When putting together a list measuring elegant culture, rich history, and distinct musical styles, Spain will always be in the mix. The European country’s natural blend of diverse ethnicity has produced a majestic ambiance for its folk music tradition.
Popular music genres in Spain range from the traditional Flamenco to the bubbling Latin Pop, making the country’s music history one of the most eloquent and most evolved types of music. This has also garnered popularity for Spain worldwide, making it a booming industry in other parts of the world.
There are different kinds of Spanish heritage music. Their ancient folkloric rhythms blend well with contemporary pop music, giving it a unique feeling. A visit to Spain is incomplete if you haven’t given yourself to the music.
This article will discuss the popular music genres in Spain.
Popular Music Genres in Spain
Spanish musicians have celebrated the centuries-old history of Spanish music. Thanks to that, Spanish music is still listened to globally. Below you will find some popular Spanish music genres.
Flamenco
Although well known in Extremadura and Murcia, Flamenco’s history dates back to Andalusia. Flamenco is a Spanish musical genre encompassing the culture’s beginning and ancient music into a modern class. Flamenco was uniquely developed through the Gypsy and Islamic cultures of ancient Andalusia.
Flamenco is performed with body language and passionate expressions. A performance consists of dancing, singing, hand-clapping, and astonishing footwork. A complete Flamenco performance is a work of art that brings together the cante (singing), baile (dancing), Palmas, and pitos which are hand-clapping and finger-snapping, and the toque(guitar). Flamenco continues to reach greater limits as UNESCO acknowledged the genre as a World Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2010.
Jota
Jota is a Spanish music and folk dance known as Son of Aragon based on its expression of Aragonese folklore. It is a kind of courtship dance where couples dance with their arms held high, moving their feet to the guitar’s sound while singing.
The Jota dance pattern varies depending on the region you stay in. There are other versions of Jota, such as Murcia and Bavaria. This genre of music is a fine fusion of the guitar, flutes, dancing, singing, and the castanets. It is widely performed at harvest festivals.
Zarzuela
Zarzuela is one of the ancient and popular music genres in Spain. It was invented in the Zarzuela Palace in the 17th century to entertain the king and his court. The genre got its name from the King’s Palace. Zarzuela is said to have been written and composed by Pedro Calderon de la Barca alongside musician Juan Hidalgo.
However, traditional music has evolved into expressive art, and this genre shifts from words to music scenes. Zarzuela is a form of Spanish opera. It is performed with songs and spoken words. This genre combines words, dances, and music to tell stories to its audiences. This genre is still a popular Spanish opera to date.
Gregorian Chant
In the 1950s, a monk group recorded their Gregorian chanting and sold millions of albums. The Benedict Monks of Santo Domingo de Silos had a musical way of chanting in Gregorian.
However, stories changed after the release of their album. They topped different charts globally, and the Gregorian chant genre became a commonly known and respected music genre globally.
This experience brought the monks so much fame that tourists visited the monastery to learn and understand the history of the Gregorian chant.
Bachata
Bachata was first created in the 1960s in the Dominican Republic. The music was a slow romantic song with an equally slow dance. However, it faced a stunted growth when the Dominican Republic dictator, Trujillo, ruled it as low-quality. He even termed it offensive.
This was because Bachata was mainly performed in brothels and bars. This fact further decreased the credibility of the music. Bachata bore the brunt of the rejection even after the dictator’s reign ended.
Bachata has three kinds of dance, namely:
● Dominican Bachata: it is the original pattern of the music and dance;
● Bachata Moderns: the contemporary style of Bachata; this version still recognizes the original style, but it is heavily influenced by other dance methods such as Salsa;
● The Traditional Bachata Style: this is the popular version of the original dance; however, it has less importance on turn patterns.
The music endured its time and was brought back to the limelight in 1992 when Juan Luis Guerra won a Grammy award for Bachata Rosa. That was the start of great things for Bachata as professional competitions such as The Toronto Bachata Competition now authorize the genre, and it is being widely accepted in Spain.
Final Notes
Spanish heritage and music history have allowed the country to reach some of its great capacities. Music genres like Flamenco and Zarzuela have shaped global perspectives towards Spanish music.
As more and more people globally appreciate Spanish music over the years, you too can start listening to Spanish music to feel the emotions as we have felt them.