MUSIC IN SPAIN

Early origins of music in Spain

When Roman culture was dominant, it brought with it the music and ideas of Ancient Greece, whereby the reciting of epic poetry and folk music played an integral role.In the sixth century, Saint Isidore of SEVILL  recorded the first information about the early music of the Christian church. Isidore’s influences were predominantly Greek, yet, being an original thinker, he recorded some of the first information about the early music of the Christian church.

Zarzuela

Throughout the 17^th and 18^th centuries a surge in the ‘Zarzuela’, a Spanish form of opera, popular and folk music occurred throughout Spain. This secular, lyric-dramatic genre of music allegedly derived from the Palacio de la Zarzuela, near MADRID , when it was presented as a type of entertainment to the court.  Although in the 20^th century this expressive form of entertainment was supressed and forced underground, when Franco sought to create a uniform country, free of musical disparity across the regions. In the wake of Franco’s death, zarzuela came back into mainstream music in Spain, particularly among the younger generation.Contemporary radio and television dedicate time to zarzuela, perhaps the most well-known and popular zarzuela program being a series produced by TVE titled ‘Antologia de la zarzuela’ – (Zarzuela Anthology).  

The Cobla

These diverging styles of music that Spain has nurtured for centuries include the cobla, a traditional music ensemble of Catalonia, which was generally accompanied by the Sardana, a traditional Catalan folk dance. The cobla contrasts vividly to the distinct musical traditions of Galicia in northwest Spain, that dates back to the Middle Ages which, because of the Celtic influence in  GALICA bagpipes is the signature instrument.

Jota

Jota, which blends the guitar, castanets, tambourines and sometimes the flute, is popular throughout the whole of Spain, although its historical roots are attributed toARAGON . It varies considerably from region to region, ranging from uniquely slow in Castille y LEON to a more energetic in LEON Also stemming from ARAGON  is the ‘guitarro’, a small unique guitar which remains a popular instrument today in the MURICA  region.The guitar was invented in Andalusia in the 1790s when a sixth string was added to the Moorish lute. It gained its modern shape in the 1870s. Spanish musicians have taken the humble guitar to dizzying heights of virtuosity and none more so than Andres Segovia (1893-1997), who established classical guitar as a genre.

Flamenco

Flamenco, music rooted in the cante jondo (deep song) of the gitanos (gypsies) of Andalusia, is experiencing a revival. Paco de Lucia is perhaps one of the best known (internationally) flamenco guitarists.
Perhaps the most famous musical style derived from Spain is the world-famous flamenco, which has helped to make Andalucia the cultural phenomenon this southern province of Spain remains today.
The unique popularity of flamenco music has irrefutably influenced modern day pop music, with the flamenco rhythm and zest Spanish artists brought to the international music scene in the 1980s with the rise of ‘movida’, hints of which you can still find in popular music today.

Musical events and festivals

Festivals, concerts and other important musical events, like the International Music Festival of Trujillo (Extremadura), are fervently held in every Spanish city, town and village, adding to an already vibrant and extensive music scene and attracting fans of almost every musical genre from all over the world.One of the biggest contemporary music festivals in Spain is the Benicassim Festival, which has become known as the ‘Glastonbury of Spain’. Having attended Benicassim and Glastonbury, I can personally vouch that with lines ups that mirror the major British music festivals, including Oasis, Kings of Leon and Franz Ferdinand, Benicassim is certainly resonant of Glastonbury, but thankfully without the mud!

P2P Piracy and Music Sharing

Once thing that casts a murky shadow over Spain’s otherwise prolific music scene is the fact that it is known for having the worst problem with piracy in Europe. Peer-to-Peer (P2P) piracy of music in Spain is broadly observed as a tolerable cultural phenomenon, not helped by the fact that up until now few successful prosecutions have ever been brought against downloaders. With such a prolific amount of music piracy occurring in Spain, frustration is inevitably growing within the music industry giants, some of whom are threatening to bypass their products from Spain altogether. Solid process is now being made however with Spain’s new ruling party (since November 2011) ‘El Partido Popular’ pushing ahead with the Sinde Law (named after former Spanish Culture Minister Angeles Gonzalez-Sinde) which promises to pursue and punish websites or other resources that promote or offer pirated material.Despite this gloomy blip threatening to dampen what has been, for centuries, a bourgeoning, successful and prominent musical existence, we cannot deny that music in Spain, plucked from various cultures of Spain’s colourful history, has played a prominent part in shaping its popular music today.