Throughout its history, flamenco has undergone several periods of evolution, but one of the most transcendental took place in the 1950s and 1960s. This period, marked by the revaluation of the genre, the consolidation of new figures and the creation of spaces for dissemination, was a turning point in the history of flamenco. In this context, flamenco not only left behind the limitations imposed by the Franco regime and the dictatorship, but was projected internationally, establishing the basis for the cultural phenomenon we know today. In this article, we will explore how flamenco lived a new era of splendor through emblematic figures such as Antonio Mairena, the emergence of flamenco festivals, and the importance of events such as the First National Flamenco Art Contest of Cordoba.
Flamenco Opera and the Revaluation of Flamenco
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, flamenco underwent a significant transformation with the consolidation of flamenco opera. This modality sought to make flamenco accessible to a wider audience, stripping the songs of a certain density to make them more understandable. Flamenco opera allowed flamenco to gain international visibility through the tours of the “troupes flamencas” that took this art to different parts of the world. Although this phenomenon helped flamenco become more popular, it also caused the genre to lose some of its essence in terms of depth and complexity.
However, when it seemed that flamenco had been stripped of its authenticity, a new generation of cantaores emerged who, in the midst of this process of globalization and commercialization, reclaimed the purity of the art of flamenco. This generation, although influenced by the new forms, did not leave aside the more traditional cantes and continued to perform them with the same passion and authenticity as their predecessors. It was in this context that figures such as Juan Talega, Fernanda and Bernarda de Utrera, Fosforito, El Chocolate, Agujetas, Rafael Romero El Gallina and Antonio Mairena began to take a leading role.
The Third Golden Key to Singing: The Recognition of Antonio Mairena
In 1962, one of the most important events in the history of flamenco was held: the Certamen Nacional de Arte Flamenco de Córdoba, where the Llave de Oro del Cante, an award intended to recognize mastery and contribution to the art of flamenco, was disputed. This contest was not only a high point for flamenco, but also marked the consolidation of a new cycle within the genre.
The winner of this competition was Antonio Mairena, one of the greatest cantaores of all time, whose figure is associated with the preservation of flamenco orthodoxy, especially with regard to cante jondo. Mairena’s victory in the Third Golden Key consolidated his position as the leader of the so-called traditional flamenco school, an approach that prioritized the purity and depth of the cante. Mairena was not only a technical master, but also a fierce advocate of the importance of transmitting the oldest and deepest flamenco cantes, those he had learned from the great masters before him.
With the Golden Key in his hands, Antonio Mairena founded his own school, a school that lasts to this day and has trained generations of singers committed to the preservation of the most traditional flamenco songs. This fact also marked the beginning of a new stage in which, alongside Mairena, artists such as El Lebrijano, Curro Malena, El Turronero, José Menese, Miguel Vargas, Diego Clavel, José de la Tomasa and Calixto Sánchez emerged, who continued in the wake of Mairenismo with a deep admiration for the legacy of the master.
The Rebirth of Flamenco in Festivals
The revaluation of flamenco in the 50s and 60s was not only limited to the musical and academic level, but was also accompanied by a social and cultural phenomenon: the proliferation of flamenco festivals. These festivals became one of the fundamental pillars for the diffusion of flamenco in Spain and throughout the world. Flamenco, which until then had been played mainly in small clubs and tablaos, found in the festivals a larger and more formal space, where renowned artists performed before a massive audience.
One of the first flamenco festivals was the Potaje Gitano de Utrera, which was held in 1957 and marked the beginning of a series of flamenco competitions that quickly gained popularity. This was followed by other festivals of great importance, such as the Festival de Arcos de la Frontera (1961), the Festival de Mairena del Alcor (1962), the Gran Festival de Cante Grande de Écija (1962), the Gazpacho Andaluz de Morón de la Frontera (1963), the Caracolá de Lebrija (1966) and the Festival de la Guitarra de Marchena (1967). These events, held mainly in the summer, helped to create a circuit of flamenco festivals that offered artists a platform where they could show their art to large audiences.
Flamenco at the festivals not only highlighted cantaores, but also bailaores and bailaoras. Artists such as Antonio Gades, Mario Maya, Farruco, El Güito, Matilde Coral, Cristina Hoyos, Manuela Carrasco, Angelita Vargas and Maleni Loreto became representative figures of flamenco on stage, taking flamenco dance to new heights and enriching it with their own innovations.
Festivals as Spaces for Dissemination and Academic Review
In addition to serving as a meeting point for artists, flamenco festivals also contributed to an academic revision of flamenco. Through the festivals and the conferences that accompanied these events, flamenco began to be studied and analyzed in a more profound way. In this process, figures such as Antonio Mairena played a crucial role, as they were not only performers, but also defenders of flamenco history and tradition.
The creation of academic spaces dedicated to the study of flamenco, such as the Cátedra de Flamencología de Jerez, which was founded in 1958, and the emergence of the term flamencólogo, reflected the growing importance of flamenco as an object of study and not only as popular entertainment. Flamencologists began to document, research and classify the songs, dances and traditions that formed part of the rich history of flamenco.
This academic revival culminated in the creation of longer-term events, such as the Bienal de Flamenco de Sevilla, which remains one of the most important festivals in the world today. The Biennial not only highlights the most important flamenco artists, but also functions as a space for reflection and encounter between tradition and innovation, following in the wake of those early festivals that marked the history of the genre.
Conclusion: Flamenco, an Art in Constant Renaissance
The 1950s and 1960s witnessed a true era of flamenco revaluation, in which the genre was consolidated not only as a form of popular expression, but also as an art of cultural and academic importance. Antonio Mairena ‘s victory in the Third Golden Key of Song symbolized the return of purity and depth to flamenco, while the creation of flamenco festivals provided a platform for flamenco to expand and evolve.
Today, flamenco remains a living art, with a strong cultural identity that continues to grow and adapt, and its legacy remains present in today’s generations. With its ability to fuse the traditional and the modern, flamenco remains one of the most vibrant forms of artistic expression, both in Spain and around the world.
