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SPANISH MUSIC
 Spain
is musically as well as culturally a very diverse country. Almost each region
of Spain has a different type of music that is specialised to them. Below is a
brief outline of what to expect. You are most likely to find these types of
music being played on National or Regional Holiday's.
North West Spain: They have more of a Celtic type of music.
The instruments that are generally used in this type of music are the bagpipes
( Gaita ) and the drums, flutes, harps and clarents.
The Basque Country: They tend to like having choir singers
amongst their songs. In terms of instruments they use the Txalporta which
consists of short boards played by sticks and it makes a kind of drum sound.
They also use the Alboxa which is a up-curved instrument which sounds
a bit like a clarinet.
Aragon: They use a Jota style of music. This is very
rhythmic and it usually involves dancing.
Catalonia (Northeast Spain): The Cobla is their
common type of music. This is a group of brass musicians that play and people
then dance along with the music. A typical dance is the Sardana (the
Circle) dance.
Castilla y Leon (North Central Spain): Here they take parts
of the Jota and the Celtic music however they tend to use
different instruments and they generally use a slower tempo. However in the
University city of Salamanca they have a long standing tradition of the Tuna.
This is a type of serenade, performed for loved ones, wherefore the performers
(often students) dress in medieval clothes and play music with mostly a mellow
character and played with guitars and some tambourines .Other used musical
instruments in Castilla y Leon are percussion instruments.
The Region of Madrid: Here are influences from all different
area of Spain and all types are used. The chotis is their main type of
music.
Castilla La Mancha (Southern central Spain): In this area the
jota also plays an important role along with flamenco* type music such
as Seguiriya . The tambourine is used a lot in this region.
Extremadura (Southwest Spain): This region too adampts the Jota
style of music however it is played with the flute, accordion, guitars,
drums and also the zamboma . The zamboma is a type of drum
which is played by pulling a rope from inside the drum.
Valencia (East Spain): The Jota is also played in
this region however there is more of a Moorish influence on their music.
Murcia (Southeast Spain): This region like the Cante Jondo
this means profound or deep singing. They usually do this whilst being
accompanied by a guitar.
Andalusia (Southern Spain): This is the birthplace of the
flamenco* music style.
The Balearic Islands (Mediterranean Sea): The jota is
also important on these islands, it too takes a slow pace here.
The Canary Islands (Eastern Atlantic Ocean): The Jota
plays an important role here.
* Flamenco:
Over the years Spanish music has flourished and as a nation despite the
influences of new types of music they have still managed to keep hold of there
traditional music as well. The most well known type of Spanish music is that of
flamenco. It is thought that flamenco songs and dances came about in the late
18 th century. It is thought to have originated from gypsies, moors,
andalusians amongst others. Depending on the type of song and dance they use
depends on the mood that is trying to be created. Flamenco is still very
popular today especially in the south of Spain.
SONG ARTISTS
Julio Iglesias was once a footballer for Real Madrid when he had an injury
that meant that he would be unable to play for them again. He was also
undertaking a degree in Law at Cambridge University which he successfully
pasted. Whilst he was resting in hospital he began to write song lyrics and
entered in the Benidorm International Song Festival where he was signed up by
Columbia records. That was where his music career started. He made a large
number of records and was very successful in both the US and Spanish charts. He
now is stepping back from the spotlight and his son Enrique Iglesias has become
a well known singer in his own right.
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