Ebook: Gypsies and flamenco: The emergence of the art of flamenco in Andalusia

This work takes on the delicate question of flamenco’s origins, approaching it both in the context of the vast sweep of Gypsy musical styles from India to Western Europe, and in relation to the dramatic history of Gypsy persecution in modern Spain - not forgetting the crucial contribution of Andalusian soll.

The grand tour of music styles played by Gypsies professionally and in private, presented in part one, enables us to discern a number of shared characteristics and, even more importantly, isolate authentically Gypsy musical traits from those of the surrounding populations, and to identify both musical borrowings and those features common to all styles classed as Oriental.

Part two, covering Spanish Gypsy history, retraces the circumstances surrounding their forced settlement and acculturation, an understanding of which is essential in explaining the emergence of the flamenco phenomenon as late as the 19th century.

Part three concentrates on those privileged Gypsy families nicknamed Flemish - flamencas - who were to bequeath their name to the music they developed under very specific conditions and in a clearly defined geographical framework.

The final section outlines a critical analysis of the various hypotheses put forward on the subject of the origins of flamenco, demonstrating that certain of its characteristics can only be accounted for by the intervention of the Gypsies of Andalusia, and summarising current scholarship in the field.