The famous Spanish author Federico García Lorca
was a great advocate of the Andalusian culture, and
particularly flamenco music. One of the things he did
for instance, was organizing, with others, an important
concourse in 1922 (Concurso de Cante Jondo de Granada)
for serious flamenco-artists to promote this form of
art. Lorca was also a sensitive poet and playwright,
who had an eye for the suffering of the poor and the
subordinate role of women. In flamenco, especially its
hard core, the "cante jondo" (deep singing),
Lorca recognized an extraordinarily valuable cultural
treasure of the tormented Andalusian people with its
roots in ancient cultures. He linked this to the mystery-religions
from ancient times. In imitation of Friedrich Nietzsche
the left-wing author distinguished two kinds of mysteries:
the Dionysian and the Apollinian. The Dionysian mysteries
revolved around a spirit that was earthly, vital and
hedonistic, derived from Dionysos (Bacchus), god of
wine and intoxication. The Apollonian cult stood for
conscious, philosophical or mystical enlightenment,
named after the heavenly god of light, Apollo. Both
types of mystery religions knew initiation ceremonies
in which acolytes were initiated into secrets and rituals
during which the deity took possession of their bodies
and spirits.
The mystery religions probably date back to ancient
shaman practices and thereby to the first, most original
forms of human spirituality. Lorca now linked flamenco
primarily to the Dionysian tradition. This is very debatable
because serious flamenco is usually NOT about orgiastic
pleasure or wild lust. Themes in serious flamenco are
often the suffering and tragedy of earthly life, with
its philosophical and political issues and with all
forms of personal love. These are none of the typically
Dionysian subjects. Instead of senselessly letting go
of problems in a sort of abandoned state of intoxication,
it's much more a matter of emotional ecstasy comparable
to that of the Sufi mystics (mystical Muslims), Indian
classical music or Jewish Chassidim.
Any way, good flamenco singers, guitarists or dancers
according to the flamenco tradition are seized by a
supernatural inspiration called "duende".
This force manifests itself in the focused performance
of a song or dance in which expression and expressiveness
are so great that the artists, but their listeners as
well, reach a form of rapture. Besides exclamations
such as "olé" this can also be accompanied
by tears, emotion and excitement, and sometimes even
with tearing out hair and ripping of clothes and such.
It was probably this kind of manifestation that gave
Lorca the idea that flamenco is primarily inspired by
Dionysian mysteries. The Bacchantes from ancient times
reached a sort of fury during their gatherings, and
ripped their clothes, etc.
But with duende in flamenco itself, thoughts never turn
to any dark power from the underworld. On the contrary,
the lyrics of flamenco songs often refer to Undebé
(God), a Spanish gypsy word derived from the Sanskrit
term "deva". And there are strong indications
for links between flamenco and Spanish-Jewish religious
music and Arabo-Andalusian ghernati music. To me it
seems therefore unmistakable that flamenco belongs more
in the Apollonian than in the Dionysian tradition. Flamenco
singers and aficionados (lovers) themselves generally
speak of a spiritual, therapeutic force in this music
that helps them deal with life better and more authentically.
There seems to be a strong link between the cult of
bullfighting and Mithraïsm.
Mithraism was a rival sect during the time of the rise
of Christianity. In Mithraism cows and bulls were worshiped.
The divine bull-God Apis, who symbolized infinite life
and youthfulness, was ritually sacrificed at the passing
of each year. In an attempt to discredit Mithraïsm,
Christianity connected the bull with the symbol of the
Devil and darkness, that's why the devil is depicted
with horns, hooves and a tail.
The duende of bullfighting doesn't primarily have to
do with the life force of the bull that is transferred
through ritual sacrifice to the participants, but much
more with the power of the torero to break that life
force. It's a celebration of the power of people over
animals, of human pride.
No matter how beautiful people think bulls are, they
are and they stay destined to die in a way that honors
the torero.
The Catholic Church has protested many times against
bullfighting, because it brings out the worst in people:
low bloodthirsty lust, which would also have its effect
on people's behavior toward their fellow man. In line
with the Spanish-Roman scholar Seneca who turned against
the circus plays. From his stoic humanism he mainly
directed himself against gladiator fights etc. but he
found also the animal fights too bloody and undignified.
Unfortunately, the term "duende" does not
only play an important part in flamenco, but in bullfights
as well, especially among real connoisseurs that approach
bullfighting as an artistic event. They look beyond
the beautiful colors of the torero's cape or his movements
that may seem like dance steps. Like in flamenco this
form of duende is about utmost concentration by which
people generate certain effects at the exact right moment
to move the public. Some Spanish connoisseurs of serious
flamenco are also lovers of artistic bullfights. Flamenco
songs in some cases may be - distressingly enough -
about the duende of a bullfighter (like in a - in itself
- beautiful song by the famous Camarón de la
Isla about the torero Curro Romero). But this link hasn't
been around for very long. Before, bullfights made no
esthetic pretense, and they were just a continuation
of the violent fights with wild animals from the Roman
arenas. Several centuries ago the typical bullfighting
costumes and the different stages of a bullfight - each
accompanied by bullfighting music - were introduced.
From then on the link was made between flamenco and
bullfighting. Many a flamenco singer was a bullfighter
first, or vice versa. Maybe this link was even more
strongly made in countries other than Spain itself,
as we can see in the opera Carmen by Bizet.
Despite this common ground and the connecting element
of duende, there is also a great difference. The duende
in flamenco has a cathartic function that in a moving
way brings the listener into contact with himself, with
his own deeper drives and feelings. In bullfighting,
this is not the point: the ecstasy such a spectacle
can arouse has nothing to do with cleansing or purification
of the soul, but only with the kick of a spectacle in
which someone dominates another creature and brings
about extreme suffering in an'esthetically"
responsible way. It's the sadistic counterpart of the
excitement a beautiful and subtle striptease may evoke:
it's a violent step-by-step taking away of the bull's
life force, ending in the apotheosis of its death. This
means it is pre-eminently about a "perverse",
immoral feeling of lust, ecstasy at the expense of another.
A feeling that is related to the ecstasy of an intelligent
sex murderer who runs through an entire esthetic program,
or the enjoyment connected with a craftily filmed "snuff"
movie.
It's sometimes said that Spain is the one country in
Europe that embodies the spirit of tragedy. Spain in
general, and Andalusia in particular (which is supposed
to be most influenced by eastern fatalism) is said to
experience life primarily as being tragic. This means
that destiny controls life and that it's no use trying
to deny it. Instead, it's important to recognize the
tragedy and to replace it with - if need be - foolish
human courage (this explains the great appreciation
for Don Quichote), dignity
and sense of beauty. According to supporters this is
expressed best in bullfighting: although they recognize
the beauty of the wild animal, tragedy requires that
precisely for that reason it must be killed.
This reminds us of the tragic logic of Othello. A same
kind of beauty (in a broad sense) of his wife Desdemona
requires Othello to kill her basically
out of "love". For lovers of tragedies,
beauty is partly determined by the unfavorable
ending for the bull. Because otherwise, bullfights
would be no more than glorified romps. The bull must
die at all costs; that is essential. Sometimes, however,
a bullfight doesn't end in the death of the toro alone,
but also in the death of the matador. Aficionados usually
refer to such a bull as an "asesino" (murderer)
- a torero never - but his violent passing is at the
same time seen as an act of heroism that fits the tragic
whole. This evolves into veritable hero worshiping (Manolete
is a famous example). The "fallen" bullfighter
is even turned into a sort of patron saint of living
toreros and, according to some songs, he shouts "Olé"
from his place in heaven.
The Andalusian recognition of real tragedy is expressed
very differently in flamenco. The artist overcomes negative
influences only by creating, never by destroying. So
beauty is not expressed in murder. The bullfighter is
an accomplice of darkness. He believes that one can
only live by killing. The flamenco artist channels his
lust for life into creations that comfort and keep life
dignified, filled with hope and solidarity, expressly
without capitulating to evil. These are anything but
identical answers to the power of destiny and injustice.
Cante jondo is an honorable, engaged and emotional resistance
against wrongs, while bullfighting comes down to the
morbid glorification of the tragic."
That brings us back to where we started: the duende
of bullfighting is - contrary to the duende of flamenco
- clearly Dionysian in its origin. This spirit is related
to movements like satanism, that ritually sacrifices
kid goats and other animals. Dionysos as the (wine)
god of intoxication merely dampens our suffering; he
channels it into addiction but especially in rage, venting
and the sacrifice of others. In this way he continues
the suffering and even adds to it. But Apollo clearly
reveals all that lives inside us and makes it manageable
through our tears, he integrates it into our personality
and makes us
whole, in harmony with ourselves and others. These
are really opposed forces that should not be confused
in any way. We really hope that all flamenco lovers
will one day see this. And that they will ignore bullfights
in future or rather, boycott them. Then the cries of
'olé' will only be heard during flamenco performances
and never again for an elegantly made injury or a magnificent
murder.
"Soleares"Le pido a Dios llorando
que me quite la salú
y a tí te la vaya dandoCrying I beg of God
to take my health
and give it to you
Contribution by Titus Rivas
