History of Flamenco Timeline

Antonio de Torres Jurado (Almería, 1817–1892) is considered the father of the guitar; his instrument designs shaped the modern classical and flamenco guitar.

Image source: Antonio de Torres Jurado

Bulerías originated among the Calé Romani people of Jerez during the 19th century, originally as a fast, upbeat ending to soleares or alegrías, becoming one of flamenco's most emblematic palos.

Image source: Bulerías

One of the first touches considered flamenco, the 'rondeña', was the first composition recorded for solo guitar, performed by Julián Arcas (1832–1882) in Barcelona in 1860.

Image source: Julián Arcas

Manuel Ramírez de Galarreta, the Great Ramírez (Madrid, 1864–1920), became one of the main guitar makers, training disciples Santos Hernández (1873–1943), who built guitars for Sabicas, along with Domingo Esteso and Modesto Borreguero.

Image source: Ramírez Guitars

In 1881 Silverio Franconetti opened the first flamenco singer café (café cantante) in Seville, providing a crucial venue where flamenco cante could be professionalized and popularized.

Image source: Silverio Franconetti

Due to the expansion of the Sevillanas in Baja Andalusia, the fandango gradually lost its role as support for dance, which allowed the singer to shine freely, generating a multitude of fandangos of personal creation in the 20th century.

Flamenco has both influenced and been influenced by Ballet Clásico Español, evidenced by fusions created by 'La Argentinita' in the early part of the 20th century, later by Joaquín Cortés, and eventually by the entire Ballet Nacional de España.

Image source: La Argentinita

Between 1920 and 1955, flamenco shows began to be held in bullrings and theaters under the name 'flamenco opera', bringing the art to massive audiences across Spain.

In the line of purism, composer Manuel de Falla and poet Federico García Lorca helped organize the Concurso de Cante Jondo in Granada in 1922, an effort to dignify and preserve what they regarded as the deepest forms of Andalusian song.

Image source: Concurso de Cante Jondo

In 1954 Hispavox published the first Antología del Cante Flamenco, a sound recording that shocked its time, which was dominated by orchestrated cante and consequently mystified audiences.

In 1955, the Argentine intellectual Anselmo González Climent published the essay Flamencología, baptizing the 'set of knowledge, techniques, etc., on flamenco singing and dancing.' The book dignified flamenco study through academic methodology of musicology.

According to the RAE dictionary, the 'duende' in Andalusia is a 'mysterious and ineffable charm', a charisma that the gitanos call duende — a concept central to authentic flamenco performance.

Image source: Duende (art)

As a result of the growing scholarly interest in flamenco, the National Contest of Cante Jondo de Córdoba was organized in 1956, further legitimizing the art form.

In 1958 the first flamencology chair was founded in Jerez de la Frontera, the oldest academic institution dedicated to the study, research, conservation, promotion and defense of the flamenco art.

In 1963 the Cordovan poet Ricardo Molina and Sevillian cantaor Antonio Mairena published Alalimón Mundo y Formas del Cante Flamenco, which has become a must-have reference work.

Image source: Antonio Mairena

Paco de Lucía's 1972 album El Duende Flamenco de Paco de Lucía is described as an important record in flamenco-guitar history, in which the composer plays with orchestra in several pieces.

Image source: Paco de Lucía

Medea was originally created as a ballet score in 1984 for the Ballet Nacional de España with choreography by José Granero, later existing in a 2002 version for two guitars and orchestra and a 2012 version for solo guitar and orchestra.

Image source: Flamenco guitar

Codarts Rotterdam states that flamenco guitar was added to its curriculum in 1985 under maestro Paco Peña at the Rotterdam Conservatory, before comparable formal studies were available in Spain itself.

Flamenco guitar studies in official educational centers began in Spain in 1988 thanks to concert performer and teacher Manuel Cano Tamayo from Granada, who obtained a position as emeritus professor at the Superior Conservatory de Música Rafael Orozco in Córdoba.

Camarón de la Isla's 1989 album Soy Gitano was released with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Tomatito, becoming one of the most celebrated recordings in flamenco history.

Paco de Lucía's 1991 recording of Joaquín Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez became a notable example of a flamenco guitarist entering canonical classical-guitar repertory.

Image source: Concierto de Aranjuez

This art was institutionalized until it reached the point that the Junta de Andalucía was attributed in 2007 'exclusive competence in matters of knowledge, conservation, research, training, promotion and dissemination' of flamenco.

On 16 November 2010, UNESCO declared flamenco one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, recognizing its global cultural significance.

In 2011 this style became known in India thanks to María del Mar Fernández, who acted in the video clip of the film You Live Once, entitled Señorita.

Traditional cantes have been maintained to this day, with the Zambomba Jerezana being spatially representative, declared an Asset of Intangible Cultural Interest by the Junta de Andalucía in December 2015.

In 2018 the first university master's degree in flamenco research and analysis began, following previous attempts like the 'Doctorate Program of Approach to Flamenco' taught by universities such as Huelva, Seville, Cádiz and Córdoba.

Since 2019 the discussion over the difference between flamenco and new flamenco has gained strength due to the success of new flamenco attracting young Spanish fans and international audiences, raising the question of how to name this new genre mixed with flamenco.

A computational study analyzing more than 2000 flamenco lyrics applied natural language processing and machine learning techniques to classify songs by palo, bringing data science methods to flamencology.