Discover eight fascinating facts about flamenco
June 16, 2023
The flamenco meter: rhythm and meter
July 7, 2023The gypsy zambras of Sacromonte have a history that goes back centuries in flamenco in Granada. In the neighborhoods on the outskirts of the city, an exceptional coexistence between Moors and Gypsies developed, generating a cultural mix that gave rise to the famous zambras of Sacromonte. Over time, these zambras have undergone different stages up to the present day. In this article, we will take a retrospective look at the gypsy zambras, which are an essential part of the history of flamenco in Granada.
Gypsy Zambras of Sacromonte
What does the word Zambra mean?
The term'zambra' comes from Arabic and originally means 'flute'. According to Pedro Alcalá, author of 'Vocabulista Arábigo' in 1505, which was the first Arabic-Spanish grammar, the word was generic to refer to all types of instruments. Other historians and etymologists maintain that 'zambra' refers to 'noise, clapping, dance accompanied by singing, fusion of human voices and instrumental bustles harmonized in brave orchestral conjunction'. Leopoldo Eguilaz, in his 'Etymological glossary of Spanish words of oriental origin', based on Pedro Alcalá's meaning, believes that 'zambra' means 'music accompanied by singing or chanting with musical instruments and concert, din or noise'.
These joyful celebrations were intoned and danced on days of weddings, births and religious festivities, to the rhythm of the lute, the guitar, the rabab or vihuela, the darbuka (a small drum in the shape of a chalice), the jalajil (a bracelet of bells), the kamaya (ancestor of the violin), the adufes (tambourines or tambourines), the xabeba, the gassaba, the somali (flutes) and the sany (zimbales), and, of course, accompanied by hand clapping.
Origin of the Zambras in Granada.
The origin of the zambras in Granada dates back to a period of cultural exchange and mixing of traditions after the expulsion of the Muslims from the region. After the expulsion, the Moors who remained in Granada were forced to convert to Christianity and adopt the new religion. However, despite this change, they kept alive their traditional customs and music.
In 1492, coinciding with the capture of Granada by the Catholic Monarchs, the Gypsies arrived in the city. Accompanying the armies and performing various tasks, such as forging weapons and caring for animals, they settled in the neighborhoods occupied by the Moors, such as Rabadasif and Xarea, located outside the walls and at the edge of the Albaicín. This coexistence between Arabs and Gypsies continued until the expulsion of the Moors in 1610.
The closeness and similarity between the Moors and the Gypsies, both in their physical appearance and in their customs, music, dances and songs, led to the mixing of blood through marriages between the two communities. The gypsies adopted Moorish instruments, such as tambourines, guitars and finger whistles, which have survived to the present day. They also incorporated elements from Arab traditions, such as the melismas in the jondo songs. Granada became a unique setting where these circumstances took place and where the gypsy zambras emerged, which have lasted until the 21st century.
The first Moorish zambras of which we have evidence arose in Granada in 1524, during the Corpus Christi procession. These zambras were composed of Moors and some gypsies and bore the seal of Archbishop Hernando de Talavera. Among them were the zambras of Zenete, those of the Albaicín and those of the Alpujarras. Over time, the dances in honor of the Blessed Sacrament in the Eucharistic processions were acquiring greater relevance and number. The zambras were distinguished between those of 'sarao', characterized by their luxury and costumes of rich fabrics such as damask and silk, and those of 'cascabel', which although of inferior clothing, were also showy and colorful. During these zambras, various rhythms were danced, such as the zarabanda, the chacona, the bullicuscuz, the colorín colorado, the quiriguigai, among others.
Origin of the zambras of Sacromonte
Decline and prohibition of dambs
In 1554, the zambras and gypsy dances were suspended by the diocese of Guadix. Although Francisco Núñez Muley, a Moor, requested King Philip II to allow the continuation of the zambras and to protect his brothers of race from the pragmatics of 1567, the Moorish zambras were prohibited during the reigns of Philip II, Philip III, Philip IV and Philip V.
Policies became more severe against the Moriscos, and gradually their expulsion was decreed, which was completed in 1610. That same year, the Old Christians began to consider the expulsion of the Gypsies from Spain, even though they had lived peacefully together since their arrival in the peninsula. During the reign of Charles V, the gypsies began to face some problems, but it was during the reign of Philip II when they were relegated to neighborhoods on the outskirts of the cities, giving rise to the 'gitanerías'. This situation continued until 1783, when the pragmatic of Charles III, with a premature optimism about the fusion of both peoples, opened the doors of high society to gypsy shows. George Borrow, known among the Gypsies as Jorgito the Englishman, declared: 'The law opened wide the way to the arts (...) and declared them fit for any trade or profession'.
The arrival of the romantic travelers and the resurgence of the gypsy zambras of Sacromonte.
Although zambras did not disappear completely and continued to be held in private settings, there are no records of any public performances of zambras until the mid-19th century.
In 1672, A. Jouvin de Rochefort, in his work 'A traveler in Europe', described his visit to Sacromonte, where he saw the gypsies living in caves dug into the earth, and observed that the neighborhood was full of crosses. However, it was the French Romantics, around 1820, who began to make Granada known in Europe and, with it, the gypsies of Sacromonte. This international fame led the authorities and other influential personalities to invite the gypsies to participate in the festivities in honor of the most distinguished and illustrious visitors.
In 1850, Antonio Torcuato Martín 'El Cujón', a gypsy from Ítrabo, blacksmith, singer, dancer and guitarist, who watched closely the arrival of important tourists to Granada and was summoned to entertain their parties, decided to gather the artists of the cave neighborhoods and, in the basement of his blacksmith shop in the Plaza del Humilladero, he created a unique flamenco show based on the theme of the gypsy wedding, which he called 'La Zambra Gitana granadina' (The Gypsy Zambra of Granada). Thus the denomination of Zambra granadina was established to define the gypsy dance ensembles based on the wedding ceremony.
In the rest of Spain, around 1861, the word 'zambra' began to be heard in Spanish theaters: 'Zambra de Gitanos' at the Teatro de San Fernando in 1887, at the Teatro Duque and at the Teatro Circo Alameda in 1886. Artists such as la Gaviria, la Cogollera, la Follaíca, Diego el Talones, Frasquirri and his wife la Pella, la Seana, la Chulenga, la Primera Golondrina, Chata la Jampona or la Cotorrera, Manuel Tapia and Marín el Cañero performed in these zambras. The first photographs that are preserved are of the Zambra de Cujón, taken by Charles Clifford in the Alhambra in 1862, on the occasion of the trip that Isabel II made to the city.
From that moment on, numerous gypsy zambras arose in Sacromonte, both on the road to Valparaíso and on the hill, among them: Zambra del Cujón, Zambra de los Amaya, Zambra de la Capitana, Zambra de Manolo Amaya, Zambra de la Coja y el Pititilli, de la Golondrina, etc.
The gypsy zambras of Sacromonte continued until the floods of 1963, when the inhabitants of the neighborhood were forced to abandon the caves due to heavy rains that caused some landslides. Many of the Sacromonte Gypsies never returned to the neighborhood, resulting in the loss of their identity and lifestyle, in the words of Curro Albaicín. Most of the zambras were lost and today only a few remain which, in most cases, no longer perform the zambra dances as their ancestors did.
