The jota is a dance known throughout Spain, most likely originating in Aragon. It varies by region, and the jotas of Aragon, Castile, Navarra, the mountains of Cantabria, Asturias, Galicia and Murcia are the best known. Being a visual representation, the jota is danced and sung with accompaniment by castanets, and the interpreters tend to wear regional costumes. In Valencia, the jota was once danced during interment ceremonies. Capital Zaragoza Official language(s) Spanish; Aragonese and Catalan also used Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 4th  47,719 km²  9. ... Capital Zaragoza Official language(s) Spanish; Aragonese and Catalan also used Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 4th  47,719 km²  9. ... Categories: Castile-La Mancha | Autonomous communities of Spain ... Navarra is the Spanish name for Navarre (Basque: Nafarroa), an ancient kingdom in the Pyrenees, and now a province and an autonomous community in Spain. ... Capital Santander Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 15th  5 321 km²  1. ... Anthem: Asturias, patria querida Capital Oviedo Official language(s) Spanish; Asturian have special status Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 10th  10,604 km²  2. ... Galicia (Spain) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Murcia () is a city and municipality on the river Segura in southeastern Spain and the capital of the Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia. ... Renoirs 1909 painting Dancing girl with castanets Castanets The castanets are a percussion instrument (idiophone), much used in Moorish music, Roma music, Spanish music and Latin American music. ... Capital Valencia Official languages Valencian (Catalan) and Castilian (Spanish) Area  â€“ total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 8th  23,255 km²  4. ... By other animals Humans are not the only species to bury their dead. ...

The jota tends to have a 3/4 rhythm, although some authors maintain that the 6/8 is better adapted to the poetic and choreographic structure. For their interpretation, guitars, bandurrias, lutes, dulzaina, and drums are used in the Castilian style, while the Galicians use bagpipes, drums, and bombos. Theatrical versions are sung and danced with regional costumes and castanets, though such things are not used when dancing the jota in less formal settings. The content of the songs is quite diverse, from patriotism to religion to sexual exploits. In addition to this, the songs also have the effect of helping to generate a sense of local identity and cohesion. The classical guitar typically has nylon strings. ... The bandurria is a plectrum plucked chordophone from Spain, similar to the cittern, primarily used in Spanish folk music. ... The lute is a plucked string instrument with a fretted neck and a deep round back. ... Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863 Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian. ... Galicians(galegos) live in the four Spanish provinces located along the far northwest coast of the Iberian Peninsula, but their language zone shades into northern Portugal, east of asturian community and nort of Leon and Zamora provinces as well. ... A piper playing the Great Highland Bagpipe. ... Bombo legüero is an Argentine drum traditionally made of a hollowed tree trunk and covered with cured skins of animals such as goats, cows or sheep. ... This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. ...

The steps have an appearance not unlike that of the waltz, though in the case of the jota, there is much more variation. Furthermore, the lyrics tend to be written in eight-syllable quartets, with assonance in the first and third verses. The waltz (G.: Walzer, It. ... A quartet is a group of four identical or similar objects, or a grouping of four persons for a common purpose. ... link titleAssonance is the repetition of vowel sounds within a short passage of verse or prose. ...

Some non-Spanish musicians have made use of the jota in various works:

• Mikhail Glinka, Russian composer (1804-1857), After traveling through Spain, used a style derived from the jota in his work The Aragonese Jota.
• Franz Liszt, Hungarian pianist and composer (1811-1886), wrote a jota for piano.
• Saint-Saëns, French composer (1835-1921), composed an orchestral jota, as did the Russian composer Balakirev (1837-1910).
• Raoul Laparra, French composer (1876-1943), composed an opera entitled La jota.

Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka (Russian: Mihail Ivanovič Glinka) (June 1, 1804 [O.S. May 20] - February 15, 1857 [O.S. February 3]), was the first Russian composer to gain wide recognition inside his own country, and is often regarded as the father of Russian classical music. ... A composer is a person who writes music. ... 1804 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1857 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Portrait of Franz Liszt, painted in 1839 by Henri Lehmann. ... Pianist Claudio Arrau, Carnegie Hall, 1954. ... 1811 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1886 (MDCCCLXXXVI) is a common year starting on Friday (click on link to calendar) // Events January 18 - Modern field hockey is born with the formation of The Hockey Association in England. ... Charles Camille Saint-Saëns (IPA: [ʃaʁl. ... | Come and take it, slogan of the Texas Revolution 1835 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Mily Alexeyevich Balakirev (Russian Милий Алексеевич Бала́кирев) (January 2, 1837 – May 29, 1910) was a Russian composer. ... | Queen Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom (1837 - 1901) 1837 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1910 (MCMX) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Sunday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... 1876 (MDCCCLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... The Teatro alla Scala in Milan. ...

The Aragonese Jota

The Aragonese jota is the best-known expression of Aragonese folklore. It dates as far back as the 18th century, and reached the pinnacle of its splendor in the 19th century. Due to the complexities of the dance steps and manner of singing, the jota has evolved. Since the end of the 19th century, heavily choreographed versions have often been made for zarzuelas, movies, contests, festivals, and other entertainments. The most pure forms of the jota can still be found in Calanda, Alcañiz, Andorra, Albalate, and Zaragoza. (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Zarzuela (IPA /θarθwela/ in Spain, /sarswela/ in the New World) is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre, which alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating dances. ... For other uses see film (disambiguation) Film refers to the celluliod media on which movies are printed Film — also called movies, the cinema, the silver screen, moving pictures, photoplays, picture shows, flicks, or motion pictures, — is a field that encompasses motion pictures as an art form or as... Foz Calanda ascent to the Church Foz Calanda is a village in the province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. ... Location Coordinates : Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Zaragoza (Spanish) Spanish name Zaragoza Founded 24 Postal code 50001 - 50018 Website http://www. ...

Nowadays there exist many modern varieties of the jota which are performed by various folkloric groups. Among the most popular can be found: la Jota de San Lorenzo (Huesca), la Jota Vieja, la Aragón Tierra Bravía, Gigantes y Cabezudos, La Dolores (these last two are from zarzuelas of the same name), and la danza de la Olivera. Zarzuela (IPA /θarθwela/ in Spain, /sarswela/ in the New World) is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre, which alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating dances. ...

The Castilian Jota

As noted earlier, the jota of Castile tends to be accompanied by guitars, bandurrias, lutes, dulzaina and drums. As the music plays, the dancers dance with hands atop their heads, accompanied at times by castanets. The jota of Castile has a more sober, less airy feel to it, while the steps are quicker and sharper than what is seen in the Aragonese version. The songs accompanying the jota, which are known for their wry humor, typically deal with life, love, weddings, (often giving advice to the newlyweds) or religion. Different kinds of guitars The guitar is a fretted and stringed musical instrument, used in a wide variety of musical styles, and is also widely known as a solo classical instrument. ... The bandurria is a plectrum plucked chordophone from Spain, similar to the cittern, primarily used in Spanish folk music. ... The lute is a plucked string instrument with a fretted neck and a deep round back. ... Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863 Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian. ... Renoirs 1909 painting Dancing girl with castanets Castanets The castanets are a percussion instrument (idiophone), much used in Moorish music, Roma music, Spanish music and Latin American music. ... Capital Zaragoza Official language(s) Spanish; Aragonese and Catalan also used Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 4th  47,719 km²  9. ...

External Links

• History of the jota (In Spanish)