A Musical Instrument by Luis Cernuda

 

If an Arab musician

Plucks the lute strings

With an eagle quill

To awaken the notes

 

What hand plucks

With what bird’s quill

The wound in you

That awakens the world?

 

Duende, the reason why I’m here has become nearly extinct in flamenco (in the city at least) and my research in the field has led to many experiences that have deepened my knowledge and made me realize that I have arrived in Sevilla about fifty years too late to experience the duende in flamenco.

The legendary Manuel Torre once told a singer, “You have a voice, you know the styles, but you will never triumph, because you have no duende.” I think that his statement applies to much of the flamenco music heard today as well. Flamenco was born out of the caves in Granada and the first songs (the siguiriyas) came from misery, sadness and longing – these songs contain all the “black sounds” of duende.

 

Manuel Torre (1878-1933) is one of the most famous Romani flamenco singers in history. He primarily sang siguiyriyas and solea (cante jondo or deep song).
Manuel Torre (1878-1933) is one of the most famous Romani flamenco singers in history. He primarily sang siguiyriyas and solea (cante jondo or deep song).

Today through the appropriation of flamenco and commercialization of musicians the same emotional honesty required to access a state of duende is almost impossible to access. This may be because musicians are now attempting to copy recordings of former flamenco masters which has reduced the importance of individuality or it could be because most tourists only want to see the flashy, sensual kind of flamenco. Whatever the reason may be, duende has become a rare occurrence in flamenco music today.

This, however, doesn’t mean that duende has ceased to exist. Federico Garcia Lorca said that “Every art…is capable of duende,” and so instead of feeling disheartened by what I’ve learned about flamenco, I feel like I have a much clearer idea of what I’m searching for and am excited to explore a new vein of Spanish music.

Instead of focusing my last week of field study on bullfighting as planned, I’ve decided to focus my last week on studying how the Spanish Civil War impacted Spanish artists and composers throughout Europe and inspired them to create great pieces of work, pieces that invoke the spirit of duende.

 

Republican female and male militia fighters march at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War in July of 1936.
Republican female and male militia fighters march at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War in July of 1936.

The Spanish Civil War broke out in the hot summer of 1936. To simplify things (a lot) the last king of the Spanish monarchy was overthrown by the Republican forces who established a new constitution that instituted “freedom of speech and freedom of association, extended suffrage to women in 1933, and stripped the Spanish nobility of any special legal status.” In this constitution they also allowed regions to become autonomous which was one of the prominent issues of 20th century Spain. Both Catalonia and the Basque Country exercised this right. The Republic also imposed strict rules and regulations on the Catholic church (that had enjoyed immense power since before the Inquisition) which many religious leaders including the Pope said deprived Catholics of their civil liberties. This eventually led to the conservative uprising led by Fascist Francisco Franco.

The Fascist army was heavily backed by Mussolini and Hitler while the Republican forces fought only with the people who remained loyal to the Republic which was the majority of Spain. Though the Republicans repeatedly sought help from several countries, they were almost entirely ignored. I am reading a book called Hell and Good Company by Richard Rhodes that details the brutality of Franco’s army through the writing of incredible writers like Ernest Hemingway and I am constantly amazed that the Republicans were able to hold on to Spain for so long.

 

Francisco Franco (1936-1975) shakes hands with ally Adolf Hitler (1889-1945).
Francisco Franco (1936-1975) shakes hands with ally Adolf Hitler (1889-1945).

Unfortunately the Republicans lost the war in 1939 and Spain remained under Franco’s rule until his death in 1975.

This week I will finish reading Hell and Good Company and do more research into the composers and artists who were significantly impacted by the Spanish Civil War like Pablo Casals and Picasso, what they created in that time period, the ways that duende shows up in their work from this time period.