Fandango

Fandango is a lively couples dance from Spain, usually in triple metre, traditionally accompanied by guitars, castanets, or hand-clapping ('palmas' in Spanish). Fandango can both be sung and danced. Sung fandango is usually bipartite: it has an instrumental introduction followed by 'variaciones'. Sung fandango usually follows the structure of 'cante' that consist of four or five octosyllabic verses (coplas) or musical phrases (tercios). Occasionally, the first copla is repeated. Fandango is a lively couples dance from Spain, usually in triple metre, traditionally accompanied by guitars, castanets, or hand-clapping ('palmas' in Spanish). Fandango can both be sung and danced. Sung fandango is usually bipartite: it has an instrumental introduction followed by 'variaciones'. Sung fandango usually follows the structure of 'cante' that consist of four or five octosyllabic verses (coplas) or musical phrases (tercios). Occasionally, the first copla is repeated. The meter of fandango is similar to that of the bolero and seguidilla. It was originally notated in 68 time, but later in 38 or 34. The earliest fandango melody is found in the anonymous 'Libro de diferentes cifras de guitarra' from 1705, and the earliest description of the dance itself is found in a 1712 letter by Martín Martí, a Spanish priest. The fandango's first sighting in a theatrical work was in Francisco de Leefadeal's entremés 'El novio de la aldeana' staged in Seville, ca. 1720. By the late 18th century it had become fashionable among the aristocracy and was often included in tonadillas, zarzuelas, ballets and operas, not only in Spain, but also elsewhere in Europe. Widely varying claims have been made about the origin of fandango: its relation to the soleá, jabera and petenera; to the Andalusian malagueña, granadina, murciana and rondeña; to the canario and gitano; to the jota aragonesa. The form of fandango has been used by many European composers, and often included in stage and instrumental works. Notable examples include J. P. Rameau's 'Les trois mains' (in 'Nouvelles suites de pièces de clavecin', ca. 1729–30); Fandango forms #19 in the part 2 of Gluck's ballet Don Juan (1761); in the third-act finale of Mozart's opera The Marriage of Figaro (1786); in the finale of Luigi Boccherini's String Quartet Op. 40 No. 2 (1798); Antonio Soler's Fandango for harpsichord; and the finale of Rimsky-Korsakov's Capriccio Espagnol. Luis de Freitas Branco's third movement of his 'Suite Alentejana No. 1' is inspired on the fandango of the regions of Alentejo and Ribatejo of Portugal. Italian composer Domenico Scarlatti, who was influenced by Iberian folk music, had several passages reminiscents of fandango, such as in his keyboard sonata K. 492 (1756) which has been called 'Fandango portugués'. The piece 'Fandango del Sigr. Escarlate' has been attributed to him, but some scholars dispute this claim and its similarity to fandangos. The current 34 pattern of the fandango, its distinctive progression (i–iv–V) lyrics with octosyllabic verses and the use of castanets and guitars are well-documented from the 18th century. The fandangos grandes (big fandangos) are normally danced by couples, which start out slowly with gradually increasing tempo. Many varieties are derived from this one. The fandanguillos (little fandangos) are livelier, more festive derivations of fandangos. Some regions of Spain have developed their own style of fandangos, such as Huelva (fandangos de Huelva) and Málaga (fandangos de Málaga, or Verdiales). Northern areas such as the Principality of Asturias, the Basque Country and Castile and León have preserved a more relaxed performance.