Asturianada
Origin and history
The asturianada is a cante that came into flamenco from Asturias, as its very name indicates, and its musical base retains the character of the Asturian folklore it comes from, related to the traditional Asturian tonada that has been sung in the region since time immemorial as an expression of field labor and pastoral life.
Its incorporation into the flamenco repertoire is part of a broader phenomenon, that of the so-called cantes de ida y vuelta or flamenco-adapted regional folklore, through which flamenco artists took melodies and airs from other Spanish musical traditions and reinterpreted them with flamenco’s own aesthetic, phrasing, and compás, without entirely losing their original character.
This process of “aflamencamiento,” typical of the early decades of the 20th century and the rise of the ópera flamenca, allowed styles of very different roots from the Andalusian ones to find a place in the flamenco shows and recordings of the era, showing this art’s capacity to absorb and adapt musical traditions from other regions of Spain.
Musical characteristics and compás
The asturianada retains from the Asturian original its melodic character and its tendency toward free cante, without subjection to a rigid compás, which brings it closer to other flamenco styles of a recitative air rather than to the festive cantes of marked rhythm. Its melody, open in line and ornamented, still reflects the pastoral and mountain origin of the tonada it comes from.
In its flamenco version, the voice is adorned with the melismas and quiebros typical of cante jondo, and the guitar accompaniment tends to be sober, meant to serve as harmonic support for the vocal line rather than to mark a defined rhythmic pulse.
Representative cantaores and performers
This is a minority style within the flamenco repertoire, cultivated by a small number of cantaores who specialize in flamenco-adapted regional folklore cantes, without figures of as wide a reach as in other palos. Its presence is more common in recordings and compilations specifically devoted to this type of regionally rooted cante than in conventional flamenco recitals.
Relationship with other palos
The asturianada belongs to the group of flamenco-adapted regional folklore cantes, alongside other styles from different areas of Spain that flamenco incorporated and reinterpreted in its own language, as happens with the bamberas within Andalusian folklore. Its direct kinship lies with the original Asturian tonada, from which it takes its name, melody, and spirit, rather than with the great deep or festive trunks of Andalusian flamenco.