Origins of flamenco and its styles
February 28, 2018The centenary of the first Cante Jondo Contest in Spain is celebrated.
Granada, 2022. The city of the Alhambra is decked out to commemorate, celebrate, reissue and give new value to what a century ago was the first Concurso de Cante Jondo de España. 100 years have passed since that distant 1922, when famous figures such as Manuel de Falla and Ignacio Zuloaga gave shape to this contest that was, and is to this day, an unmistakable sign of identity of Spanish culture.
Andalusian primitive song with a transcendence in the intellectual life of the last century that was surrounded and supported by such important personalities as Federico García Lorca, Juan Ramón Jiménez, Joaquín Turina, Fernando de los Ríos or Ramón Pérez de Ayala, among many other great intellectuals, who have gone down in history for their priceless contribution to Spanish culture.
A century after this cultural initiative that has marked the evolution of flamenco over the last 100 years, Granada is once again organizing this event, which was held in the Plaza de los Aljibes in the Alhambra and was the first flamenco singing event to be held at the national level.
"These were great days in which not only intellectuals from all over the country, but also personalities of great influence in European culture gathered in the city to exalt and ennoble the richness of flamenco art and give it the visibility and value necessary to promote its conservation and put such a beautiful cultural manifestation on a par with other arts that were recognized as such".
This event was so important that it not only promoted the social and cultural life of the capital, but also brought to light this art, basically reduced to the taverns and the night, to turn flamenco and its singing into an authentic symbol of Spanish culture.
Likewise, this Contest of Cante Jondo, was a voice raised against the danger of disappearance that was predicted to the flamenco repertoire, and that was intended to achieve the preservation of the pure primitive songs as a source for an innovative creation, in addition to serving as a source and reference in the celebration of subsequent festivals related to this art of flamenco.
In this event were present the most outstanding flamenco figures of the time, who magnified the event by offering performances out of competition as Pastora Pavón "La Niña de los Peines" or Antonio Chacón, who also participated as a jury in the festival. Also in those days we had the presence and the guitar playing of Ramón Montoya or the magnificent dance of "Macarrona", among many others...
It is important to know that in that Plaza de los Aljibes, the world saw with their eyes, from the city of the Alhambra, the participation of artists who would later be of recognized prestige in flamenco culture, such as La Gazpacha, Manolo Caracol, Manolo Torres or Diego Bermudez "El tenazas". The latter, achieving the highest award and becoming the undisputed winner of the Cante Jondo Contest.
