Flamenco

Flamenco is a Spanish musical genre. Flamenco embodies a complex musical and cultural tradition. Although considered part of the culture of Spain in general, flamenco actually originates from one region —Andalusia. However, other areas, mainly Extremadura and Murcia, have contributed to the development of several flamenco musical forms, and a great number of renowned flamenco artists have been born in other territories of the state. The roots of flamenco are not precisely known, but it is generally acknowledged that flamenco grew out of the unique interplay of native Andalusian, Islamic, Sephardic, and Gypsy cultures that existed in Andalusia prior to and after the Reconquest. Latin American and especially Cuban influences have also been important to shape several flamenco musical forms.
Once the seeds of flamenco were planted in Andalusia, it grew as a separate subculture, first centered in the provinces of Seville, Cádiz and part of Málaga —the area known as Baja Andalucía (Lower Andalusia) — but soon spreading to the rest of Andalusia, incorporating and transforming local folk music forms. As the popularity of flamenco extended to other areas, other local Spanish musical traditions (i.e. the Castilian traditional music) would also influence, and be influenced by, the traditional flamenco styles.
Hisrtory and origin
Although many of the details of the development of flamenco are lost in history, it is certain that first the 'Mores' (Arabs), and later the Gypsies had a lot to do with it. The Mores occupied Spain, and particularly the south, for about 800 years, in a relatively civilized manner. Because of this, science, economy and culture flourished. During this time the predecessor of the main instrument in flamenco, the flamenco guitar, was introduced and developed. It was not all civilized though, and in the end the original inhabitants, who in the mean time had taken on the religion of Catholicism, wanted the Mores out. It took several centuries before the last stronghold of the Mores, the city of Granada in the southern province Andalucía, fell. It was around that time that Columbus set out to reach the Indies via the west to discover America, and, more importantly, the Gypsies arrived in Spain.
Inside and outside of flamenco it is widely accepted that the Gypsies came from India, where they left a long time ago. Most likely there where several waves of migrants, for various reasons. Those known as Gypsies call themselves 'Rom', spoke 'Calo' and where usually craftsmen and herders of sheep, and had particular ideas about how music should be made. They where, and are, very much into embellishment, improvisation and virtuosity. There is no such thing as Gypsy-music, there is Gypsy-musicality: where ever they end up when they settle, they take the local music and make their own versions from it. In Andalucía they found a rich ground for their musicality, fertilized by hundreds of years of high culture, where not only Moorish, but also Juish, Catholic and local musical influences mixed.
But they arrived at a bad time: Catholicism and victory over the Mores had gone to the heads of the Spaniards, and they now wanted everybody to become a catholic, speak proper Spanish, and in general behave civilized. This applied in particular to the Gypsies, who had a bad name for having very noisy parties that often ended in fights where people got killed. They also didn't want to speak proper Spanish, so to give them a hard time, they were forbidden to hold their traditional jobs and to speak Calo. They worked and died in large numbers in the mines, lived in caves in the mountains, had parties in secret and where invited to parties of the rich, to perform their devious music. Often the songs where about the injustice done to them by the very same upper class, but they couldn't understand what the Gypsies where singing about anyway. As time passed, the Spaniards lightened up a little, the Gypsies sort of adapted, and some more people took an interest in their music. At some point, after good mixing of musical backgrounds, the locals adopted and interpreted some of this music, and it can be said that at the end of the 19th century, flamenco had largely settled in the form known and performed today.