Saeta (flamenco)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The saeta, the flamenco prayer that takes the form of a seguiriya or martinete, is found scattered throughout the history of flamenco recordings. It began life as a Spanish religious and musical tradition; the theorists attribute the adding of a flamenco twist to Enrique el Mellizo, Manuel Centeno, Antonio Chacón and Manuel Torre.
Anyone wishing to delve deeper into the origins of the saeta has some reading material at their disposal:
- ‘La Saeta’, a collection of writings from the late 19th century by José María Sbarbi and Antonio Machado and Álvarez ‘Demófilo’
- A collection of saeta lyrics compiled around 1928 by Agustín Aguilar Tejera.
- José Luis Ortiz Nuevo collected news articles from the nineteenth century Seville press in a book entitled ‘Quién me presta una escalera. Origen y noticias de saetas y campanilleros en el siglo XIX’ ('Who will lend me a ladder. Origins and news related to saetas and campanilleros in the 19th century'). The book contains the following quote published by Ricardo Cano in the daily El Progreso on 13th April 1900 which sums up the complex religious sentiment of the Andalusian people, which flamenco has also come to make its own:
“When on occasions such as the present, the Christian world still congregates under church domes, and lifts its thoughts to God, amongst clouds of incense and mystical rhythms; the people who have generosity flowing through their veins and the sun imprisoned within their eyes, rush out into the streets. And as they follow the parades, they intone, without music or artistry, the saeta, that pleasant, mournful song that makes our hearts beat and brings tears to our eyes.”
[edit] External Links
- A discography of flamenco prayer
