The Guitar

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 2002

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Background

Historical Analysis

Lorca prepared “The Guitar” poem and a series of other pieces in 1921 for a flamenco festival in Granada. Composer Manuel de Falla put together a two-evening event in 1922 called the Contest of the Deep Song, or El Concurso del Cante Jondo. Well-known artists received honors, but only yet-to-be discovered talent vied for the prize money. Not many new talents graced the event’s stages, as the flamenco singing form demands much of its singer. Falla’s intention was to spotlight the purity of the flamenco form rather than the popularized form that had evolved during a time when Spanish reformers only recognized the frivolity of the artform. Lorca’s “The Guitar” is a celebration of the beautiful sound the instrument can make and its cultural significance to its listeners. Among other artists and intellectuals of the time, Lorca was an immediate supporter of the event, preparing poems as well as writing essays and sharing presentations on the history and style of flamenco music to encourage attendance. About 4,000 people ultimately attended the event.

In 1952, The First Festival of Spanish Music and Dance took place in Granada, which has continued until the time of this writing. While this event is all-encompassing of the Spanish artforms, flamenco remains a part of the celebration.

Cultural Analysis

Lorca is indebted to the power of flamenco music for his ode to the guitar. Flamenco originates from folklore in Andalusia, likely influenced by musical forms in India that the Roma (gypsy) people brought to Spain in the 9th through the 14th centuries, mixed together with other cultural traditions. Six elements of flamenco exist, including toque, or guitar playing; baile, or dance; cante, or singing; jaleo, or choruses; palmas, or hand clapping; and pitos, or finger snapping. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, flamenco experienced a golden age. The flamenco form started as a private experience that eventually found popularity. In 1842 in Seville, the first tablaos, or venue for performing flamenco, opened. Granada became another city known for its devotion to flamenco. However, its popularity might also have been its downfall as a “pure” cultural artform, according to Lorca. The collection of poetry in which Lorca’s “The Guitar” exists is called Poema del Cante Jondo, or Poem of the Deep Song, which is also the name for a category of flamenco song. The cante jondo has a 12-beat rhythm structure that often tackles dark emotional themes, such as death and anguish, which are characteristics of “The Guitar” poem. The sound of a guitar, which the poem emphasizes, evokes how a musician plays a flamenco guitar. This involves the player strumming and tapping, improvising to match the guitar’s key to the singer’s vocal capabilities and the use of the musician’s legs to move between various styles of playing. Lorca’s search and admiration for the origins of the pure flamenco musical form are evident in “The Guitar.”