FLAMENCO VOCABULARY

What’s a certamen?

The term “certamen” means competition in Spanish, and flamenco competitions are extremely popular in Spain as a way to promote artists and renew and preserve the artform.

From 1860- 1910, cafés cantantes (cabarets) emerged that shifted flamenco from being performed only at intimate events like parties, weddings, and funerals to flamenco as spectacle- having a wider audience. This period is known as the “Golden Age” of flamenco. As flamenco’s popularity continued to grow, performances started to take place in larger venues, like theatres and bullrings, and were called Ópera Flamenca. This era is characterized by lighter happier songs, known today as fandangos, coplas, and songs de ida y vuelta (musical styles with Latin American origins). Flamenco became immensely popular, but also suffered from commercialism. In 1922, one of Spain’s greatest writers, Federico García Lorca, and renowned composer Manuel de Falla, organized the Concurso de Cante Jondo, a music festival and competition dedicated to cante jondo (deep song). They did this to stimulate interest in styles of flamenco that were endangered, because they were often considered too intense for the cafés cantantes. The jury for the Concurso included four famous flamenco performers: Antonio Chacón, Pastora Pavón (La Niña de los Peines), Manuel Torre, and Juana la Macarrona. Winners included El Tío Tenazas and a twelve-year-old cantaor named Manolo Ortega, who later became famous by the name El Caracol.

Today, certamenes and concursos continue to introduce us to flamenco greats, bringing new life to the artform while preserving tradition. Flamenco Vivo presents the only flamenco certamen in the United States, supporting emerging artists!