Cante Jondo: tragic, dramatic, soulful flamenco in its purest form

In theory, it is usual to link flamenco with Andalusia in a happy context, full of vibrant colour, singing and dancing. However, flamenco is also an expression of tragedy and drama, pain and suffering, these are the emotions expressed in cante jondo.

What is cante jondo flamenco singing?

Cante jondo is a type of flamenco defined by very tragic, dramatic characteristics, where the singers express their feelings of sorrow and regret through the music. 

The origin of cante jondo lies in Andalusia and, although the exact date is unknown, the majority of theories believe that its beginnings are linked with the Andalusian gypsy people with its arabic and jewish influences.

There are also those who think that the cante jondo has its roots in the religious chants that were performed in churches.

Characteristics of the cante jondo

Cante jondo has its own characteristics and is divided into cantes grandes and cantes chicos.

The cantes grandes (big songs) are soulful and dramatic, where the lyrics reflect sorrow, pain and anguish. In this group of flamenco singing we can find flamenco styles such as tonás, seguiriyas, soleares and tarantos, that form the four fundamental pillars of flamenco singing.

Cantes chicos, on the other hand, express more mundane themes, such as humour, happiness and love. In this case the lyrics are based on improvisation and they have a more festive feel.

This style of flamenco is defined as cantes chicos because it needs a lot less dramatic effort to transmit the true essence of the song and includes flamenco styles such as tangos, bulerías or the cantes de ida y vuelta, such as the guajira. Cantes de ida y vuelta, translated as return songs, are the ancestral songs taken by Spanish emigrants to the Americas where they were transformed by the South America musical influences, returning to Spain with the return of the emigrants to be absorbed into flamenco once more.

Improvisation and emotion are two of the principal characteristics that define cantes jondos.

The structure of cantes jondos is based on the repetition of one note, searching to bring dynamism and action to the connection which exists between singer and guitar. The singing is punctuated with “quejios”, or laments, which are so characteristic of flamenco which the singer introduces by improvising throughout the performance.

The importance of the tonás and guitars in cante jondo flamenco

The toná is one of the most important compositions in cante jondo. It originated in the 18th century and it is an adaptation of the traditional, Castilian poems, adopted by the andalusian gypsies, becoming eventually part of the flamenco songs.

This style has the same melodic tone, only the lyrics change, and there are currently three types of toná: toná grande, toná chica and toná del Cristo.

Despite the fact that nowadays the toná is not the most frequent flamenco style performed by flamenco singers, it is the origin of many of the different flamenco styles that have developed over the years.

The guitar is the second most important element after the flamenco singer’s voice. 

In the cante jondo style of songs, the guitar dialogues with the singer and fills the pauses in which the flamenco singer takes a breath, inviting him to sing once more.

Important cante jondo artists

Within the world of flamenco, there are many artists that have dedicated their careers exclusively to cante jondo.

One of the most internationally and nationally renowned flamenco singers is Manolo Caracol, a famous flamenco singer born in Seville.

Manolo Caracol was famous principally for his performances of fandagos and la zambra, winning a prize in 1922 in the contest of Cante Jondo in Granada. 

He began his career when he was very young and he earned his living and his reputation performing in private parties before he began to participate in shows and films. He was frequently the artistic partner of flamenco legend, Lola Flores.

In 1963 he opened his tablao flamenco, Los Canasteros, in Madrid, which became an iconic flamenco venue where many flamenco legends made their debuts. 

The flamenco singer, Bernarda de Utrera, from Utrera in Seville, is another example of flamenco artist well-known for her cante jondo talents. Born in 1927 she came from a large family of flamenco artists. Having spent some time practising the art of flamenco singing in fiestas and functions, she made her professional debut, together with her sister, Fernanda de Utrera, with whom she continued to perform throughout her career. 

In 1957 she began to perform in different tablaos flamencos in Madrid and in the same year she was awarded with a prize for her performance of bulerías in the Cordoba National Flamenco Art Contest. Throughout her career the flamenco artist performed in a variety of different flamenco shows and recorded a variety of records. 

Cante Jondo at Teatro Flamenco Madrid

To really understand it is essential to see cante jondo flamenco live so you can connect with the emotion that the flamenco singers express.

In Teatro Flamenco Madrid you can experience cante jondo with the best flamenco singers in the country. Don’t miss the opportunity to enjoy this unique moment and book your tickets now to see our daily, live flamenco show, Emotions. We look forward to seeing you!