Cante flamenco

The cante flamenco (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkante flaˈmeŋko]), meaning "flamenco singing", is one of the three main components of flamenco, along with toque (playing the guitar) and baile (dance). Because the dancer is front and center in a flamenco performance, foreigners often assume the dance is the most important aspect of the art form - but in fact, it is the cante which is the heart and soul of the genre. A cante singer is a cantaor.

The cante flamenco is part of musical tradition in the Andalusian region of Spain. Its origins are uncertain but scholars see many influences in the cante flamenco including: The traditional song of the gitanos (Spanish Gypsies), the Perso-Arab Zyriab song form, the Classical Andalusian Orchestras of the Islamic Empire, the Jewish Synagogue Chants, Mozarabic forms such as Zarchyas and Zambra, Arabic zayal (the foundation for the Fandango), Andalusian regional folk forms, as well as West African and South American influences as seen in the cantes de ida y vuelta.

Flamenco developed into its definitive form during its Golden Age (1869-1910). Beginning in 1910, cante flamenco was popularized by the opera flamenca which included the lighter forms of flamenco such as fandangos and cantes de ida y vuelta. In order to preserve the "authentic" cante jondo (deep song), Manuel de Falla and Federico Garcia Lorca, organized the Concurso de Cante Jondo in Granada in 1922. Singers from all over Andalusia travelled to join in the competition. The first two prizes went to El Tenazas and El Caracol.

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