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Fandango de Huelva
Public Domain, Classic Guitar; Richard Matteson- Video C 2010
ARTIST: From Richard Matteson
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao53vJd6VX0
SHEET MUSIC: [TAB currently unavailable]
[Sheet music]
CATEGORY: YouTube Videos by Richard Matteson
DATE: from late 1700s; Arranged c. 1986 Video from 2010
RECORDING INFO:
OTHER NAMES: "Fandangos Comarcales"
SOURCES: "Studio Flamenco":
NOTES: I learned my version from Andy Merrill when I lived in Beaufort SC in the 1980s. It's not the same one he plays but has some of the same variations.
About Fandangos from "Studio Flamenco":
Fandangos is a tree with roots that reach across Andalucía and branches that keep growing. The form emerged as a popular song and dance in the late 18th Century in the port city of Cádiz from songs and dances brought to Spain from the Americas. The Fandango of today is an aflamencada gathering of those disparate roots.
Fandango Andaluz is a broad term that refers to all the forms of Fandangos found across southern Spain. Within this broad category, there are essentially two types of Fandangos, each defined by its source and underlying rhythm:
Fandangos Comarcales: Regional or local versions of the basic rhythmic Fandango song and dance.
Fandangos Naturales: Arhythmic, expressive re-workings of the essential Fandango form into highly personalized, cante jondo songs. Each of these forms are associated with the particular cantaor/a who created them. These songs are also know as Fandangos Personales, Arítmicos, Grandes or Artisiticos.
There are also hybrid forms such as the Fandangos por soleares or Fandangos por bulerías, but these are more reflective of the essential flexibility of flamenco music than of new forms in themselves.
Here, we look at Fandangos de Huelva, the prime example of a Fandangos Comarcales, and at Fandangos Naturales.
The city of Huelva on the coast of Spain between Portugal and Cádiz is closely identified with the Fandangos. There are 32 types of Fandangos de Huelva, each associated with a different part of the city, the nearby mountains or coast, or with individual artists. The underlying form for all these Fandangos is the same, and the variations are in the melodies, lyrics, and the supporting harmony. The most frequently performed version of the Fandangos de Huelva is the Fandangos de Alosno, named for a village north of Huelva.
The most common setting for Fandangos de Huelva is a group of friends gathered around a table after a meal or drinks. The guitarist provides constant accompaniment while individual singers provide letras or the group sings in chorus.
The dance is popular during the annual pilgrimage to Rocio – the Romería del Rocio. Participants in this event dress in traditional costume and travel on foot, by car or in brightly decorated horse- or ox-drawn wagons. All converge in the city of Rocio to participate in a weekend of religious ritual and fun.
Today, the dances and songs are also popular in Spanish dance companies and in smaller flamenco performances, and are mostly accompanied by the guitar, cante, and castanets.
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