Traditional music
Although Madrid and Castile are not devoid of folklore, it's always a good idea to get to know the country's traditional music. In Madrid, there are few pure Madrilenians, and Spaniards are generally very attached to the traditions of their native regions. Among the most famous, flamenco is undoubtedly the postcard of the country. The genre originated in 18th-century Andalusia. Originally performed a cappella, over time it expanded to include the clapping of hands (palmas), castanets and guitar. Although it is commonly referred to as "flamenco", like the singing and dancing, the music that accompanies it is called el toque. Listed by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010, flamenco is a treasure cherished by Spaniards and maintained at a high level of excellence by masters such as Paco de Lucia, Diego el Cigala and Tomatito. Before the birth of flamenco, the fandango was the most popular Spanish music (and dance). Voluptuous and energetic, it is also Andalusian and can be recognized by its continuous castanet rhythm and constantly accelerating tempo. Typical of Catalonia, the cobla is the instrumental ensemble that accompanies the sardana (or " sardanas ") - these dances in a circle, linked by the hands, arms in the air - and plays tunes characteristic of the region. In Galicia, the melancholy muñeira reveals the region's Celtic influences, and features the gaita, the Spanish bagpipe. And finally, the paso doble, a dance well known in France, was originally Spanish martial music played at bullfights.
During Franco's dictatorship, folk dances and music were banned, as the regime wished to erase regional specificities and standardize the country. After his death in 1975, the country experienced a renaissance in folk music. Today, folk music is performed regularly, especially during religious celebrations such as the Feast of the Three Saints in August or San Isidro, Madrid's patron saint, in May.
Classical music
After the Reconquista in the 16th century, Spain's exchanges with Flanders and France led to the emergence of a polyphonic singing style. Three composers were the first to put Spain on the world musical map: Mateo Flecha, Tomás Luis de Victoria and Francisco Guerrero. The former is best known for his ensaladas (literally "salads"), works for four or five voices written to entertain the court, while the latter, a Catholic priest, is the most famous polyphonist of the Spanish Renaissance. The latter, Francisco Guerrero, was one of the leading Spanish composers of the period, devoting his work to sacred music. In the 17th and 18th centuries, in addition to the Italian influence marked by the presence of Domenico Scarlatti, Luigi Boccherini and Gaetano Brunetti, residents of the Madrid court, Spanish music was characterized by the birth and flourishing of zarzuelas. Similar to the French opéra-comique, this Spanish lyrical theater was originally intended to entertain the royal court. During the 18th century, zarzuela spread to the provinces, drawing on local traditions and beginning to incorporate everyday subjects into its repertoire. Nineteenth-century Spain asserted its identity through this operetta, which evolved thanks in part to Francisco Barbieri, blending a half-Italian, half-French style with typically Madrilenian popular accents. In the second half of the 19th century, the genre came into its own with the masterpieces of Bretón and Chapí. The musicologist and composer Felipe Pedrell is another important figure in the genre. Today, zarzuela is performed less frequently, but there are still plenty of them, notably at the Café de la Ópera, which hosts them almost every evening in its restaurant section called La Cena encantada. On stage, the great Teatro Calderón offers a large number of them, and the aptly named Théâtre de la Zarzuela is dedicated to them.
The revival of Spanish music at the end of the 19th century involved the marriage of learned music and national folklore, embodied in the work of three men: Isaac Albeniz, Enrique Granados and, above all, Manuel de Falla. Inscribed in the Spanish Music Hall of Fame, the latter is the country's great pianist and composer. For a time, he lived in Paris, where he frequented the likes of Debussy, Ravel and Stravinsky, drawing inspiration from their modernism to establish a new, purely Iberian, neoclassical grammar. A Spanish musical genius whose work is best appreciated by listening to Le Tricorne (ballet music), the magnificent Nuits dans les jardins d'Espagne or his opera La Vie Brève. A passionate lover of his country, the outcome of the Civil War led him to seek refuge in Argentina, where he spent his final years. During Franco's reign, in the 1940s, the Spanish National Orchestra was created - today the country's most prestigious ensemble - and figures such as Joaquín Rodrigo (the great classical composer of the period), the immense cellist Pablo Casals (1876-1973) and the fantastic pianist Alicia de Larrocha (1923-2009) emerged. Then, in the 1960s, the avant-garde set the pace. Cristóbal Halffter and Luis de Pablo, figureheads of the Generación del 51 movement, brought Spain out of the isolation caused by the dictatorship by introducing new musical techniques such as dodecaphony and serialism. Since then, the late twentieth and early twentieth centuries have seen a succession of talented performers: tenors Placido Domingo and José Carreras, violinist and conductor Jordi Savall, and his ex-wife, Catalan soprano Montserrat Figueras. Other notable conductors include Pablo Heras Casado (director of the Granada Festival), Josep Pons (l'Orquesta Sinfónica del Gran Teatro del Liceo) and Gustavo Gimeno (Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra), as well as piano soloists Javier Perianes and Luis Fernando Pérez. Jesús López Cobos, who passed away in 2018, was for many years the Spanish face of conducting worldwide. And while he is best remembered for his work with the London Symphony Orchestra, he also conducted the Spanish National Orchestra and was musical director of the Teatro Real, Madrid's two great classical institutions. The former is highly regarded, with an excellent reputation, and can be seen on stage at theAuditorio Nacional de Música. The second is the Madrid Opera, with its superb program.
Jazz
Less well known than other European scenes, Spanish jazz nonetheless boasts well-fed ranks following in the footsteps of Pedro Iturralde, the great reformer. Famous for combining flamenco and jazz, this great saxophonist recorded several albums for the Blue Note label. With pianist Tete Montoliu, he was the star duo of Spanish jazz. A world figure in hard-bop, the greats sought out his magical fingers, and he collaborated with the cream of his time. Then there's pianist Chano Domínguez, who under Franco's dictatorship played in progressive rock bands, but exploded as a jazz pianist in the 1990s. Today, the Spanish scene can count on talents such as saxophonist and trumpeter Andrea Motis, veteran saxophonist Gorka Benítez, Ignasi Terraza and Marco Mezquida, two Spanish piano stars, and singer Carme Canela i Mir. A bevy of great names to be seen on the city's stages, including Cafe Central, a favorite of Madrid locals since the early 1980s, and Clamores, another of the capital's legendary venues, where the greatest in the genre have performed for over 30 years.
Rock
A few years later, the death of General Franco in 1975 triggered the Movida, that great artistic movement of the 1980s where everything seemed to be allowed. Crossing all the arts and advocating a free and intense lifestyle, the Movida found a musical incarnation tailor-made for it: rock. Initially underground, the scene soon found leaders like the now emblematic group Leño. Madrid, the capital of the Movida, saw the creation of a constellation of soon-to-be cult groups such as Radio Futura (often described as the most important group in Spanish pop culture), the synthpop of Aviador Dro and Nacha Pop. Since then, Movida rock has spawned many children, and Spain remains the European country with the most effervescent rock scene. Known and appreciated beyond Spain's borders: the boiling garage rock of the Hinds girls, as well as Los Nastys and The Parrots (from Madrid). Given the country's tradition in this genre, the capital boasts a number of live rock venues. Among them, La Vaca Austera is particularly lively, Taboó (very new wave) and La Vía Láctea are two legendary venues in Malasaña, Contraclub is rock, but not exclusively, and Honky Tonk, a legendary venue from the Movida era, is still going strong.
The dance
As is the case almost everywhere else in Spain, each traditional form of music has its own characteristic dance. The best-known example is, of course, flamenco. In this Andalusian dance, heels click and dresses twirl in an intense, graceful game of seduction. Flamenco may be the best-known Spanish dance, but it's not the most widespread or practiced in the country. In fact, flamenco is danced more in its artistic form, more for show than for tradition. In Madrid, flamenco is performed almost daily at the Centro Cultural Flamenco de Madrid, at the Corral de La Morería (considered Spain's "cathedral of flamenco art"). Alternatively, top flamenco dancers such as Sara Baras and Rocio Molina (two of Spain's leading figures) regularly grace the stages of Madrid theaters such as Teatro Calderón. Flamenco's little sister, the Sevillana, comes from the same folk tradition and is often associated with it. A Sevillana is divided into 4 parts: the meeting, the seduction, the quarrel and the reconciliation. Also Andalusian, the fandango predates flamenco and is danced in couples. Among Spain's oldest dances is the Bolero, a lively, fiery genre. There's also the jota, a very physical Aragonese dance, full of hops, and of course the typical Madrid dance, the chotis, a mixture of machismo and seduction in very simple steps. It's particularly popular during San Isidro.
