For many people, Spanish music is virtually synonymous with flamenco, an Andalucian-Gitano form of music. However, regional styles of folk music abound, and pop, rock and hip hop are also popular. Andalusia is a region in Spain that is best-known for flamenco, a form of music and dance that is Gypsy in origin and popular throughout the world. ... Aragon is a region in northeastern Spain. ... The Balearic Islands have become a center for musical innovation in the 20th century. ... The Basque are an ethnic group living in parts of France and Spain, with the majority in the latter country. ... The Canary Islands used to be inhabited by a Hamitic race called the Guanches; they are now extinct, and Spaniards live on the islands. ... Central Spain includes the cultural melting pot of Madrid and Castille. ... Catalonia (in Spain and France) has one of the oldest documented musical traditions in Europe, and has had a rich musical culture continuously for at least two thousand years. ... Extremadura is a region in Spain near Portugal. ... The Spanish regions of Galicia, Asturias and Cantabria are clustered together in the northern part of the country. ... Murcia is a region in Spain whose music is most famously the religious Auroras songs, which are derived from La Mancha and Andalusia. ... Valencia is one of the musical centers in Spain, and is known for its own variety of jota distinct from the Aragonese version, as well as bandes found in almost every village in the region. ... Flamenco is a song, music and dance style which is strongly influenced by the Gitanos, but which has its deeper roots in Moorish musical traditions. ... Spanish hip hop music began in the late 1980s. ... Spain has produced a great variety of rock and roll, but the most distinctive style may be flamenco-rock. ... A music festival is a festival that presents a number of musical performances usually tied together through a theme or genre. ... The Benidorm International Song Festival or Festival Internacional de la Canción de Benidorm (in Spanish) is an annual song contest which takes place each summer, since 1959, in the city of Benidorm, Spain. ... Flamenco is a song, music and dance style which is strongly influenced by the Gitanos, but which has its deeper roots in Moorish musical traditions. ... The Gitanos are Roma people living in Spain. ...

Origins

Early history

In Spain several very different cultural streams came together in the first centuries of the Christian era: the Roman culture, which was dominant for several hundred years, and which brought with it the music and ideas of Ancient Greece; early Christians, who had their own version of the Roman Rite; the Visigoths, a Germanic tribe that overran the Iberian peninsula in the fifth century; Jews of the diaspora; and eventually the Arabs, or the Moors as the group was sometimes known. Determining exactly which spices flavored the stew, and in what proportion, is difficult after almost two thousand years, but the result was a musical style and tradition considerably different from what developed in the rest of Europe. Christianity is an Abrahamic religion based on the life, teachings, death by crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth as described in the New Testament. ... The Roman Empire is not the Holy Roman Empire (843-1806). ... Ancient Greece is the term used to describe the Greek-speaking world in ancient times. ... The Visigoths, originally Tervingi, or Vesi (the noble ones), one of the two main branches of the Goths (of which the Ostrogothi were the other), were one of the loosely-termed Germanic peoples that disturbed the late Roman Empire. ... Germanic may refer to Germanic languages: A language family, the languages of which are spoken in northern and northwestern Europe, and in many places colonized since around 1500 Germanic peoples: Collective name of a number of tribes and peoples, originating from northern Europe, several of which invaded the Roman Empire... Iberia can mean: The Iberian peninsula of southwest Europe; That part of it inhabited by the Iberians, speaking the Iberian language. ... ( 4th century - 5th century - 6th century - other centuries) Events Rome sacked by Visigoths in 410. ... The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination of these attributes. ... The term diaspora ( Greek διασπορά, a scattering or sowing of seeds) is used (without capitalization) to refer to any people or ethnic population forced or induced to leave their traditional ethnic homelands, being dispersed throughout other parts of the world, and the ensuing developments in their dispersal and culture. ... Arab (disambiguation). ... A high altitude form of heathland habitat widespread in northern Britain; see heath. ...

Isidore of Seville wrote about music in the sixth century. His influences were predominantly Greek, but yet he was an original thinker, and recorded some of the first information about the early music of the Christian church. He perhaps is most famous in music history for declaring that it was not possible to notate sounds—an assertion which reveals his ignorance of the notational system of ancient Greece, so that knowledge had to have been lost by the time he was writing. Saint Isidore of Seville (560 - April 4, 636) was Archbishop of Seville for more than three decades and has the reputation of being one of the great scholars of the early middle ages. ... (5th century — 6th century — 7th century — other centuries) Events The first academy of the east the Academy of Gundeshapur founded in Persia by the Persian Shah Khosrau I. Irish colonists and invaders, the Scots, began migrating to Caledonia (later known as Scotland) Glendalough monastery, Wicklow Ireland founded by St. ... Greece, officaly called the Hellenic Republic (Greek: Ελληνική Δημοκρατία), is a country in the southeast of Europe on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula. ...

Under the Moors, who were usually tolerant of other religions during the seven hundred years of their influence, both Christianity and Judaism, with their associated music and ritual, flourished. Music notation developed in Spain as early as the eighth century (the so-called Visigothic neumes) to notate the chant and other sacred music of the Christian church, but this obscure notation has not yet been deciphered by scholars, and exists only in small fragments. The music of the Christian church in Spain was known as the music of the Mozarabic Rite, and developed in isolation, not subject to the enforced codification of Gregorian chant under the guidance of Rome around the time of Charlemagne. At the time of the reconquista, this music was almost entirely extirpated: once Rome had control over the Christians of the Iberian peninsula, the regular Roman rite was imposed, and locally developed sacred music was banned, burned, or otherwise eliminated. For a discussion of Jews as an ethnicity or ethnic group see the article on Jew. ... Music notation is a system of writing for music. ... (7th century — 8th century — 9th century — other centuries) Events The Iberian peninsula is taken by Arab and Berber Muslims, thus ending the Visigothic rule, and starting almost 8 centuries of Muslim presence there. ... Neumes are an ancient musical notation used to write down Gregorian plainsong. ... The Mozarabic rite is a form of Catholic worship within the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church. ... Gregorian chant is also known as plainchant or plainsong, and is a form of monophonic, unaccompanied singing, which was developed in the Catholic church, mainly during the period 800-1000. ...

Renaissance

In the early Renaissance, instrumental music was influenced by Arabic music, most obviously by the development of the guitar, which had its origin in Arabic instruments. The style of Spanish popular songs of the time is presumed to be closely related to the style of Moorish music, but unfortunately this cannot be proven, since not a scrap of Moorish music remains from the entire period of their colonization of the Iberian peninsula. Music of the cantigas, and music from the great medieval collection at Santiago de Compostela, is also considered likely to show influence from Islamic sources. Renaissance music is classical music written during the Renaissance period, approximately 1400 to 1600 CE. Defining the end of the period is easier than defining the beginning, since there were no revolutionary shifts in musical thinking at the beginning of the 15th century corresponding to the sudden development of the... Arab music is the music of Arabic_speaking people or countries, especially those centered around the Arabian Peninsula. ... The classical guitar typically has 3 nylon and 3 nickel-wound strings. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... Santiago de Compostela (2003 pop. ...

After the reconquista, in the early 16th century, a polyphonic vocal style developed in Spain which was closely related to the style of the Franco-Flemish composers to the north. The unification of style occurred during the period when Spain was part of the Holy Roman Empire, under Charles V (king of Spain from 1516 to 1556), since composers from the north both visited Spain, and native Spaniards traveled within the empire, which extended to the Netherlands, Germany and Italy. The great Spanish composers of the Renaissance included Francisco Guerrero and Cristóbal de Morales, both of whom spent a significant portion of their careers in Rome; and the great Spanish composer of the late Renaissance, who reached a level of polyphonic perfection and expressive intensity equal to Palestrina and Lassus, was Tomás Luis de Victoria, who also spent much of his life in Rome. Unlike composers from the Netherlands, however, Spanish composers almost always returned home late in their careers to spread their musical knowledge in their native land. (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... Polyphony is a musical texture consisting of several independent melodic voices, as opposed to music with just one voice (monophony) or music with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords (homophony). ... In music, the Dutch School refers, somewhat imprecisely, to the style of polyphonic vocal music composition in Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries. ... The crown of the Holy Roman Empire (2nd half of the 10th century), now held in the Vienna Schatzkammer. ... Charles V Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain Charles V ( 24 February 1500– 21 September 1558) was effectively (the first) King of Spain from 1516 to 1556 (in principle, he was from 1516 king of Aragon and from 1516 guardian of his insane mother, queen of Castile who died... Events March - With the death of Ferdinand II of Aragon, his grandson Charles of Ghent becomes King of Spain as Carlos I. July - Selim I of the Ottoman Empire declares war on the Mameluks and invades Syria. ... Events January 16 - Abdication of Emperor Charles V. His son, Philip II becomes King of Spain, while his brother Ferdinand becomes Holy Roman Emperor January 23 - The Shaanxi earthquake, the deadliest earthquake in history, occurs with its epicenter in Shaanxi province, China. ... The Netherlands (Dutch: Nederland) is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Dutch: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden). ... The Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland) is one of the worlds leading industrialised countries, located in the heart of Europe. ... The Italian Republic or Italy (Italian: Repubblica Italiana or Italia) is a country in southern Europe. ... Francisco Guerrero (October 4 (?), 1528 – November 8, 1599) was a Spanish composer of the Renaissance. ... Cristóbal de Morales (c. ... Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (Born in Palestrina (Praeneste) or Rome, 1525, latest February 1, 1526 – February 2, 1594 in Rome) was an Italian composer of Renaissance music. ... Orlande de Lassus, a. ... Tomás Luis de Victoria (1548 – August 20, 1611) was a gifted Spanish composer of the late Renaissance. ...

17th and 18th centuries

A secular musical form which developed in the early 17th century was the zarzuela, a native form of opera. By the 17th century the "classical" musical culture of Spain was in decline, and was to remain that way until the late 19th century. Baroque music in Spain, when it arrived, was a pale imitation of Italian models; musical creativity mainly moved into areas of folk and popular music until the nationalist revival of the late Romantic era. (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... Zarzuela (IPA /θarθwela/) is the Spanish lyrical opera. ... This article is about opera as an art form. ... 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. ... Baroque music is Western classical music from the Baroque era, after the Renaissance music era and before the Classical music era proper. ...

Pop Music

Main article: Spanish popular music

Spanish pop began during the end of Francisco Franco's regime. By the late 1950s, a generation of performers were coming of age having been through the end of the Spanish Civil War. At the same time American and British music, especially rock and roll, was having an impact on Spanish audiences. Depending on context, pop music is either an abbreviation of popular music or, more recently, a term for a sub- genre of it. ... Francisco Franco, late in life Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco y Bahamonde Salgado Pardo de Andrade (December 4, 1892 - November 20, 1975), abbreviated Francisco Franco Bahamonde and sometimes known as Generalísimo Francisco Franco, was dictator of Spain from 1939 until his death in 1975. ... Events and trends Technology United States tests the first fusion bomb. ... Alternative meaning: Spanish Civil War, 1820-1823 A republican soldier seeks cover on the Plaza de Toros in Teruel, east of Madrid. ... Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ...

The Festival de la Canción De Benidorm was founded in 1959 in Benidorm, a seaside town attempting to boost local tourism. It was inspired by the Italian Festival di San Remo and followed by a wave of similar music festivals in places like Barcelona, Mallorca and the Canary Islands. The first major pop stars were all women, and they rose to fame through these music festivals. An injured Real Madrid player-turned-singer became the world-famous Julio Iglesias. 1959 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Benidorm (photo by Fruggo, march 2001) Benidorm is a town in the province of Spain. ... A music festival is a festival that presents a number of musical performances usually tied together through a theme or genre. ... Barcelona within Barcelonès Population ( 2003) 1,582,738 Area 1004 Km2 Population density ( 2001) 15,764/Km2 Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia, an autonomous region in northeastern Spain (41º 23 N, 2º 11 E). ... The flag of Majorca Majorca (Mallorca in Catalan and Spanish -- the spelling Mallorca is also frequently encountered in present-day English -- from Latin insula maior, later Maiorica major island) is one of the Balearic Islands (Illes Balears Catalan official name), which are located in the Mediterranean Sea and are a... Capitals Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Santa Cruz de Tenerife Area  – Total  – % of Spain Ranked 13th  7 447 km  1,5% Population  – Total (2003)  – % of Spain  – Density Ranked 8th  1 843 755  4,4%  247,58/km Demonym  – English  – Spanish Canary Islander canario/a Statute of Autonomy August 16, 1982... Emblem Real Madrid Club de Fútbol of Spain is the worlds most successful football club for the 20th century, rank by the governing body of international football FIFA, just ahead of Manchester United. ... Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva aka Julio Iglesias (born September 23, 1943) in Madrid is Spains best selling singer in history and one of the best selling Hispanic singers of all time. ...

The 1960s and early 70s were a time of economic and cultural flourishing in Spain (the años de desarrollo). Tourism boomed, bringing yet more musical styles from the rest of the continent and abroad. Centuries: 19th century - 20th century - 21st century Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s - 1960s - 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s Years: 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 Events and trends The 1960s was a turbulent decade of change around the world. ... Events and trends Although in the United States and in many other Western societies the 1970s are often seen as a period of transition between the turbulent 1960s and the more conservative 1980s and 1990s, many of the trends that are associated widely with the Sixties, from the Sexual Revolution...

Ye-Yé

Main article: Ye-Yé

Ye-Yé was a French term which the Spanish appropriated to refer to uptempo pop music that was a fusion of American rock from the early 60s (such as the twist) and British beat music. Concha Velasco, a singer and movie star, launched the scene with her 1965 hit "La Chicha Ye-Yé", though there had been hits earlier by female singers like Karina (1963). The earliest stars were in imitation of French pop, at the time itself an imitation of American and British pop and rock. Dark passion and Gitano rhythms, however, made the sound distinctively Spanish. Of the first generation of Spanish pop singers, Rosalia's 1965 hit "Flamenco" sounded most distinctively Spanish. The twist was a rock and roll dance popular in the early 1960s. ... Beat music is a music by the styles of Cha Cha Cha, Mambo, Rock en español, Tropical, Salsa, and Merengue. ... 1965 was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... Events January-February January 11 - The Whisky A Go-Go night club in Los Angeles, the first disco in the USA, is opened. ... 1965 was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ...

Performers

Main article: List of Spanish musicians

Some of Spain's most famous singers are: The Kingdom of Spain or Spain (Spanish and Galician: Reino de España or España; Catalan: Regne dEspanya; Basque: Espainiako Erresuma) is a country located in the southwest of Europe. ... In music a singer or vocalist is a type of musician who sings, i. ...

• Camarón de la Isla
• Pepe de Lucía
• Julio Iglesias
• Miguel Bosé
• María Jímenez
• Joaquín Sabina
• El Fary
• Ramoncín
• Alex Ubago

In addition to these, some famous groups, like Mecano, Héroes del Silencio, El Último de la Fila and others came from Spain. Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva aka Julio Iglesias (born September 23, 1943) in Madrid is Spains best selling singer in history and one of the best selling Hispanic singers of all time. ... Miguel Luchino González Bosé (born April 3, 1956), is a Latino actor and musician. ... (For the toy construction material, see Meccano) Mecano was a synth-pop (in Spanish, tecno) band from Madrid, Spain. ...

Also from Spain was the famous trio of singing clowns Gaby, Fofó y Miliki, and the humorist Chiquito de la Calzada.

Flamenco

Main article: Flamenco Flamenco is a song, music and dance style which is strongly influenced by the Gitanos, but which has its deeper roots in Moorish musical traditions. ...

Flamenco, an originally Gitano art-form strongly influenced by Andalusian music, consists of three forms: the song (cante), the dance (baile) and the guitar (guitarra). Its first reference in history occurs in 1774, from Cadalso's "Cartas Marruecas". Flamenco probably originated in Cádiz, Jérez de la Frontera and Triana, and is a descendant of musical forms left by Moorish invaders during the 8th-14th century. Influences from the Byzantine Empire, Egypt, Pakistan and India were also instrumental in forming the music. The word flamenco is most commonly considered derived from the Spanish word for Flemish, since in Flanders Spanish Jews were allowed their music without oppression, and where Gypsies had fought with distinction in war on behalf of Spain, and were rewarded by being allowed to settle in Andalucia. The Gitanos are Roma people living in Spain. ... For other uses, see Andalusia (disambiguation). ... The classical guitar typically has 3 nylon and 3 nickel-wound strings. ... Cádiz is a coastal city in southwestern Spain, in the region of Andalusia, and is the capital of the province of Cádiz. ... Jerez de la Frontera is a city and municipality in the province of Cádiz in the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. ... Triana might refer to: A large neighborhood of Seville, Spain, on the west bank of the river, that is famous for Flamenco music and traditional tilemaking. ... For the terrain type see Moor Moors is used in this article to describe the medieval Muslim inhabitants of al-Andalus and the Maghreb, whose culture is often called Moorish. For other meanings look at Moors (Meaning) or Blackamoors. ... (7th century — 8th century — 9th century — other centuries) Events The Iberian peninsula is taken by Arab and Berber Muslims, thus ending the Visigothic rule, and starting almost 8 centuries of Muslim presence there. ... (13th century - 14th century - 15th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 14th century was that century which lasted from 1301 to 1400. ... The Byzantine Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered at its capital in Constantinople. ... The Arab Republic of Egypt, commonly known as Egypt, (in Arabic: مصر, romanized Miṣr or Maṣr, in Egyptian dialect) is a republic mostly located in north-eastern Africa. ... The Islamic Republic of Pakistan (, or Islami Jamhooriya-e-Pakistan, in Urdu), or Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia and is part of the Greater Middle East. ... The Republic of India is the second most populous country in the world, with a population of more than one billion, and is the seventh largest country by geographical area. ... This article is in need of attention. ...

Regional folk music

Spain's autonomous regions have many of their own distinctive folk traditions, especially in Basque Country, Galicia and Catalonia. There is also a movement of folk-based singer-songwriters with politically active lyrics, paralleling similar developments across Latin America and Portugal. Capital Vitoria-Gasteiz Official languages Basque and Spanish Area  – Total  – % of Spain Ranked 14th   7 234 km²  1,4% Population  – Total (2003)  – % of Spain  – Density Ranked 7th  2 108 281  5,0%  291,44/km² Demonym  – English  – Basque  – Spanish  Basque  euskal herritar, euskaldun  vasco/a, vascongado/a Statute of Autonomy... Motto: Galiza Ceibe Capital Santiago de Compostela Official languages Galician and Castilian Area  – Total  – % of Spain Ranked 7th  29 574 km²  5,8% Population  – Total (2003)  – % of Spain  – Density Ranked 5th  2 737 370  6,5%  92,36/km² Demonym  – English  – Galician  – Spanish  Galician  galego  gallego Statute of Autonomy April... Capital Barcelona Official languages Spanish and Catalan In Val dAran, also Aranese. ... Folk music, in the original sense of the term, is music by and of the people. ... The term singer-songwriter refers to performers who both write and sing their own material. ... Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ... The Republic of Portugal (Portuguese: República Portuguesa) is a democratic republic located on the west and southwest parts of the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe, the westernmost country in continental Europe. ...

Basque Country

Main article: Basque music The Basque are an ethnic group living in parts of France and Spain, with the majority in the latter country. ...

The Basques are a unique ethnic group, unrelated to any other in Spain and with uncertain connections abroad. The main form of Basque folk music is called trikitrixa, which is based on the accordion and includes popular performers like Joseba Tapia and Kepa Junkera. There is also choral music, as well as Basque stars that sing in Spanish like Luis Mariano and Duncan Dhu. This article is about the Basque people. ... This article or section should be merged with ethnicity An ethnic group is a group of people who identify with one another, or are so identified by others, on the basis of a boundary that distinguishes them from other groups. ... a piano accordion An accordion is a small portable free-reed wind instrument with a keyboard, the smallest representative of the organ family. ...

Balearic Islands

Main article: Music of the Balearic Islands The Balearic Islands have become a center for musical innovation in the 20th century. ...

Majorca's Maria del Mar Bonet was one of the most influential artists of nova canço, known for her political and social lyrics. Tomeu Penya, Biel Majoral and Joan Bibiloni are also popular. Majorca (Mallorca in Catalan and Spanish. ... Maria del Mar Bonet is a Spanish singer from the island of Majorca. ...

Canary Islands

Main article: Music of the Canary Islands The Canary Islands used to be inhabited by a Hamitic race called the Guanches; they are now extinct, and Spaniards live on the islands. ...

The Canary Islands were formerly inhabited by a North African Hamitic people called the Guanches. Aragonese jota is now popular, and Latin American musical (Cuban) influences are especially widespread, especially in the presence of the charanga (a kind of guitar). Capitals Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Santa Cruz de Tenerife Area  – Total  – % of Spain Ranked 13th  7 447 km  1,5% Population  – Total (2003)  – % of Spain  – Density Ranked 8th  1 843 755  4,4%  247,58/km Demonym  – English  – Spanish Canary Islander canario/a Statute of Autonomy August 16, 1982... North Africa is a region generally considered to include: Algeria Egypt Libya Mauritania Morocco Sudan Tunisia Western Sahara The Canary Islands, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Madeira are sometimes considered to be a part of North Africa. ... The term Hamitic refers to peoples traditionally believed to have been descended from Ham, one of Noahs sons. ... Afro-Asiatic - Berber - Guanche Guanche was a language spoken on the Canary Islands up to the 16th century. ... Latin American music, or the music of Latin America, is sometimes called Latin music. ... The Caribbean island of Cuba has been influential in the development of multiple musical styles in the 19th and 20th centuries. ... A charanga is a Cuban orchestra composed of piano, strings, vocals, flute and Cuban musical style characterized by this kind of orchestration. ... The classical guitar typically has 3 nylon and 3 nickel-wound strings. ...

Murcia

Main article: Music of Murcia Murcia is a region in Spain whose music is most famously the religious Auroras songs, which are derived from La Mancha and Andalusia. ...

Murcia is a dry region which has very strong Moorish influences, as well as Andalusian. Flamenco and guitar-accompanied cante jondo is especially associated with Murcia. Murcia is a city in southeastern Spain, and is the capital of the Autonomous Community of Murcia, on the Segura river. ... For other uses, see Andalusia (disambiguation). ... Flamenco is a song, music and dance style which is strongly influenced by the Gitanos, but which has its deeper roots in Moorish musical traditions. ... The classical guitar typically has 3 nylon and 3 nickel-wound strings. ...

Extremadura

Main article: Music of Extremadura Extremadura is a region in Spain near Portugal. ...

Having long been the poorest part of Spain, Extremadura is a largely rural region known for a strong Portuguese music. The zambomba drum, which is played by pulling on a rope which is inside the drum, is found throughout Spain but is characteristic of Extremadura. The jota of Aragon is common, here played with triangles, castanets, guitars, tambourines, accordions and zambombas. Capital Mérida Area  – Total  – % of Spain Ranked 5th  41 634 km²  8,2% Population  – Total (2003)  – % of Spain  – Density Ranked 13th  1 073 050  2,6%  25,77/km² Demonym  – English  – Spanish  —  extremeño/a Statute of Autonomy February 26, 1983 ISO 3166-2 EX Parliamentary representation  – Congress seats  – Senate seats... The Republic of Portugal (Portuguese: República Portuguesa) is a democratic republic located on the west and southwest parts of the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe, the westernmost country in continental Europe. ... The triangle is an idiophonic musical instrument of the percussion family. ... Renoirs 1909 painting Dancing girl with castanets Castanets The castanets are a percussion instrument (idiophone), much used in Moorish music, Gypsy music, Spanish music and Latin American music. ... The classical guitar typically has 3 nylon and 3 nickel-wound strings. ... Spanish antique tambourine The tambourine is musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a single drumhead mounted on a ring with small metal jingles. ... a piano accordion An accordion is a small portable free-reed wind instrument with a keyboard, the smallest representative of the organ family. ...

Castile, Madrid and Leon

Main article: Music of Castile, Madrid and Leon Central Spain includes the cultural melting pot of Madrid and Castille. ...

A large inland region, Castile, Madrid and Leon are predominantly Celtiberian in cultural origin, showing influences from Celtic and North African sources. The area has been a melting pot, however, and Gitanos, Portuguese, Jewish, Roman, Visigothic and Moorish sources have left a mark on the region's character. A former kingdom of Spain, Castile comprises the two regions of Old Castile in north-western Spain, and New Castile in the centre of the country. ... Coat of arms The Plaza de España square Madrid, the capital of Spain, is located in the center of the country at 40°25′ N 3°45′ W. Population of the city of Madrid proper was 3,093,000 (Madrilenes, madrileños) as of 2003 estimates. ... The name Leon or León may refer to: Places in Spain León, city Leon, province Castile-Leon, autonomous community Kingdom of León, historical kingdom Places in Central America León, Guanajuato, Mexico León, Nicaragua Places in the United States De Leon, Texas DeLeon Springs, Florida Leon, Iowa Leon, Kansas Leon, New... The Celtiberians dwelt in the Iberian Peninsula and spoke a Celtic language. ... The word Celtic can refer to: the European Celtic people, ancient or modern the Celtic languages, spoken by these people and their modern descendents the Celtic (Lusitania), Celts from the Alentejo. ... North Africa is a region generally considered to include: Algeria Egypt Libya Mauritania Morocco Sudan Tunisia Western Sahara The Canary Islands, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Madeira are sometimes considered to be a part of North Africa. ... The Gitanos are Roma people living in Spain. ... The Republic of Portugal (Portuguese: República Portuguesa) is a democratic republic located on the west and southwest parts of the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe, the westernmost country in continental Europe. ... The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination of these attributes. ... Location within Italy The Roman Colosseum Rome (Italian and Latin: Roma) is the capital city of Italy and of its Latium region. ... The Visigoths, originally Tervingi, or Vesi (the noble ones), one of the two main branches of the Goths (of which the Ostrogothi were the other), were one of the loosely-termed Germanic peoples that disturbed the late Roman Empire. ... A high altitude form of heathland habitat widespread in northern Britain; see heath. ...

Aragonese jota is popular, but uniquely slow in Castille and Leon. The instrumentation also varies here much more than in Aragon. Especially in northern Leon, Galician influences are common, especially in the appearance of the gaita. The Maragatos people, of uncertain origin, have a unique musical style and live in Leon, around Astorga. The city of Salamanca is known as the home of tuna, a serenade played with guitars and tambourines, mostly by students dressed in medieval clothing. Madrid is known for chotis music. Andalusian flamenco is popular throughout Spain, with the central regions especially known for flamenco. Capital Zaragoza Area  - total  - % of Spain Ranked 4th 47 719 km 9,4% Population  - Total (2003)  - % of Spain  - Density Ranked 11th 1 217 514 2,9% 25,51/km Demonym  - English  - Spanish Aragonese aragon s Statute of Autonomy August 16, 1982 ISO 3166-2 AR Parliamentary representation  Congress seats  Senate... Motto: Galiza Ceibe Capital Santiago de Compostela Official languages Galician and Castilian Area  – Total  – % of Spain Ranked 7th  29 574 km²  5,8% Population  – Total (2003)  – % of Spain  – Density Ranked 5th  2 737 370  6,5%  92,36/km² Demonym  – English  – Galician  – Spanish  Galician  galego  gallego Statute of Autonomy April... Gaita is the Spanish name for the bagpipe used in Galicia and Asturias. ... Astorga (Latin Asturica Augusta) is a city in the province of León, Spain. ... For other places named Salamanca, see Salamanca (disambiguation). ... In music, a Serenade (or sometimes Serenata) is, in its most general sense, a musical composition, and/or performance, in someones honor. ... The classical guitar typically has 3 nylon and 3 nickel-wound strings. ... Spanish antique tambourine The tambourine is musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a single drumhead mounted on a ring with small metal jingles. ... Coat of arms The Plaza de España square Madrid, the capital of Spain, is located in the center of the country at 40°25′ N 3°45′ W. Population of the city of Madrid proper was 3,093,000 (Madrilenes, madrileños) as of 2003 estimates. ... For other uses, see Andalusia (disambiguation). ... Flamenco is a song, music and dance style which is strongly influenced by the Gitanos, but which has its deeper roots in Moorish musical traditions. ...

Navarre and La Rioja

Main article: Music of Navarre and La Rioja

Navarre and La Rioja are small region that has diverse cultural elements. Northern Navarre is Basque in character, while the southern section is more Aragonese. The jota, a form of music more closely associated with Aragon, is also known in both Navarre and La Rioja. Navarre (Spanish Navarra, Basque Nafarroa) is an autonomous community and province of Spain. ... La Rioja is a province and autonomous community of northern Spain. ... This article is about the Basque people. ... Capital Zaragoza Area  - total  - % of Spain Ranked 4th 47 719 km 9,4% Population  - Total (2003)  - % of Spain  - Density Ranked 11th 1 217 514 2,9% 25,51/km Demonym  - English  - Spanish Aragonese aragon s Statute of Autonomy August 16, 1982 ISO 3166-2 AR Parliamentary representation  Congress seats  Senate...

Aragon

Main article: Music of Aragon Aragon is a region in northeastern Spain. ...

Aragon is a rural region inhabited by people of Iberian descent, primarily, though Celtic, Moorish and French influences remain. The jota is a genre now popular across Spain with historical roots in the southern part of Aragon. Jota instruments include the castanets, tambourines and flutes. Aragonese music can be characterized by a complex percussive element, possibly a descendant of North African Tuaregs and Berbers. The guitarro, a unique kind of guitar, is also Aragonese in origin. Capital Zaragoza Area  - total  - % of Spain Ranked 4th 47 719 km 9,4% Population  - Total (2003)  - % of Spain  - Density Ranked 11th 1 217 514 2,9% 25,51/km Demonym  - English  - Spanish Aragonese aragon s Statute of Autonomy August 16, 1982 ISO 3166-2 AR Parliamentary representation  Congress seats  Senate... Iberia can mean: The Iberian peninsula of southwest Europe; That part of it inhabited by the Iberians, speaking the Iberian language. ... The word Celtic can refer to: the European Celtic people, ancient or modern the Celtic languages, spoken by these people and their modern descendents the Celtic (Lusitania), Celts from the Alentejo. ... A high altitude form of heathland habitat widespread in northern Britain; see heath. ... The French Republic or France (French: République française or France) is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents. ... Renoirs 1909 painting Dancing girl with castanets Castanets The castanets are a percussion instrument (idiophone), much used in Moorish music, Gypsy music, Spanish music and Latin American music. ... Spanish antique tambourine The tambourine is musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a single drumhead mounted on a ring with small metal jingles. ... This article pertains to the musical instrument. ... Percussion instruments are played by being struck, shaken, rubbed or scraped. ... North Africa is a region generally considered to include: Algeria Egypt Libya Mauritania Morocco Sudan Tunisia Western Sahara The Canary Islands, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Madeira are sometimes considered to be a part of North Africa. ... The Tuareg are an African ethnic group or nation. ... The Berbers (also called Imazighen, free men, singular Amazigh) are a predominantly Muslim ethnic group indigenous to the Maghreb, speaking the Berber languages of the Afroasiatic family. ... The classical guitar typically has 3 nylon and 3 nickel-wound strings. ...

Valencia

Main article: Music of Valencia Valencia is one of the musical centers in Spain, and is known for its own variety of jota distinct from the Aragonese version, as well as bandes found in almost every village in the region. ...

Valencia has a kind of popular dance called "La Jota" that we is also found in other parts of Spain, especially Aragón. Valencia has a reputation for musical innovation, and performing brass bands called bandes are common, with one appearing in almost every town. The group Al Tall is also well-known, experimenting with the Berber band Muluk El Hwa. Pavement of a Valencia street, with arbour. ... The Lochgelly Band, a Scottish colliery band, circa 1890 A brass band is a musical group consisting mostly of brass instruments, often with a percussion section. ... The Berbers (also called Imazighen, free men, singular Amazigh) are a predominantly Muslim ethnic group indigenous to the Maghreb, speaking the Berber languages of the Afroasiatic family. ...

Catalonia

Main article: Music of Catalonia Catalonia (in Spain and France) has one of the oldest documented musical traditions in Europe, and has had a rich musical culture continuously for at least two thousand years. ...

Catalonia is best known for sardana played by cobla. There are other traditional styles of music like ball the bastons, galops, ball de gitanes. And the music take personality in cercaviles and celebrations similar to Patum. The habaneres singers remain popular. Today in the young people is very popular the music movement called Rock Català, and some years ago was relevant the Nova Cançó. The Catalan gipsies has created their own style of rumba called rumba catalana. The sardana (plural sardanes) is a type of circle dance typical of Catalonia. ... Habanera is an adjective meaning from Havana (also known as La Habana), Cuba. ... Rumba is both a family of music rhythms and a dance style that originated in Africa and traveled via the slave trade to Cuba and the New World. ...

Galicia, Cantabria and Asturias

Main article: Music of Galicia, Cantabria and Asturias The Spanish regions of Galicia, Asturias and Cantabria are clustered together in the northern part of the country. ...

Northwest Spain (Galicia, Asturias and Cantabria) is home to Celtic-derived culture and folk music. Local festivals celebrating the area's Celtic influence are common, with Ortigueira's Festival del Mundo Celta being especially important. Drum, bagpipe and pipe groups are the most common form of Galician folk music, and include popular bands like Milladoiro. Bagpipe virtuoso Carlos Nuñez is an especially popular performer; he has worked with Ireland's The Chieftains and Sinéad O'Connor, United States' Ry Cooder and Cuba's Vieja Trova Santiaguera. Motto: Galiza Ceibe Capital Santiago de Compostela Official languages Galician and Castilian Area  – Total  – % of Spain Ranked 7th  29 574 km²  5,8% Population  – Total (2003)  – % of Spain  – Density Ranked 5th  2 737 370  6,5%  92,36/km² Demonym  – English  – Galician  – Spanish  Galician  galego  gallego Statute of Autonomy April... Asturias - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... Capital Santander Area  - Total  - % of Spain Ranked 15th 5 321 km² 1. ... The word Celtic can refer to: the European Celtic people, ancient or modern the Celtic languages, spoken by these people and their modern descendents the Celtic (Lusitania), Celts from the Alentejo. ... A bagpipe performer in Amsterdam. ... Carlos Nuñez is a musician from Galicia, Spain, who plays the gaita, a kind of bagpipes. ... A true colour image of Ireland, captured by a NASA satellite on January 4, 2003. ... The Chieftains is an Irish musical group founded in 1962, known for performing and popularizing Irish traditional music. ... Sinéad OConnor (born December 8, 1966) is an Irish pop singer and songwriter. ... The United States of America — also referred to as the United States, the U.S.A., the U.S., America, the States, or (archaically) Columbia—is a federal republic of 50 states located primarily in central North America (with the exception of two states: Alaska and Hawaii). ... Ry Cooder (born March 15, 1947) is a guitarist especially well known for his slide guitar work. ... The Republic of Cuba is an archipelago in the northern Caribbean that lies at the confluence of the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. ...

Galician folk music is characteristically the alalas song forms. Alalas are believed to be chant-based popular songs of a long history, perhaps closely related to Gregorian chanting. Some scholars also point to a Greek origin, or Phoenician rowing songs. A chant is the rhythmic speaking or singing of words or sounds, either on a single pitch or with a simple notes and often including a great deal of repetition or statis. ... Gregorian chant is also known as plainchant or plainsong, and is a form of monophonic, unaccompanied singing, which was developed in the Catholic church, mainly during the period 800-1000. ... Greece, officaly called the Hellenic Republic (Greek: Ελληνική Δημοκρατία), is a country in the southeast of Europe on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula. ... Phoenicia was an ancient civilization in the north of ancient Canaan, with its heartland along the coastal plain of what is now Lebanon and Syria. ... The GB coxless pair of Toby Garbett & Rick Dunn at Henley Royal Regatta 2004. ...

Andalusia

Main article: Music of Andalusia Andalusia is a region in Spain that is best-known for flamenco, a form of music and dance that is Gypsy in origin and popular throughout the world. ...

Andalusia is best known for flamenco, a popular form of Roma music (see below for more information). The region has also produced singer-songwriters like Javier Ruibal and Carlos Cano, who revived a traditional music called copla. Kiko Veneno and Joaquín Sabina are popular performers in a distinctly Spanish-style rock music, while Sephardic musicians like Aurora Morena, Luís Delgado and Rosa Zaragoza have made Andalusia a center for Sephardic music. Flamenco is a song, music and dance style which is strongly influenced by the Gitanos, but which has its deeper roots in Moorish musical traditions. ... The Roma people (pronounced rahma, singular Rom, sometimes Rroma, and Rrom) along with the closely related Sinti people are commonly known as Gypsies in English, and as Tsigany in most of Europe. ... The term singer-songwriter refers to performers who both write and sing their own material. ... Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ... The Sephardic Jews are one of the two main ethnicities among Diaspora Jews, the other being the Ashkenazi. ...

Samples

• Download recording of "Venid pastores", a Spanish-American Christmas song from the Library of Congress' California Gold: Northern California Folk Music from the Thirties Collection; performed by Aurora Calderon on April 10, 1939 in Oakland, California
• Download recording - "Alfonso Doce" Minorcan song from the Library of Congress' Florida Folklife from the WPA Collections; performed by Maria Hugas de Aceval on September 26, 1939 in St. Augustine, Florida

Aerial view looking west over downtown Oakland, Lake Merritt and the Port of Oakland in the upper left portion of the image. ... St. ...

References

• Fairley, Jan. "A Wild, Savage Feeling". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 1: Africa, Europe and the Middle East, pp 279-291. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0
• Fairley, Jan with Manuel Domínguez. "A Tale of Celts and Islanders". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 1: Africa, Europe and the Middle East, pp 292-297. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0