Tonás
Encyclopedia
Tonás is the name given to a palo
or type of flamenco
songs. It belongs to the wider category of Cantes a palo seco
, that is, palos which are sung without accompaniment or a cappella
. Owing to this feature, they are considered by traditional flamencology
to be the oldest surviving musical form
of flamenco. The first flamenco singer known in history, Tío Luis el de la Juliana, who lived in Jerez de la Frontera
in the last third of the 18th century was said to have excelled in this palo.
Other cantes a palo seco, such as martinetes
and debla are sometimes classified under tonás, while at other times they are referred to as palos on their own.
The tonás were almost in disuse by the end of the 19th century. The reason seems to be that they were considered a difficult style by the general public, and therefore were not considered apt for the stage. Although there were always some singers that kept singing them in private gatherings, their practical banning form the stage resulted in the total oblivion of some toná styles.
During the 1950s, with the reappraisal of purism led by singers like Antonio Mairena
, the tonás came back into use, and came to be considered as the main flamenco style together with seguiriya and soleá.
Palo
Palo may refer to:*Palo , developed by slaves from Central Africa in Cuba*Palos, long drums used in the music of the Dominican Republic*Palo , the name for a musical form in flamenco*Palo , a Mallorcan liqueurPlaces...
or type 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....
songs. It belongs to the wider category of Cantes a palo seco
Cantes a palo seco
The Spanish term Cantes a palo seco refers to a category of flamenco palos traditionally sung a cappella or, in some cases, with some sort of percussion...
, that is, palos which are sung without accompaniment or a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
. Owing to this feature, they are considered by traditional flamencology
Flamencology
Flamencology, from the Spanish word Flamencología, is an academic discipline pertaining to the Flamenco arts. It combines research, documentation, and other techniques to achieve the diffusion and preservation of the art.-Origin of the term:...
to be the oldest surviving 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. The first flamenco singer known in history, Tío Luis el de la Juliana, who lived in Jerez de la Frontera
Jerez de la Frontera
Jerez de la Frontera is a municipality in the province of Cádiz in the autonomous community of Andalusia, in southwestern Spain, situated midway between the sea and the mountains. , the city, the largest in the province, had 208,896 inhabitants; it is the fifth largest in Andalusia...
in the last third of the 18th century was said to have excelled in this palo.
Other cantes a palo seco, such as martinetes
Martinetes
Martinetes are a flamenco palo belonging to the group of the tonás or cantes a palo seco. As the rest of the songs in this group, it is sung with no accompaniment. In some dance shows for the stage, though, it is accompanied by percussion played with the compás of siguiriya...
and debla are sometimes classified under tonás, while at other times they are referred to as palos on their own.
The tonás were almost in disuse by the end of the 19th century. The reason seems to be that they were considered a difficult style by the general public, and therefore were not considered apt for the stage. Although there were always some singers that kept singing them in private gatherings, their practical banning form the stage resulted in the total oblivion of some toná styles.
During the 1950s, with the reappraisal of purism led by singers like Antonio Mairena
Antonio Mairena
Antonio Cruz García, known as Antonio Mairena was a famous flamenco singer. He led the movement towards the revival of traditional flamenco in the fifties and subsequent decades....
, the tonás came back into use, and came to be considered as the main flamenco style together with seguiriya and soleá.