Malagueña is one of the traditional styles of Flamenco from the area of Malaga. This arrangement is by Bob Hooper.
Malagueña is one of the traditional styles of Flamenco and is derived from the earlier types of fandango from the area of Malaga, southern Spain. Originally a Spanish folk song it became a flamenco style in the 19th century.
It is not normally danced as it is generally played with no set rhythmic structure (compas`). The guitar accompaniment is usually played in open position first inversion giving E for the tonic, which can be transposed by using a capo.
Malagueñas derive from the fandangos, a type of dance that, with different regional variations and even different names became very popular in the 18th century.
Fandangos were originally sung and played at fast speed with a rhythmic pattern in 6/8 timing, to accompany dance. Some of these old fandangos from Malaga, called Verdiales are still performed today.
During the second half of the 19th century some musicians began transforming these folk songs into Flamenco. They slowed them down and enriched the melody and reduced the accompaniment to a single guitar.
Most types of the Malagueña were created towards the end of the 19th century and the final step in the evolution was the total loss of the rhythmic pattern and this development was advanced by guitarists such as Ramon Montoya.
