Palo (flamenco)

A palo (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈpalo]) or cante is the name given in flamenco for the different traditional musical forms.

The word palo, in Spanish, has several meanings, the main one being "stick", "bar", "pole" or "rod", but in this case it has the sense of "suit of cards" i.e. category or classification.

Each palo is identified by a variety of musical features such as its rhythmic pattern, its mode, its characteristic motifs, the type of stanza used for the lyrics, and its origin.

The concept of palo is not straightforward or rigorous. It is a popular, sometimes inconsistent way of classifying songs according to similar characteristics. For example, to determine that a song belongs to the palo called Bulerías, only the rhythm is taken into consideration, no matter its mode or stanza. Fandangos, on the other hand, include a variety of forms in 3/4 or 6/8, but later it developed "free" forms (that is, with no determined rhythm). Most palos include dozens of traditional songs, while others like the serrana include only one song. Another interesting example is that of the polo and the caña: they are almost identical and would be expected to be classified as variations of the same song, but tradition has classified them as different palos.

Palos have been categorized in different ways. According to their traditionally attributed origin, they are often classified in the shape of a tree, usually in a rather unscientific way.

Another way to categorize the palos is with respect to their musical origin. Palos in the fandango family (including malagueñas, granaínas, tarantas, and the fandango de Huelva) can be seen as stylized forms of genres of Andalusian folk music. Soleares and siguiriyas are more strictly associated with gypsy music culture. Because of their solemn character, they are sometimes referred to as cante jondo or “deep song,” as opposed to cantes such as tangos and bulerías, which are fast and festive.

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