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Song of the Outcasts: An Introduction to Flamenco. By Robin Totton. Portland, OR: Amadeus Press, 2003. [224 p. ISBN 1-57467-080-8. $19.95.] Illustralions, index, bibliography, discography, compact dise.
To my knowledge there are only a handful of musical styles that can arouse feelings as deep and enthusiastic as flamenco. (The only possible rival is opera, I have to admit.) I pity the innocent and vulnerable music-lover who might dare express a public opinion, especially in writing, about a cantaor (singer), a tocaor (player), a recording or a book. There will always be someone alarmingly fanatical with radically different views who is ready for a verbal assault. Visit the numerous forums and discussion lists on the Internet and see the vehement and heated arguments on, say, a particular guitarist, his use of the capodaster, his unique rasgueado (strumming), his inimitable falsetas (interludes). Classicalmusic lovers could only wish their music was this important. Granted: moderation is not the forte of flamenco enthusiasts-and perhaps it shouldn't be.
Robin Totton's Song of The Outcasts: An Introduction to Flamenco is actually a judicious, balanced overview of flamenco, its styles, history, and practitioners. And although its author is very passionate about his subject matter, facts and opinions are not blurred or mystified, but rather presented with clarity and concision (in only 224 pages). Totton defines himself as an "explainer by trade" (p. 12), and explain he does. The challenge, though, is to explain verbally an art form that defines itself around the notion of ineffability. Flamenco (and not only flamenco, of course) thrives on the idea that it is beyond words. Concepts such as the popular (and by many accounts clichéd) duende, as well as aire, rajo, desgarro and many others are nonquantifiable characteristics and therefore cannot be defined precisely. Even strictly musical terms seem to have different or even contradictory meanings. Consider, for example, compas or palo; whereas most writers agree on the basic meaning of these terms (12-beat measure and song form, respectively), these are only rough definitions of their many possible connotations.
Attempting to define compas-and, by extension, I believe, referring to flamenco in general-Totton writes: "I am aware of how inadequate the words are to convey what happens, and perhaps you don't even need to know, in order...