About the book
"the whole book is great … All in all, a must-have for anyone interested in flamenco, Spain or Gypsy history and culture" Songlines
"presents a compelling argument as to the huge debt Flamenco owed to the Gypsy musicians of Europe and in particular of Andalusia. . . . This is an exemplary work and the author deserves acclaim for his contribution to research in this, until recently, uncharted area." Karen Abbott, Brio
This expanded and updated edition, heavily illustrated, traces the development of Gypsy music during the long migration of professional Gypsy musicians from India to Spain and the decisive role of a small number of Gypsy families in Lower Andalusia in the development of flamenco music. The tragic history of the Gypsies’ forced settlement and repression is also covered.
The second half of the book comprises a biographical dictionary of the foremost Gypsy flamenco artists past and present and a listing of key audio and video recordings, which make the book an indispensable resource for flamenco enthusiasts.
- View the table of contents
Contents
| | Picture credits | ix |
| | Part One | |
| | Introduction | xiii |
| 1 | The Gypsies, professional musicians | 1 |
| | From East to West | 3 |
| | Turkey and Greece | 5 |
| | Hungary | 6 |
| | Gypsy ‘flavour’ and the duende | 8 |
| | Spain | 10 |
| | The ‘Gypsy’ repertoire | 11 |
| | Instruments | 13 |
| 2 | Spain and the Gypsies: a policy of forced settlement | 14 |
| | The intolerance of the Catholic monarchs and their successors | 17 |
| | ‘There is no such thing as a gypsy’ | 19 |
| | Recipes for extermination | 20 |
| | The law of Philip IV, 1633 | 21 |
| | Gypsy hunting and ecclesiastical immunity | 22 |
| | The laws of forced assimilation, 1695, 1717, 1745 and 1746 | 24 |
| | The general internment of 1749 | 29 |
| | A dark age of enlightenment | 30 |
| | The law of 1783 | 31 |
| 3 | Gypsy-Andalusians: the ‘flamenco families’ | 32 |
| | The Moorish heritage | 33 |
| | The first settled families | 34 |
| | ‘Old Castilian’ certificates | 36 |
| | Changes in a privileged situation | 37 |
| | Saved by their music | 37 |
| | Official recognition of the Gypsies' contribution to society | 37 |
| | After 1783 | 39 |
| | The censuses of 1784 and 1785 | 39 |
| | The case of Andalusia | 42 |
| | The Andalusian miracle | 42 |
| | Flamenco: a philosophy and a way of life | 43 |
| | The geographical framework | 44 |
| | The great flamenco family | 45 |
| 4 | The obscure origins of flamenco art | 47 |
| | Gypsies' professional music | 47 |
| | Gypsy ballads | 49 |
| | The Seguiriya | 51 |
| | The Gypsy ethos | 55 |
| | The Vlax Rom of Hungary | 57 |
| | The Gypsy signature | 61 |
| | The anti-Gypsy polemic | 62 |
| | Gypsy Andalusia and Payo Andalusia | 65 |
| | The origins debate | 66 |
| | The Jewish theory | 66 |
| | The Byzantine theory | 67 |
| | Arabic music | 69 |
| | de Falla's demonstration | 70 |
| | Current knowledge | 71 |
| | Conclusion | 73 |
| | Part Two | |
| | Two hundred Gitano flamenco artists | 85 |
| | Glossary | 129 |
| | Select bibliography | 134 |
| | Select discography | 136 |
| | Videos | 137 |
- About the Author/s:
Bernard Leblon
Bernard Leblon, retired professor of Hispanic Studies at the at the University of Perpignan, is a member of the Andalusian Flamenco Foundation, a member of the Gypsy Research Centre of the Universite Rene Descartes, and of its associated Research Group on European Gypsy History.
His first work on flamenco, "Gypsy Music Styles and Flamenco" was awarded the 1988 Andalusian Flamenco Foundation prize.
ISBN: 978-1-902806-05-1 Format: Paperback, 158pp Published: Dec 2003
Any questions
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