Rondeña
Encyclopedia
A Rondeña is a palo
or musical form
of flamenco
originating in the town of Ronda
in the province of Malaga
in Spain
.
In common with other palos originating in Malaga, the rondeña antedated flamenco proper and became incorporated into it during the 19th century.
and it is said that it is "the oldest fandango actually known".
According to the experts, the name does not derive from "nocturnal rounds", as some have suggested, but is based solely on the name of the town Ronda.
The rondeña spread enormously throughout Andalusia in the 19th century, to such an extent that numerous foreign observers, touring the region at the time, referred to it later in their writings.
ornamentation, and generally the tempo is somewhat slower than was previously the case. It is a composition with an ad lib time signature
( compás ), and the lyrics are frequently about rustic life. A verse consists of four octosyllabic lines which sometimes become five through repetition of the second line.
, which has many similarities but, being rondeña, more open and evocative.
Ya en el siglo XX destaca Manolo Sanlúcar en el toque y cantaores como Fosforito, Antonio de Canillas, Alfredo Arrebola, Jacinto Almadén, Juan de la Loma, Enrique Orozco, Antonio Ranchal, Rafael Romero, José Menese y Cándido de Málaga.
sobre la cama me siento,
porque, en oyendo rondeñas,
se me alegra el pensamiento.
Las rondeñas malagueñas
cántamelas, primo mio,
que al son de las malagueñas
me voy quedando dormío.
Palo (flamenco)
A palo is the name traditionally given in the flamenco environment for the different musical forms that constitute the traditional musical heritage of flamenco...
or musical form
Musical form
The term musical form refers to the overall structure or plan of a piece of music, and it describes the layout of a composition as divided into sections...
of flamenco
Flamenco
Flamenco is a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusian music and dance and in whose evolution Andalusian Gypsies played an important part....
originating in the town of Ronda
Ronda
Ronda is a city in Spanish province of Málaga. It is located about West from the city of Málaga, within the autonomous community of Andalusia. Its population is approximately 35,000 inhabitants.-History:...
in the province of Malaga
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
In common with other palos originating in Malaga, the rondeña antedated flamenco proper and became incorporated into it during the 19th century.
History
The rondeña has its origin in the fandango malagueñoFandango
Fandango is a lively couple's dance, usually in triple metre, traditionally accompanied by guitars and castanets or hand-clapping . Fandango can both be sung and danced. Sung fandango is usually bipartite: it has an instrumental introduction followed by "variaciones"...
and it is said that it is "the oldest fandango actually known".
According to the experts, the name does not derive from "nocturnal rounds", as some have suggested, but is based solely on the name of the town Ronda.
The rondeña spread enormously throughout Andalusia in the 19th century, to such an extent that numerous foreign observers, touring the region at the time, referred to it later in their writings.
Cante (Songs)
The rondeña has evolved in recent times, with a decrease in melismaticMelisma
Melisma, in music, is the singing of a single syllable of text while moving between several different notes in succession. Music sung in this style is referred to as melismatic, as opposed to syllabic, where each syllable of text is matched to a single note.-History:Music of ancient cultures used...
ornamentation, and generally the tempo is somewhat slower than was previously the case. It is a composition with an ad lib time signature
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
( compás ), and the lyrics are frequently about rustic life. A verse consists of four octosyllabic lines which sometimes become five through repetition of the second line.
Baile (Dances)
In dance, having had no time signature at one time, the rondeña displays a rhythm of wild abandon. Some dancers have used the rhythm of the tarantoTaranto
Taranto is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto and is an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base....
, which has many similarities but, being rondeña, more open and evocative.
Exponents
Entre sus máximos representantes se hallan: Miguel Borrull padre, siendo uno de los precursores y Ramón Montoya, siendo éste el primer gran intérprete que engrandeció el estilo.Ya en el siglo XX destaca Manolo Sanlúcar en el toque y cantaores como Fosforito, Antonio de Canillas, Alfredo Arrebola, Jacinto Almadén, Juan de la Loma, Enrique Orozco, Antonio Ranchal, Rafael Romero, José Menese y Cándido de Málaga.
Popular rondeñas
Rondeñas vienen cantando,sobre la cama me siento,
porque, en oyendo rondeñas,
se me alegra el pensamiento.
Las rondeñas malagueñas
cántamelas, primo mio,
que al son de las malagueñas
me voy quedando dormío.
Recommended bibliography
- Diccionario Enciclopédico Ilustrado del Flamenco. Ed. Cinterco.
- MANFREDI CANO, Domingo. Geografía del Cante Flamenco. Ed. Serv. Publicaciones de la Universidad de Cádiz. 1988.
- NÚÑEZ, Faustino. Todo el Flamenco. Club Internacional del libro, Madrid. 1988.
- DVD: Paso a Paso. Los palos del flamenco. Rondeña