We review the different types of voice voice associated with flamenco and its relevance in singing. Beyond subjective classifications, there is a scientific basis for assessing voices.
Carmen Linares tiene una voz jonda, musical, llena de matices.
Flamenco singing is an art that is characterised by a great emotional charge and the performers and their voices have a great deal to do with the transmission of feelings.
Scientific methods allow us to categorise them more precisely according to timbre, volume, vocal range, pitch or the location of the sound in the body.
María Terremoto has a voice that for many is perfect for the copla; El Zambo is known for his jondo and agitated voice.
Subjective analysis of voice types in flamenco
In 1963, the cantaor Antonio Mairena and the philosopher Ricardo Molina co-wrote the book Mundo y formas del cante flamenco, a work that laid the foundations of modern flamencology. The book is considered to be a true encyclopaedia of flamenco, and it contains definitions of different types of voices.
The voice afillá took its name from the gypsy cantaor Antonio Ortega El Fillo, who had a deep, husky and strong voice, apparently appropriate for bulería, toná or soleá. The so-called round or flamenco voice refers to a sweet voice; the singing voice corresponds to rhythmic and flexible voices. At the time, this type of voice was attributed to the majority of flamenco artists, although this classification generated debate, as not all female voices were the same.
Another denomination corresponded to the v oice falsetto, in general, not very useful for flamenco, although ideal for the softer palos. For example, the cantes de ida y vuelta: rumba, guajira…
Over the years, other flamencologists have added definitions beyond those given by Mairena and Molina. Categories like voice laína, which corresponds to fine, light and soft voices; la rancia, which refers to dark, gritty and cavernous voices; or, la voz rajá, similar to la rota and which usually corresponds to the most torn palos were making a hole.
Types of voices according to scientific criteria
In recent years there have been initiatives to classify voices based on pre-established singing categories for other genres. The speech therapist Mónica Miralles and the singer and researcher Alba Guerrero, published a article in which they proposed trends in voice timbre rather than voice types. These include:
- Predominance of pure-strident nasality:
- Predominance of falsetto (classical definition)
- Predominance of blown timbre
- Broken (various types)
- Belt
- Aflamencado vs Flamenco
The cantaora Rocío Márquez also devoted her doctoral thesis at the University of Seville to delve into the following topics Vocal technique in Flamenco: physiognomy and typologiesin which singing is analyzed from a scientific and less emotional perspective.
What conclusion can we draw from this? Surely, there are no suitable voices for flamenco. Any good singer can adapt to the cante and, depending on the moment, can also modulate his voice to make it more suitable for each palo.