Antonio Mairena

Statue of Antonio Mairena

Antonio Cruz García , also known as Antonio Mairena (* 7. September 1909 in Mairena del Alcor , Sevilla , Spain ; † 5. September 1983 , Sevilla, Spain), was a famous flamenco - singer . He brought about the rediscovery of traditional flamenco in the 1950s and the decades after.

Life

He was born into a Roma family von Schmieden and learned to sing in a family environment. He led a movement of flamenco artists and intellectuals trying to save a type of flamenco that they saw as pure or authentic . He discovered and renewed a large number of songs that were almost lost and published various books and articles to spread his view of flamenco and its history. He saw himself as the heir of Manuel Torre , the classic flamenco singer from Jerez de la Frontera , but also recognized the influence of other experts such as Tomás Pavón or Joaquín el de la Paula .

He won various prizes; the most important is the Llave de Oro del Cante (Golden Key of Song) at the third Concurso de Córdoba . It is widely believed that this competition was specifically organized to honor him with the award, although some flamenco historians justified the competition on the grounds that Antonio Mairena deserved the award for his services to flamenco.

plant

He worked with the serious flamenco styles known as cante jondo , such as Tonás , Martinetes , Soleares , and Siguiriyas . He recorded many of the traditional songs and variations. The value of his inheritance is disputed. On the one hand, he is seen by critics as a role model, as an embodiment of traditional flamenco and innovator of traditional forms. Other critics criticize him as excessively orthodox, academic and cold and his view of flamenco as paralyzing and inhibiting the future development of the flamenco art . As he tended to emphasize the quality of the original Roma flamenco styles while rejecting everything else, he was often accused of ethnic prejudice.

It has often been suggested that some of the songs he saved from oblivion were actually written by him. He has always denied such claims, believing that there is no place in flamenco for new creations and that young singers should limit their work to traditional songs. Many of the songs he revived are now a normal part of a flamenco artist's repertoire .

Discography

• 1941, Fiesta por bulerías y fandangos
• 1941, Bulerías y fandangos
• 1944, Disco de Tánger
• 1950, Bulerías y soleares
• 1950, Bulerías jerezanas y fandangos
• 1950, Alegrías y seguiriyas
• 1950, Bulerías y soleares
• 1952, Con Antonio y Carmen Rojas al baile
• 1954, Disco de Londres
• 1958, Cantes de Antonio Mairena
• 1959, Seville cuna del cante flamenco
• 1960, Cinco grabaciones en disco de amianto para uso personal de Antonio Mairena
• 1960, Antología del cante flamenco y cante gitano dirigida por Antonio Mairena
• 1963, Duendes del cante de Triana
• 1963, Noches de la Alameda
• 1963, Tangos de Andalucía
• 1964, La llave de oro del cante flamenco
• 1965, Cien años de cante gitano
• 1966, La gran historia del cante gitano-andaluz (3LP)
• 1967, Seville por bulerías
• 1967, Festival de Cante Jondo Antonio Mairena
• 1968, Misa flamenca en Sevilla
• 1969, Mi cante por Saetas
• 1969, Honores a la Niña de los Peines
• 1970, Mis recuerdos de Manuel Torre
• 1970, La fragua de los Mairenas
• 1972, Cantes festeros de Antonio Mairena
• 1972, Grandes estilos flamencos
• 1972, Antonio Mairena y el cante de Jerez
• 1973, Cantes de Cádiz y los Puertos
• 1973, Triana, raíz del Cante
• 1974, Grabación de su participación en el Festival de la Unión
• 1976, Esquema histórico del cante por siguiriyas y soleares
• 1983, El calor de mis recuerdos

literature

• Ángel Álvarez Caballero: La discoteca ideal del flamenco . Editorial Planeta, Barcelona 1995, ISBN 84-08-01602-4 .

Web links

• biography