Verdiales are a
Flamenco
Flamenco () is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the Gitanos, gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and Region of Murcia, ...
music style, and song form belonging to
cante chico.
Originating in Almogía, near the Spanish port of
Málaga
Málaga (; ) is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 591,637 in 2024, it is the second-most populo ...
in
Andalucía, it is based upon the
fandango
Fandango is a lively partner dance originating in Portugal and Spain, usually in triple metre, triple meter, traditionally accompanied by guitars, castanets, tambourine or hand-clapping. Fandango can both be sung and danced. Sung fandango is u ...
. For this reason, the verdiales are sometimes known as ''fandangos de Málaga.''
Normally played in the key of E phrygian (key of C major with a sharpened fifth) and rarely in A minor, the verdiales have a 12-count rhythm similar to the
soleares, and
bulerías
''Bulería'' (; interchangeable with the plural, ''bulerías'') is a fast flamenco rhythm made up of a 12 beat cycle with emphasis in two general forms as follows:
This may be thought of as a measure of followed by a measure of (known ...
.
Listen to verdiales(2:18, 502Kb). This example shows some of the more common
falseta {{for, the male singing voice, Falsetto
A Falseta is part of Flamenco music. They are usually short melodies played by the guitarist(s) in between sung verses, or to accompany dancers. In a guitar solo, the artists play already created falsetas or i ...
s you are likely to hear at an informal flamenco performance.
External links
Get to know the flamenco forms: verdialesverdiales site
Flamenco styles
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