Countless years ago, people began inventing musical instruments to imitate the rhythms and music of nature; also to express and extend their feelings and to communicate their emotion, both on a human and a spiritual level. One of these genius instruments has evolved as the guitar; treated here, specifically, as the flamenco guitar.

I do not know of anyone who can say for certain when the first flamenco guitar was made or who made it. Indeed, it was a strong bit of genius that so strongly captured the flamenco musical soul.

The guitar was the late-comer in flamenco. For centuries, songs were sung freely with rhythmical accompaniment of tapping sticks, canes and palmas. Dance was done with bare feet against the earth, or in whatever footwear was available. No fancy boots with nail-filled heels against hardwood floors; that would come later with the discovery that flamenco was destined to become a universal performing art.

Although the guitar was the late-comer in the total picture of flamenco art, it was this instrument and its music that unified and made cohesive this magical trilogy of music, song and dance.

Bits of artfully crafted wood, six strings stretched to the tension of three octaves and - magic, an instrument capable of expressing the total range of human joy or sorrow, of mood, depth of feeling and emotion and even the reason for living, when blended with the song of the soul and the dance rhythms of life. The guitar was a natural for flamenco expression, for it has a range of mood obtained from the many races of people who gave it rhythm, depth, soul, tone and melody.

One of the main differences of flamenco guitar and other related cousin instruments is the pulse. A Gypsy violin wants to cry, to woo, to smile, to seduce. To all of this, the flamenco guitar wants to pulse, to mark the heartbeat and rhythms of the soul. Not bow against strings; but fingers against strings, caressing the compas, the mood, the melody, the feeling of music, song and dance that is of the earth and spirit.

In a quantum leap from the golden era of the cafe cantante, the playing of the flamenco guitar has gone from pluck and strum to the interpretations of countless flamenco styles and forms; both in accompaniment and as a solo instrument, with a range of technique that was unheard of a few years ago.

There are no videos or films of this beginning era of the cafe cantante when flamenco melted together music, song and dance as a performing art for the pleasure of the public and a bit of a living for the artists. There are few audio recordings of this flamenco era. It would be interesting to use deductive reasoning as to how this evolution of flamenco guitar accompaniment began to take form with song and dance.

The flamenco guitar as we know it today seemed to develop around the same time as the emergence of flamenco as a performing art in the era of cafe cantante. Up until the middle of the 19th century, guitars in Spain were basically Spanish guitars, and were constructed similarly whether they were used for classical, folk or flamenco. It is generally credited to a few artists, such as famed guitar-maker Antonio de Torres Jurado, who constructed the flamenco guitar in the basic design that we know today. With the use of Spanish cypress for the back and sides, constructed in a thinner manner than the thicker, mellow rosewood, he was able to achieve that vibrant and distinctive sound that is a natural accompaniment for the sound of the flamenco cante and has the driving rhythm capability for the percussive sounds of the dance.

The traditional flamenco guitar has other differences from the classical guitar, both internally and externally. One of these differences is the golpeador, which protects the guitar from the finer-tapping techniques of flamenco playing. It is always interesting to see natural evolution occur out of necessity, and the subtleties of guitar construction came along as the popularity of flamenco evolved.

Since the flamenco guitar evolved as an accompanying instrument for the song and dance, it had to meet the technical, aesthetic, emotional and artistic needs and demands unique in flamenco dance and song. Over the years, all of these needs seem to have been met by many of the guitar makers - a guitar that can provide the harsher-type of sound to match the flamenco voice, a brilliance and treble-clarity and a crisp percussive action and sound, and the ability to provide a driving rhythmical force to meet all of the power related to flamenco.

The development of the guitarist as a professional flamenco accompanist was very different than playing for a singer or dancer in private fiesta. the cafe cantantes and early tablaos demanded a show of time an space requirements, of going on and turning on at a set time for a set series of events, songs and dances. In general, a molding of flamenco into a more constricted ted setting of events than it was originally created for, but evolved into.

Flamenco, by its very nature of built-in emotion and theatricality very quickly drew out the various genius elements that a guitarist would need to compete (yes, compete), with the cante that was so popular at the time. Guitarists were, after all, human with all of the desire to have the public attention and adulation that the singers were receiving. So, very soon, within the structure of accompaniment, they started to develop techniques other than thumb and strum. Soon, left hand ligados, extended falsetas, picados tremolos, arpeggios started to appear with the genius of the time.

Quotes in various books mention El Maestro Patino, Paco el Barbero, Paco de Lucena, Javier Molina, and, of course, Ramon Montoya who set the basic technique patterns and structures used today by many professional flamenco guitarists.

This intense period of flamenco guitar-making was a very high creative cycle in the flamenco world. Guitar accompanists developed so quickly that many became soloists with their growing repertoire and technique, even in this early period of cante cantante.

Guitar makers from that time to the present have kept up with the evolution of guitarists in their technique, their personal and individual desires and needs in action sound, tone and feel. Flamenco guitar making is high art in Spain, and the names of Santos Hernandez, Marcelo Barbero, Domingo Esteso, Ramirez, Reyes, Arcangel Fernandez, Condes, Gerundino and others ring out - as does the music from their beautiful instruments.

Dancers quickly started to create choreographies that became tradition. They started to dance to the cantes and set them into structural forms. The cantes to these dances became set for the dance, being different for each singer, but still in a structured mode. The guitarists were great inspirations here because many of the falsetas that they created became part of the dance tradition.

It was not too long after the era of the cafe cantante started that artists and aficionados began developing the idea of what was modern and what was traditional, what was old and what was new, what was good flamenco and what was bad flamenco. The combination of flamenco becoming a performing art and a quick evolution of styles and form soon polarized people in the pro and con of just about everything related to flamenco, and it is still going on to this day.

Just as Ramon Montoya was creating what could be considered a greater trend toward technical virtuosity, people like Perico el del Lunar Sr., Diego del Gastor and others were adapting a simpler technique with great depth and feeling, with the primary purpose of the aire of flamenco.

Flamenco, of course, has that vastness of depth and art that can bare and sprout many branches of expression. This is what it has been doing for a very long time and will continue to do, as long as there are individual artists to express and love it.

As I have mentioned in other chapters, flamenco cannot stay static in any one set mold and tradition. It is being formed all of the time. Tradition is created by those dynamic individuals that create style, form, and moving experiences in the art. It is being set down by guitarists, singers and dancers that feed off the art, feed off the inspiration of each other.

Guitarists played a great role, as I have mentioned, in the development of both the song and the dance. From the great guitar soloists of the past such as Ramon Montoya to the greats of today such as Sabecas, Paco de Lucia, Sanlucar, Serranito, and Escudero are all inspirational accompanists who, in turn, have been inspired by great singers and dancers. Who can ever forget the great artistry of Carmen Amaya and Sabicas together? They were magic and inspired each other to fantastic flamenco.

Flamenco is still evolving in form and structure and it is the guitarists who often sets the evolving trend. The taranto for dance, for example, has many falsetas that have become tradition for the dancer and this is a form that is recent history. Pilar Lopez and Antonio and Rosario all claim they were the first to dance this form. Luis Maravilla was another guitarist who set falsetas to works like Cana that became set forms to dance to. Estampio, who was one of the great teachers of the classic zapateado, was inspired to set his zapateados de las campanas to melodies inspired by the musical genius of the guitarist.

Whether so-called old or new style flamenco accompaniment by the guitarist blended with the song and dance should be an inspirational interplay between all artists. This seems basic and to many great artists it is, because they know that it is the world of this great trilogy, along with good jaleo that makes for a true flamenco experience. If a guitarist goes his way, and the singer goes their way, and the dancer is out there doing his or her thing without that inter flow of feelings to each other, then it is nothing but technique being blown to the wind.

Who has watched a Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movie and not been awed by their beautiful togetherness, moving as if one, blending with the music in a way that is timeless choreography and supreme artistry. That, in reality, is just one example of true flamenco in its essence of becoming at one with music, song and dance.

That bit of wood and string, in the hands of a sensitive musician, has become more than an instrument called guitar. It is one of man's and woman's ultimate achievements in creative expression, and when it is taken beyond the solo expression to blend with the soul of the singer, crying out life's meaning and pulses with the rhythms that beat through the dancer, feeling at one with the earth - then it truly is music of life's soul blending with the orchestra of all nature.

As long as there are those who love this blended essence of flamenco, then there will always be flamenco, not old, not new, not modern or tradition (for these are all labels that limit), but true flamenco of the spirit that transcends all earthly limitations, a living, breathing flamenco that expresses infinity of feelings.

Bits of wood, tuned strings, a bit of soul and caressing fingers, Ay! musica flamenca.

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About the author:

Teo Morca is recognized through the world of dance as a master flamenco teacher, coach, choreographer, performer, author and lecturer of Spanish/Flamenco and the classical repertoire. His methods are unique, intense and exciting. They stress a firm technical foundation and a deep understanding of how to make steps into a dance, how to look like a dancer, how to feel like a dancer, and how to move like a dancer.

Morca offers a full range of master programs for ballet companies, theaters, and schools. Also available are workshops, residencies, choreography, and concerts. Teo Morca is available for workshops, lecture concerts and residencies throughout the USA and Internationally.

He may be reached via his website, http://www.morca.com