ABSTRACT
Andalucia is southern Spain. It is the Spain of Seville, Córdoba, Cádiz, Málaga, Aimería, Huelva, Jaén, and Granada. It is the Spain of hot summers, warm winters, a land of fine architecture which comes from a past culture of rare aesthetics. The Andalucian bailaora handles both the "manton de manila" and the "bata de cola" with equal disdain. The shawl flutters and the flounces of the skirt swirl about in careless abandon and in perfect unison with the driving rhythms. "Andaluz" stems from the Arabic "al-Andalus", and the melancholy cadence of Arabic heritage runs through all the songs. But this strain never completely dominates. There is always an optimistic feeling, due, most likely, to the blazing sun, wide seas, and fertile earth, which leave their brand on the spirit of the "Andaluz". Musicologists look for the origin of the flamenco rhythms among the gypsies because the tribes were the most recent invaders of the Andalucian lands.
