Song of the Outcasts: An Introduction to Flamenco

by Robin Totton

(Amadeus). Flamenco has taken the world by storm, with huge crowds experiencing its power. Ironically, though, if the performance is authentic and much in the tourist trade is not the uninitiated may find it baffling; the rhythms are exotic and strange, the intensity of feeling startling. Yet for the Andalusians, flamenco has been familiar for a thousand it is the song of the outcasts. Robin Totton writes from his life among them, for he has come as close to flamenco as any outsider can hope to. Readers will follow as he walks us through the poetic song forms, the rhythmic guitar and the flamboyant dance, as well as the vocabulary, names and places of living art of flamenco. Item #00331636 is a hardcover edition.

Genres: Music

Paperback

Published May 1, 2003

Reviews

[Degan Walters]

A pretty thorough overview of the different flamenco styles, with a cd to accompany it and photos and anecdotes mixed in. The book is out of print and the first one I ordered didn’t have the cd with it but it is a valuable and almost necessary piece. The autho recorded many of the performances himself and they are amazing.

[Alice Marten]

Excellent introduction to the flamenco music and dance as well as the culture surrounding it. The CD really helped with the descriptions of the music.

[Asya]

Rereading this for research. Totton's tone can be condescending at times toward the Gypsies (such as his insistence on their passion above intellect), but getting beyond that, his treatment of the complex art that is flamenco is accessible yet technical. The CD is helpful for learning the different rhythms and sounds of the palos and the transcription of the coplas, too, useful.