The “Cante” an Exiting Adventure by the Flamenco Department at Codarts

The “Cante” An exiting adventure by the Flamenco Department at Codarts.

The “Cante”

The art of flamenco arrived into the mainstream musical activity of the world quite some decades ago, and the three main elements that give it form, the flamenco guitar, the flamenco dance and the flamenco song, are well established practices, respected and enjoyed all over.

Flamenco emerged in history with its own distinct identity about 250 years ago in the far southern region of Spain, Andalucía, a land that for time immemorial has been seen as a melting pot of many peoples and cultures, settled there at various times over many centuries; peoples from Spain, of course, but also from the Eastern Mediterranean, Phoenician, Arab, Jewish and even African ; plus a vital final element of gypsy nomadic tribes who arrived in Spain around the XV Century. That amalgam of human and cultural elements eventually crystalized into a particular kind of folklore that in turn gave birth to the phenomenon of Cante Jondo, a form of song and music that, although directly based on the folklore, developed into a consummate art form.

Paradoxically it is the guitar and the dance in flamenco that enjoy the biggest following of aficionados, for good reason, it must be said, as the guitar is possibly the most popular musical instrument in the world today, and in flamenco it projects a distinct and compelling quality that is immediately recognisable. On the other hand the allure of dancing is ancestral and universal, and the uniquely passionate expression of flamenco dance fascinates audiences everywhere.

But flamenco was born as a particular form of singing: Cante Jondo, meaning “Deep Song” which we also know as Cante Flamenco; a way of singing that, I say without hesitation, represents the purest expression of Andalucían art. The Spanish word for singing is ‘canto’ or ‘canción’; cante specifically refers to flamenco singing. And that song, that ‘cante’ was the vehicle by which the poorest, most deprived, most suffering communities of the land, at a tumultuous time in the history of Spain, found ways of poignantly expressing their feelings, above all the tragedy and precariousness of their lives; ways of searching deep into themselves, bringing out their emotions in a song that is more than a song; one that, in the ‘seguiriya’ for example, becomes a ‘cry in extremis’, a scream, lamenting their plight, a reflection on their tragic reality, their love and sorrows, their fate and their future. That way of expression in song is what defines the character and the essential message of flamenco. The guitar is the inseparable partner of the singer in the latter’s quest for finding ways to express and transmit to others the emotions he or she find deep within themselves but which are common to all. It is not by the beauty or perfection of the voice that you measure the quality of the song. It is in the emotional charge and the power of communication that the value rests. The dancer will then be compelled into action by the emotional outpouring. So the cante is the stuff that carries the fundamental essence of what flamenco wants to say, whether singing, playing or dancing.

In the year 1985, Codarts - the Rotterdam Conservatorium, as it was then called, launched a wonderful adventure, a brave undertaking that wasn’t common at the time in a classical institution such as the Conservatorium: a full flamenco guitar course was started, which required six years of study, plus in some cases a further one or two years of preparation classes prior to the start of the official course.

Since then, no doubt due to various reasons, but surely in part due to the activity that came with Codarts’ initiative, the art of Flamenco has become well established in the cultural scene of Rotterdam, The Netherlands and further afield, having acquired deep recognition and popularity among audiences and practitioners alike.

It goes without saying that the Codarts Flamenco Department is very happy about such development, of course! It has come to prove our staunch believe that flamenco is a truly worthwhile musical form that can enrich the curriculum of any and all music institutions. We also believe that the more flamenco is established, cherished and understood, the more you want of it, and the more you want to dig into the great culture that it personifies.

The Flamenco Guitar Course has now come to the 30 year landmark (just passed!) and at this point we want to venture into a further ambitious project that I believe represents the next natural step: You guessed it! I mean the Cante, of course! A step that will inevitably bring the aficionado face to face with the big beast, the true essence of the art, which naturally, also happens to be… you guessed it again: The most difficult!

Yes, quite difficult, but the good news is that we are in excellent hands. The best hands! The task (if I may use the Spanish colloquial analogy) of leading that imposing bull, will be an artist that I consider the best qualified flamenco singer of today to take on such a project: ARCÁNGEL!

Francisco José Arcángel is not only an artist with a huge career behind; a singer known to all flamenco lovers and audiences; one with a history of reaching out to other genres and disciplines, but also a man with a deep interest in the subject of transmitting the qualities of flamenco singing to interested aficionados and capable of handling the complex and subtle nuances of this difficult art in a clear, authoritative way.

The 4-day course by Arcángel promises to be a great occasion for aficionados who contemplate the prospect of tackling the big bull of flamenco, the most inspiring one. It will be wonderful to see how Arcángel gets them to hear the strong basis of the different flamenco styles, the subtle cadences, ornamentations of given verses etc., and to observe their development. It will also be very special to observe others who may not want to ‘go in the ring’ as it were, but prefer to listen and make their own contribution to the debate in the class.

I know flamenco has the allure of an intoxicating substance, a benign one, of course, but one that, when it grabs you, you are hooked for life! This brief course will certainly be a thrilling experience, a time to see how far the flamenco family from around the world has travelled along the fascinating journey that flamenco offers you, but also demands of you, when you have the good fortune to come face to face with it. I believe the intense commitment and love I have already observed through the years will demonstrate that proper maturity is fast getting to aficionados and audiences alike, wherever they may be from. Probably, many already love flamenco beyond repair! Hooked, in other words. Others will inevitably ‘fall in’ if they attend the great Arcángel course; and I’ve been hooked all my life, so, welcome to the club, guys!!

I very much look forward to being with you in March!

Paco Peña