Tajaraste (From Berber ) is combined music and dance typical of the
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...
, Spain. It is specific to the islands of
Tenerife
Tenerife ( ; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands, an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. With a land area of and a population of 965,575 inhabitants as of A ...
and
La Gomera
La Gomera () is one of Spain's Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. With an area of , it is the third-smallest of the archipelago's eight main islands. It belongs to the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. La Gomer ...
. Essentially an upbeat, happy and syncopated rhythm, danced in pairs accompanied by tambourines, drums and small
castanet
Castanets, also known as ''clackers'' or ''palillos'', are a percussion instrument ( idiophonic), used in Spanish, Calé, Moorish, Ottoman, Greek, Italian, Mexican, Sephardic, Portuguese, Filipino, Brazilian, and Swiss music. In ancient ...
-like instruments called
chácaras.
The dance is collective in nature and its choreography changes from island to island. The differences arise from the originating island.
Tajarastes arrived in the European courts in the 16th century. Its songs are from ancient
romances rising back to after the
conquest of the Canary Islands
The conquest of the Canary Islands by the Crown of Castile took place between 1402 and 1496 in two periods: the , carried out by Castilian nobility in exchange for a covenant of allegiance to the crown, and the , carried out by the Spanish crow ...
.
They describe stories, miracles and forbidden loves.
It probably inspired the
Canary dance
The Canary dance (known as Canario in Italian sources, Canarie in French ones) was a Renaissance dance inspired in an indigenous dance and song of the Canary Islands, Spain (probably the one known as Tajaraste) that became popular all over Europe ...
which became popular all over Europe in the late 16th and early 17th century.
References
External links
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6xZn77yi9I
* http://www.tajaraste.org/index2.php
{{Music in spanish
Music of Spain