notes with identical name but different spellings (e.g. A flat and G sharp), in flamenco, as in unequal temperament scales, there is a microtonal intervalic difference between enharmonic notes. Insistence on a note and its contiguous chromatic notes (also frequent in the guitar), producing a sense of urgency.
Baroque ornamentation, with an expressive, rather than merely aesthetic function. Greek Dorian mode (modern Phrygian mode) in the most traditional songs. Apparent lack of regular rhythm, especially in the siguiriyas: the melodic rhythm of the sung line is different
from the metric rhythm of the accompaniment. Most styles express sad and bitter feelings. Melodic improvisation. Although flamenco singing is not, properly speaking, improvised, but based on a relatively small number of traditional songs, singers add variations on the spur of the moment.
Musicologist Hipólito Rossy adds the following characteristics:
Flamenco melodies are also characterized by a descending tendency, as opposed to, for example, a typical opera aria, they usually go from the higher pitches to the lower ones, and from forte to piano, as it was usual in ancient Greek scales. In many styles, such as soléa or siguiriya, the melody tends to proceed in contiguous degrees of the scale. Skips of a third or a fourth are rarer. However, in fandangos and fandango-derived styles, fourths and sixths can often be found, especially at the beginning of each line of verse. According to Rossy, this would be a proof of the more recent creation of this type of songs, which would be influenced by the Castilian jota.
Compás
Compás is the Spanish word for meter or rhythm or time signature in classical music theory. In flamenco, besides having these meanings, it also refers to the rhythmic cycle, or layout, of a palo or flamenco style. When performing
flamenco it is important to feel the rhythm — the compás — rather than mechanically count the beats. In this way, flamenco is similar to jazz or blues where performers seem to simply 'feel' the rhythm.
Flamenco uses three basic counts or measures: Binary, Ternary and the (unique to flamenco) twelve-beat cycle, which is difficult to confine within the classical measure. There are also free-form styles, not subject to any particular meter, including, among others, the palos in the group of the tonás, the saetas, malagueñas, tarantas, and some types of fandangos.
Rhythms in 2/4 or 4/4. These meters are used in forms like tangos, tientos, gypsy rumba, zambra and tanguillos.
Rhythms in 3/4. These are typical of fandangos and sevillanas both of these forms originate in Spanish folk music, thereby illustrating their provenance as non-Gypsy styles, since the 3/4 and 4/4 measures are the most common throughout the Western world but not within the ethnic Gypsy, nor Hindi musical tradition.
12-beat rhythms usually rendered in amalgams of 6/8 + 3/4 and sometimes measures of 12/8 in attempts to confine it within the classical constraints. The 12 beat cycle is fundamental in the soleá and buerías palos, for example. However, the various accentuation differentiates these two. These accentuations don't correspond to the classic concept of the downbeat, whereby the first beat in the measure is emphasized. In flamenco, the different
ways of performing percussion (including the complex technique of palmas) make it hard to render in traditional musical notation. The alternating of groups of 2 and 3 beats is also common in the Spanish folk or traditional dances of the 16th Century such as the zarabanda, jácara and canarios. They are also common in Latin American countries.
12-beat amalgams are in fact the most common in flamenco. There are three types of these, which vary in their layouts, or use of accentuations:
The seguiriya.The soleá. The bulería
Seguiriya, liviana, serrana, toná liviana, cabales: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 The seguiriya is measured in the same way as the soleá but starting on the 8th beat .
Soleá, whithin the cantiñas group of palos which includes the alegrías, cantiñas, mirabras, romera, caracoles and soleá por bulería (also “ bulería por soleá”): 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12. For practical reasons, when transferring flamenco guitar music to sheet music, this rhythm is written as a regular 3/4.
Bulerías is the emblematic palo of flamenco, today its 12 beat cycle is most often played 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11. The accompanying palmas are played in groups of 6 beats, giving rise to a multitude of counter rhythms and percussive voices within the 12 beat compás.
Among the flamenco rhythms, the Bulerias remains supreme as the favorite fiesta rhythm. It is highly complex rhythmically with many variations and a rich tapestry of guitar, dance, and song effects.
There are two main approaches to Bulerias - one in its interpretation as a rhythm in its own right, and the other is its use as a finale to many of the other songs and dances.
The Bulerias is performed in most keys easily available to the guitar; A and E Phrygian Modes, A and E Minor, and A and E major (although usually not in C major - it doesn't seem to have the required "punch"). Sometimes, for fun, guitarists will solo in F# or B Phrygian as well.
The structure of the bulerias cante was derived from that of Soleares, complete with cambio. The traditional verse form is called copla; however, many popular versions of Bulerias verses exist (called cuples).
The dancer uses a two compas (12 count) sequence called the desplante which is used to differentiate sections of her performance and to mark transitions between steps. The first compas has a traditional form, and is used as a signal to the guitarist; the second compas is where the creative stuff happens (pelizcos), and is where the dancer can express his/her choreographic originality. The 12th count of the second compas is strongly emphasized, since it is usually the transition to a 6/8 six count compas cycle in the next section of the dance.
Between coplas of the cante and steps of the dance, the guitarist has quite a bit of freedom - he can play any number of 6/8 or 3/4 six count or 12 count measures of guitar rasgueados and falsetas. (Singers and dancers also have this freedom, of course; that is why Bulerias can always be accompanied with the preferred dobles palmas - since it gives everyone a six count reference.
Compás is fundamental to flamenco, it is the basic definition of the music, and without compás, there is no flamenco. Compás is therefore more than simply the division of beats and accentuations, it is the backbone of this musical form. In private gatherings, if there is no guitarist available, the compás is rendered through hand clapping (palmas) or by hitting a table with the knuckles. This is also sometimes done in recordings especially for bulerías. The guitar also has an important function, using techniques like strumming (rasgueado) or tapping the soundboard. Changes of chords also emphasize the most important downbeats. When a dancers are present, they use their feet as a percussion instrument.
Forms of flamenco expression
Flamenco is expressed through the toque -- (flamenco guitar), the cante (singing), and the baile (dancing)
ToqueFlamenco guitar.
The flamenco guitar (and the very similar classical guitar)
is a descendent from the lute. The first guitars are thought to have originated in Spain in the 15th century. The traditional flamenco guitar is made of Spanish cypress and spruce, and is lighter in weight and a bit smaller than a classical guitar, to give the output a 'sharper' sound. The flamenco guitar, in contrast to the classical, is also equipped with a tap-plate, called a golpeador. This is often plastic, similar to a pick guard, and protects the body of the guitar from the rhythmic finger taps, called golpes. The flamenco guitar is also used in several different ways from the classical guitar, including different strumming patterns and styles, as well as the use of a cejilla (capo) in many circumstances.
CanteFlamenco Singing.
Foreigners often think that the essence of flamenco is the dance. However, the heart of flamenco is the song (cante). Although to the uninitiated, flamenco seems totally extemporaneous, these cantes (songs) and bailes (dances) follow strict musical and poetic rules. The verses (coplas) of these songs often are beautiful and concise poems, and the style of the flamenco copla was often imitated by Andalucian poets. Garcia Lorca is perhaps the best known of these poets. In the 1920s he, along with the composer Manuel de Falla and other intellectuals, crusaded to raise the status of flamenco as an art form and preserve its purity. But the future of flamenco is uncertain. Flamenco is tied to the conditions and culture of
Andalusia in the past, and as Spain modernizes and integrates into the European community, it is questionable whether flamenco can survive the social and economic changes.
Cante flamenco can be categorized in a number of ways. First, a cante may be categorized according to whether it follows a strict rhythmic pattern ("compas") or follows a free rhythm ("libre"). The cantes with compas fit one of four compas patterns. These compas-types are generally known by the name of the most important cante of the group. Thus
Solea Siguiriya Tango Fandango The solea group includes the cantes: solea; romances, solea por bulerias, bulerias, alegrias (cantinas); La Cana, El Polo
BaileFlamenco Dance
El baile flamenco is a highly-expressive solo dance, known for its emotional sweeping of the arms and rhythmic stomping of the feet. While flamenco dancers (bailaores and bailaoras) invest a considerable amount of study and practice into their art form, the dances are not choreographed, but are improvised along the palo or
rhythm. In addition to the percussion provided by the heels and balls of the feet striking the floor, castanets are sometimes held in the hands and clicked together rapidly to the rhythm of the music. Sometimes, folding fans are used for visual effect.
Palos
Flamenco music styles are called palos in Spanish. There are over 50 different palos flamenco, although some of them are rarely performed. A palo can be defined as musical form of flamenco. Flamenco songs are classified into palos based on several musical and non-musical criteria such as its basic rhythmic pattern, mode, chord progression, form of the stanza, or geographic origin. The rhythmic patterns of the palos are also often called compás. A compás (the Spanish normal word for either time signature or bar) is characterized by a recurring pattern of beats and accents.
To really understand the different palos, it is important to understand their musical and cultural context:
Some of the forms are sung unaccompanied, while others usually have a guitar and sometimes other accompaniment. Some forms are danced while others traditionally are not. Amongst both the songs and the dances, some are traditionally the reserve of men and others of women, while still others could be performed by either sex. Many of these traditional distinctions are now
breaking down; for example, the Farruca is traditionally a man's dance, but is now commonly performed by women too. Many flamenco artists, including some considered to be amongst the greatest, have specialized in a single flamenco form.
The classification of flamenco palos is not entirely uncontentious, but a common traditional classification is into three groups. The deepest, most serious forms are known as cante jondo (or cante grande), while relatively light, frivolous forms are called cante chico. Other non-musical considerations often factor into this classification, such as whether the origin of the palo is considered to be gypsy or not. Forms which do not fit into either category but lie somewhere between them are classified as cante intermedio. However, there is no general agreement on how to classify each palo. Whereas there is general agreement that the soleá, seguiriya and the tonás must be considered cante jondo, there is wide controversy on where to place cantes like the fandango, malagueña, or tientos. Many flamenco fans tend to disregard this classification as highly subjective, or else they considered that, whatever makes a song cante grande is not the song itself but the depth of the interpreter.
The classification below reflects another traditional classification of cantes more based on rhythmic pattern, but also taking the origin into account.
Toná Palos (usually known as Cantes a palo seco)
Debla Martinetes Carceleras Saetas Tonás Trilla
Palos based on the Soleá rhythmAlboreá Bulerías - Bulerias (and Jaleos from extremadura, a variety of Bulerías) The Cantiñas group, including: Alegrías Caracoles Mirabrás Romeras Peteneras Romances The related palos Caña and Polo. Soleá - Soleares and Bulerías por Soleá.
Palos derived from FandangoFandangos de Huelva Fandangos orientales (from Eastern Andalusia and Murcia) Fandangos abandolaos, including: Verdiales Rondeñas Jabera Fandangos libres (free of rhythmic pattern): Granaínas
Media Granaína Malagueñas Cantes de las minas (songs originated in mining areas): Minera, Tarantos, Tarantas, Cartageneras, Murciana, Levantica, Cantes de madrugá Fandangos personales (personal creations)
Seguiriya PalosCabales Livianas Siguiriyas - (also seguiriyas)Serrana
Palos with a Tango rhythmFarruca Garrotín Marianas Tarantos (when played for dance). Tientos Tanguillos Tango
Palos de "Ida y vuelta"Other palos with a tango rhythm are often considered as "Ida y vuelta", that is, originated in Spanish America.Colombianas GuajirasMilonga Rumba Vidalitas
Other palos of difficult classificationCampanilleros Bambera Sevillanas Nanas Zambras Zorongo
Flamenco artists
Flamenco occurs in two main types of setting. The first, the juerga, is an informal gathering where people are free to join in creating music. This can include dancing, singing, palmas (hand clapping), or simply pounding in rhythm on a table. Flamenco, in this context, is very dynamic: it adapts to the local talent, instrumentation, and mood of the audience. One tradition remains firmly in place: singers are the most important part.
The professional concert is more formal and organized. The traditional singing performance has only a singer and one guitar, while a dancing performance usually included two or three guitars, one or more singers (singing in turns, as in traditional flamenco, singers always sing solo), and one or more dancers. A guitar concert used to include a single guitarist, with no other support, though this is now extremely rare except for a very few guitarists. The so-called New Flamenco has included other instruments, like the now ubiquitous cajón. Flutes, saxophones, piano, and even the electric bass guitar are unfortunately also common.
A great number of flamenco artists are not capable of performing in both settings at the same level. There are still many artists, and some of them with great ability, who only perform in juergas, or at most in private parties with a small audience.
As to their training in the art, traditional flamenco artists never received any formal training: they learnt in the context of the family, by listening and watching their relations, friends and neighbors. Since the appearance of recordings, though, they have relied more and more on audiovisual materials to learn from other famous artists. Nowadays, dancers and guitarists (and sometimes even singers) take lessons in schools or in short courses organized by famous performers. Some flamenco guitarists can even read music and learn from teachers in others styles like classical guitar or jazz, and many dancers take courses in contemporary dance or Classical Spanish ballet.
Flamenco is a moving target, restless, never static for long, lovingly preserving the past, yet looking expectantly toward the future.It will continue to evolve, and who knows where it will end.
Hopefully throughout its evolving process, it will still carry with it the echo of its origins, for if that becomes lost, then it will have evolved into something less than its humble but pure beginnings.
Reflexive Verbs: Part I
A verb is reflexive when the subject and the object are the same.
I wash myself.subject: Iverb: washobject: myselfSince the subject and object are the same, the verb is reflexive.
I wash the car.subject: Iverb: washobject: carSince the subject and object are different, the verb is not reflexive.
Here's another example of how a verb can be either reflexive or non-reflexive.I scratch myself.subject: Iverb: scratchobject: myselfSince the subject and object are the same, the verb is reflexive.
I scratch the dog.subject: Iverb: scratchobject: dogSince the subject and object are different, the verb is not reflexive.
When a verb is reflexive, the infinitive ends in "se."lavarto wash (non-reflexive)lavarseto wash oneself (reflexive)
rascarto scratch (non-reflexive)rascarseto scratch oneself (reflexive)
There is one reflexive verb you have been using since you began studying Spanish.llamarse - to call oneself
¿Cómo se llama usted?What do you call yourself?
Me llamo Juan.I call myself Juan.
Note: A more "natural" translation would be "What is your name?" and "My name is Juan."
When you learned to conjugate regular verbs, you needed to learn a set of pronouns called "subject pronouns."lavar
yo lavotú lavasél, ella, usted lavanosotros/as lavamosvosotros/as laváisellos, ellas, ustedes lavan
To learn to conjugate reflexive verbs, you need to learn a different set of pronouns called "reflexive pronouns." These pronouns are positioned before the verb, while the ending "se" is dropped and the verb is conjugated normally.lavarseyo me lavoI wash (myself)
tú te lavasyou wash (yourself) (informal)
él se lavahe washes (himself)
ella se lavashe washes (herself)
usted se lavayou wash (yourself) (formal)
nosotros nos lavamoswe wash (ourselves)
nosotras nos lavamoswe wash (ourselves) (feminine)
vosotros os laváisyou-all wash (yourselves) (informal)
vosotras os laváisyou-all wash (yourselves) (informal, feminine)ustedes se lavan(All of you) wash (yourselves)(formal)
ellos se lavanthey wash (themselves)
ellas se lavanthey wash (themselves) (feminine)
The reflexive pronouns are not subject pronouns; rather they are object pronouns.
me (myself)te (yourself)se (himself, herself, yourself)nos (ourselves)os (yourselves)se (themselves, yourselves)
The purpose of the reflexive object pronouns is to show that the action of the verb remains with the subject.Juan se lava la cara.Juan washes his face. (reflexive)
Juan lava su carro. (non-reflexive)Juan washes his car.
Note: When referring to body parts, use the definite article, thus "la cara" not "su cara."
Note that many, many verbs can be made reflexive. All it means when a verb is reflexive is that the action remains with the subject.wash the dog (non-reflexive)
wash your face (reflexive)
raise the book (non-reflexive)
raise your arm (reflexive)
put the baby to bed (non-reflexive)
go to bed (reflexive)
wake up your son (non-reflexive)
wake up yourself (reflexive)...and so on
Now add a flashcard for reflexive verbs:
Complete Listlavarse to wash oneselfyo me lavotú te lavasél se lavaella se lavausted se lavanosotros nos lavamosnosotras nos lavamosvosotros os laváisvosotras os laváisustedes se lavanellos se lavanellas se lavan
EJEMPLO de una MINI-LecciónDel QUADERNO DE CASA- HOME JOURNAL
Content – contenidos Reflexive verbs
Objective- To tell someone what time you wake up, get out of bed and what time you get ready for school.
1. Reflexive verbs are verbs in which the subject is the direct recipient of the action of the verb in active voice.There is no OBJECT in the sentence since the ¨subject¨plays that role.
María sees herself in the mirror.
She is seeing herself. The action of SEEING reflects back to the subject María .
Reflexive verbs use the reflexive pronouns.Me te se nos os se2. Reflexive pronouns
Me - myselfTe - yourself familiarSe - youself formal Himself Herself
Nos - ourselvesOs - yourselvesSe - Yourselves formal, themselves.
3. verbs to be used to describe your morning routine
Despertarse LevantarseBañarseSecarseVestirse or ponerse la ropaDesayunarse
4. The conclusion the lesson and results
Yo me despierto a las siete de la mañana-
Me levanto Me baño
Me seco Me visto Me desayuno
Otro ejemplo de una mini-lección HOME JOURNAL
Stem changing verbsVerbos de Cambio de raíz
I want to say that María closes the door.
Content-contenidos Stem-changing verbs Cambios de Raíz.
Objective To say that María closes the door
Method/ la lección
1. Stem changing verbs
The verb to close E - ie stem change
II La Introducción a la cultura e historia de España
STEM CHANGING VERBS Verbos de CAMBIO RAÍZ
CERRAR
Conjugate the verb- e-ie
CERRAR
CierroCierrasCierra
CerramosCerráisCierran
The word DOOR is PUERTA
The conclusion-
María cierra la puerta.
Cambios de Raíz
EMPEZAR
EmpiezoEmpiezasEmpiezaEmpezamos EmpezaisEmpiezan
Despertarse
Me despierto Te despiertasSe despiertaNos despertamosOs despertaisSe despiertan
Possessive Adjectives
MiTuSuNuestro nuestraVuestro vuestrasu
Adjectives agree in gender and in number with the nouns they describe!
Joan es alto.Joana es alta.
María y Josep son altos.María y Joana son altas.
El chico es gracioso.El chico es gordo.La chica es bonita.La chica es baja.
Mi casa es su casa.
Exceptions to the gender agreement law
Josep es popular
María es popular.
María es inteligente.Marco es inteligente.
A PracticarRealidades 3 página 12 Actividad 19
1. mi2. nuestro3. Nuestros4. Nuestro5. nuestras6. mis7. Mis8. mi9. Su10. sus
TENER + QUE + INFINITIVO = to have to…..
WHEN YOU HAVE A SPECIFIC HOUR GIVEN
Time: de la mañana = in the morning de la tarde = in the afternoon
de la noche = at night/in the evening
Time: When NO hour is given- in general
Por la mañanaPor la tardePor la noche
Realidades 3 Para empezar-Capítulo 1 Introducciones For Class- a notebook clean no writing or drawing other than work from Spanish Class. Be on time. Be prepared. Be positive.Ask questions. Come for extra help when needed. Be respectful to everyone in the room. Be kind and patient with each other. Help each other and SPEAK SPANISH!!!!!Do not be afraid to make mistakes, just HABLA ESPAÑOL!!!!
Tarea can be found at the bottom of this document!
El PretéritoThe Preterite tense is used to indicate a completed action in the past. something that was completed-finished in the past
Verbos regulares-AR
-é-aste-ó-amos-asteis-aron
Verbos -er e -ir regulares
-í-iste-ió-imos-isteis-ieron
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Verbos irregulares
Case I irregular belowDAR
DiDisteDio dimos disteis
dieron
VER
ViVisteVioVimosVisteisVieron
Case II irregularCaer leer oir creer and all –uir verbs like construirCaer
CaíCaísteCayóCaímosCaísteis
Cayeron.
OIR
OíOísteOyóOímosOísteisOyeron
CREER
CreíCreísteCreyóCreímosCreísteisCreyeron
LEER
LeíLeísteLeyóLeímosLeísteisLeyeron
Case II also has-
All –uir verbs
ConstruirInfluir...
Construir
ConstruíConstruísteConstruyóConstruímosConstruísteisConstruyeron
Case III SER AND IR
FuiFuisteFueFuimosFuisteisFueron
Ser
FuíFuisteFuéFuimosFuisteisFueron
JOTA group
Case IV
Jota group
All –cir verbs take the “J”
Decir
DijeDijstedijodijimosdijisteisdijeron
TRAER goes with the case IV verbs
TrajeTrajiste
TrajoTrajimosTrajisteisTrajeron
Case V “V” group
ESTAR TENER ANDAR
EstarESTUVEESTUVISTE
ESTUVOESTUVIMOSESTUVISTEISESTUVIERON
ANDARANDUVEANDUVISTEANDUVOANDUVIMOSANDUVISTEISANDUVIERON
TENER
TUVE
TUVISTE
TUVO
TUVIMOS
TUVISTEIS
TUVIERON
Case VI Los independientes
Poner
PusePusistePusoPusimosPusisteisPusieron
Poder
Pude
Pudiste
Pudo Pudimos Pudisteis Pudieron
Venir
VineVinisteVino
VinimosVinisteisVinieron
Hacer
HiceHicisteHizoHicimosHicisteisHicieron
Saber: to know a fact
Not used in conversationIn spoken Spanish it is used to mean “to have found out....!”
Supe SupisteSupoSupimos Supisteissupieron
knowing is a process
Saber- In order to say that you “knew....something” you must use th eimperfect tense form of the verb
SabíaSabíasSabíaSabíamosSabíaissabían
Yo no sabía la respuesta.
Querer to want
You can not use the preperite form of the verb QUERER since ¨wanting¨ implies an on going sense of desire......
In conversational Spanish you must use the Imperfect form of the conjugation to indicate “wanting...or wanted”
Preterite form of the verb QUERER
QuiseQuisisteQuisoQuisimosQuisisteisQusieron
In spoken Spanish this means to have refused when the word NO comes before each conjugate.Yo no quise ir. I refused to go.
No qusimos ir de compras.We refused to go shopping.
No quiseNo quisisteNo quisoNi quisimosNo quisisteisNo quisieron
To expres “I wanted, you wanted, he/she wanted....”
you must use the imperfect form of the verb querer
QueríaQueríasQueríaQueríamosQueríaisQuerían
Yo quería estudiar en la biblioteca.
I wanted to study in the library.
____________________
Case VII
Stem changing verbs case VII en pretérito
Dormir
Dormí
Dormiste
Durmió
Dormimos
Dormisteis
Durmieron
PEDIR
Pedí
Pediste
Pidió
Pedimos
Pedisteis
Pidieron
Servir reir pedir dormir sonreir.........
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Case VIII
-Car qué
-Gar GUÉ
-Zar CÉ in the yo form
Tocar
Toqué
Tocaste
Tocó
Tocamos
Tocasteis
tocaron
-GAR verbs
LLEGAR
Llegué
Llegaste
Llegó
Llegamos
Llegasteis
llegaron
-ZAR verbs
Empezar
Empecé
Empezaste
empezó
Empezamos
Empezasteis
Empezaron
The Imperfect TenseThe imperfect tense is used to describe actions
that happened repeatedly in the past.
The imperfect tense is used to describe repeated/habitual actions in the past.
-Something that was happening, something that used to happend or something that happend a lot (more than once).Jugar
JugabaJugabasJugaba
JugábamosJugabaisJugaban
Hacer Vivir
Hacía VivíaHacías VivíasHacía Vivía
Hacíamos VivíamosHacíais VivíaisHacían
Vivían
Imperfect Tense Irregular verbsIr Ser Ver
Iba Era VeíaIbas Eras VeíasIba Era VeíaÍbamos Éramos VeíamosIbais Erais VeíaisIban Eran Veían
TAREA:META LOS VERBOS REFLEXIVOS
La Primera Vista y los verbos reflexivos
La práctica
La introducción
Reflexive verbs are verbs in which the subject is the direct recipient of the action of the verb.
There is no object
The action of the verb reflects back on the subject....
The key word in English is -self.
The reflexive verbs are recognized by the use of –SEattached to the infinitive-
Lavarse, Bañarse, afeitarse, cepillarse.....
LavarLavo
Lavas
Lava
Lavamos
Laváis
lavan
yo lavo el coche. Yo lavo el patio. Yo lavo la bicicleta.
LavarseMe lavo
Te lavas
Se lava
Nos lavamos
Os laváis
Se lavan
Yo me lavo despúes de lavar el coche.
Despúes de lavarme, voy a la fiesta.
Yo lavo el coche y despúes, yo me lavo.REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS
Me
Te
Se
Nos
Os
Se
Yo me despierto y despúes me levanto.
Some reflexive verbs are
AFEITARSE
CEPILLARSE los dientes
Cortarse el pelo
Secarse
Lavarse la cara
Pintarse la uña
THE GREAT LAW OF POSITION OF OBJECT PRONOUNS AND REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS
Object pronouns and reflexive pronounsare placed before (come before) the conjugated verbs
OR
They follow the infinitives and are attached.And they follow present participles and are attached
And they follow affirmative commands and are attached! And they follow affirmative commands and are attached!
Ejemplos- yo lo comí.
I sold the car. Yo vendí el coche.
I sold it. Yo lo vendí.
¡Cómela!
Direct Object PronounsMe Te
Lo LaLe when speaking to a male in most Spanish speaking countries
NosOsLosLas
direct obects answer the questionWho? - Whom? or what?
Indirect object pronouns
Answer the question-
To whom? To what? For whom? For what?
Ella compró el regalo para mi.
Ella compró el regalo por mi.
Ella le envió la carta a él.
She sent it to him.
Ella le la envió. Wrong!When le or les come before LO LA LOS
LAS, Le and LES become SE
Ella se la envió.
Do you want this table or the other one?
Do you want this or the other?
Quieres éste o el otro?
One or the otherUno o otro....Wrong
Uno u otro.I study Spanish and Italian.Estudio español e Italiano.
Yo quiero verte.Yo te quiero ver.
Estoy leyendo el libro.
Estoy leyéndolo.Yo lo estoy leyendo.
¡Come el bocadillo! El bocadillo.
¡Cómelo! Eat it!
To go to do something…..
IR + A + the infinitive
To have to do something…..
TENER + QUE + the infinitive
ACOSTARSE the example
Voy a acostarme ahora.
Me voy a acostar ahora.
Tengo que acostarme ahora.
Me tengo que acostar ahora.
Yo quiero acostarme. Me quiero acostar.
Yo estoy bañándome ahora.
Me estoy bañando ahora.
Tengo que bañarme ahora.
Quiero bañarme ahora.
¡Báñate ahora!
¡Pónte los zapatos!
Me pongo los zapatos.
Me voy a poner los zapatos. Ir + A + infinitive
Voy a ponerme los zapatos.
Tengo que ponerme los zapatos.Me tengo que poner los zapatos.
Me gusta reunirme con mis amigos.
POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVESMy your his her Our your their
MiTuSuNuestro nuestraVuestro vuestraSu.
Mi casa es su casa.
Estas casas son mis casas. Las casas de mi.
Esas casas son sus casas. Las casas de el.
Possessive Pronouns
míotuyosuyonuestrovuestrosuyo.
MíaTuyaSuya
nuestravuestrasuya
MíosTuyosSuyosNuestros vuestrossuyos
MíasTuyasSuyas
NuestrasVuestrassuyas
Antes + de + infinitive=before doing something ing
Despues + de + infinitive=after doing something ing
Antes de hablar -before speakingDespúes de llamar- after calling
Mine your his her’s it’s ours….
It is not his car, it is ours.
No es su coche, es nuestro.
TAREA
Mini-lección 12-15 minutos en casa Home Journal!
En el cuaderno en casa.
Estudien Uds.
- El pretérito
- El Imperfecto
Verbos Reflexivos
Possessive adjectives
Possessive pronouns
Object Pronouns
Verbos de Cambios de Raíz
Realidades 3
...........todos repasos
