Siguiriyas

Siguiriyas (; also seguiriyas, siguerillas, siguirillas, seguidilla gitana, etc.) are a form of flamenco music in the cante jondo category. This deep, expressive style is among the most important in

Cante and structure#

The lyrics of siguiriyas deal with tragic themes such as imprisonment (e.g., Calabosito Oscuro sung by Juanito Valderrama) the death of a loved one and death in general (e.g., Si Acaso Muero sung by Camarón De La Isla), love, and religious ideas. The oldest forms of siguiriyas were performed without musical accompaniment, akin to tonás. The more modern forms are accompanied by the guitar, where the nuances of the cante make it one of the most difficult styles to accompany and interpret. Traditionally, the verses of siguiriyas are constructed of two short 6 syllable lines, followed by a longer 11 syllable line, then ending with another 6 syllable line, the rhythm being provided by the syllables of the words. In a majority of siguiriyas “Ay” is typically sung to introduce and emphasize the lyrics and is sung as a melisma across many syllables.

Dance#

The dance for siguiriyas was first introduced by Vicente Escudero in 1940. The dance is solemn and ceremonious, involving an introduction performed by guitar and singer, followed by an entrada, letra (dictated by the singer), escobilla, 2nd letra, a danced falseta and final escobilla performed by the dancer.

Genre family: Music genres, Romani music