Tangos
Origin and history
Flamenco tangos are among the oldest cantes in the entire repertoire, and constitute one of the basic pillars on which primitive flamenco was built. Unlike other jondo styles born with an introspective vocation, tangos emerged from the outset with a clear orientation toward dance, which explains their lively compás and festive character.
It is not a single, homogeneous style, but a family of local variants that arose in different flamenco cradles, each with its own melodic and rhythmic stamp: the tangos de Cádiz, those of Jerez de la Frontera, those of Triana and Seville, and those of Málaga, among others, make up a mosaic of related styles clearly differentiated by the air and accent of each locality.
This capacity to take root in multiple geographic hubs, adapting to the character of each one, is one of the hallmarks of the tangos and explains their enormous vitality and continuity to this day, being one of the most performed palos on contemporary flamenco stages.
Musical characteristics and compás
Tangos are sung and danced in a binary compás, simple and very marked, which contrasts with the twelve-beat amalgam compás typical of the soleá or the seguiriya. This direct rhythmic base and their cheerful character make them one of the most accessible and danceable styles in flamenco, without thereby giving up interpretive depth in their lyrics and in the melodic ornaments of the cante.
They are traditionally accompanied by guitar, palmas and, in dance, by footwork (taconeo) as an added percussive element. Each local variant of tangos preserves its own nuances in intonation and phrasing, which allows aficionados to recognize the geographic origin of a particular tango.
Representative cantaores and performers
There is no record of a single figure to whom the creation of the tangos is attributed, given their nature as a collective style rooted simultaneously in several flamenco cradles. Each of its local variants — the tangos gaditanos, jerezanos, trianeros or malagueños — has historically been cultivated by generations of cantaores and cantaoras from those same localities, who have gradually fixed the characteristic stamp of each school.
Relationship with other palos
Tangos belong to the group of primitive cantes and constitute the musical trunk from which the tientos directly derive, a cante of similar compás but slower tempo and more solemn air. Their kinship with the rumba is also notable, since both share the binary compás and a festive, danceable character.