The following cantes por soleá and por bulería seem to have a common background, although it is very hard to say whether or not one of them might have been involved in the development of another. Bearing this in mind, we are going to look at several cantes that seem to be related to the closing soleá of Joaquín el de La Paula, which, in turn, seems to be present in several cantes por bulería.
There are apparently no recordings of Juan Talega singing the closing soleá of his uncle Joaquín el de La Paula 3, not even in the hours of tape recordings made in Morón de la Frontera in the 1960s. Some researchers state that he could no longer sing this difficult cante due to his waning faculties. However, he did sing difficult styles of soleá, such as La Andonda 1, which starts with a strong seventh degree, or Agustín Talega 2, which concentrates the closing soleá of Joaquín by foregoing the repetition of the first line of verse. Although the closing soleá of Joaquín does require considerable faculties that Talega may not have had toward the end of his life, the absence of this cante among the recordings of the latter remains surprising.
However, among the aforementioned tape recordings, there are at least six examples of a cante whose first line of verse is very similar to that of the closing soleá of Joaquín. Both cantes start with a melody based on the sharped third, fourth and fifth degrees (G sharp, A and B por arriba), which imply the chords I7 and IV minor (E7 and A minor por arriba). The two cantes end differently, as Talega pushes up to the sixth degree in the third sung line.
Juan Talega in 196? with Diego del Gastor
(fourth fret por arriba).
(Ni) a la puerta te asomes
que ni a la puerta te asomes
ni tomes tú el agua bendita
(don)de la tomaban los hombres
The ascending melody in the third sung line is also peculiar. The only soleá with a similar third sung line is an obscure style attributed to Santamaría, recorded in 1947 by Pepe el de La Matrona.
Although this style and other three-line soleás sound similar to Talega's cante, it must be observed that, in all of them, the melodies heard in the first sung lines consist of the fourth, fifth and sixth degrees. The absence of the sharped third degree makes them different from the other cantes of this study because their melodies strongly imply the IV minor chord from the start (por arriba, the fourth and sixth degrees would be the notes A and C, which are two of the three A minor chord tones). Many styles of soleá have melodies that involves the fourth, fifth and sixth degrees, such as Joaquín el de La Paula 2, Juan Talega, Juaniquí 3, Manuel Cagancho 1, Noriega and Joselero, among others.
The following are four more versions of this cante of Juan Talega.
Juan Talega in 196? with Diego del
Gastor (third fret por arriba).
Me echares de menos cuando
tú me eches de menos
bocado que tú te comas
te va a servir de veneno
Juan Talega in 196? with Diego del Gastor
(third fret por arriba).
No lo ha hecho nadie eso
no lo ha hecho nadie
yo lo he hecho por mis niños
que están pendientes del aire
Juan Talega in 196? with Diego del
Gastor (third fret por arriba).
(He) pedido a Jesús mío
yo le he pedido a Jesús mío
por lo que pasó en el huerto
te borrara de mi sentido
Juan Talega in 196? with Diego del
Gastor (third fret por arriba).
(He) pedido a Jesús mío
yo le he pedido a Jesús mío
por lo que pasó en el huerto
te borrara de mi sentido
In this cante, Talega adapts the melody of the first line of verse to the style La Roezna 2.
Juan Talega in 196? with Diego del Gastor (third fret por arriba).
(Voy a) perder la razón
y cuando hablo contigo
me engañaba mi corazón
y cuando hablo contigo
me (eng)aña mi corazón
The earliest recordings of the closing soleá of Joaquín were made in 1928, the same year that Pepe Marchena recorded a cante that is very similar to the soleá of Joaquín but features a different Alcalá melody involving a lower register in the conclusion (heard in the style La Roezna 2, among others). The first sung lines use the same three notes found in the cante of Juan Talega.
Pepe Marchena in 1928 with Ricardo (eighth fret por arriba). Appears as number 5311 in the collection of verse "Cantos populares españoles" by Rodríguez Marín: Todo el mundo está empeñado / en dar tormento a mi cuerpo / no sé qué motivo ha dado / porque yo no se lo encuentro.
A mi cuerpo se lo achacan y se lo
mi cuerpo se lo achacan se lo
achacan a mi cuerpo
dicen que tiene delito
pero yo no se lo encuentro
el querer de esta serrana
se lo achacan a mi cuerpo
Antonio Mairena in 1962 with Melchor (seventh fret
por arriba). This soleá of Antonio Mairena may be his recreation of the cante recorded by Juan Talega. In the first sung lines, we hear the same three notes sung in a different way, and the conclusion also reaches the sixth degree, although in this version, the second line of verse ("por lo que pasó") is the beginning of the style Enrique El Mellizo 1 with a variation in the words "en el huerto."
Le pido a Jesús mío se lo
-o pido a Jesús mío y por lo
-o que pasó en el huerto
te borraran de mi sentido
por lo que pasó en el huerto
te borraran de mi sentido
Antonio Mairena in 1975 with Melchor de Marchena (sixth fret por arriba). This version, recorded 13 years later for the television program of Fernando Quiñones, is much more similar to the cante recorded by Talega in all the lines of verse.
Lo pido de favor te lo
-o pido de favor te qui-
-ites de mi presencia
que vas a ser mi perdición
de mi presencia te quites
que vas a ser mi perdición
Canalejas de Puerto Real recorded in 1933 a soleá whose first sung lines sound very similar to the cante of Juan Talega, although from the third sung line onward it is much closer in nature to the soleá of Joaquín. As in the studio recording of Antonio Mairena, the conclusion contains elements of Cádiz styles, particularly in the last sung lines, where we can hear the melodic arc of the conclusion of the style Enrique El Mellizo 2.
Canalejas in 1933 with Pepe Hurtado
(second fret por medio).
Espero que el alba venga yo espero
espero que el alba venga
y yo espero que el alba venga
y a ver si viniendo el alba
(ten)go bien a mi compañera
a ver si viniendo el alba
tengo bien a mi compañera
The earliest recordings of this style were made in 1928 by Manuel Escacena and José Cepero. The versión of Escacena reaches in the third sung line the tonic and the second degree.
Manuel Escacena in 1928 with Borrull hijo
(sixth fret por arriba).
Dejo el monte y la leña yo de-
dejo el monte y la leña yo de-
-ejo el monte y la leña
que me trae Periquene
la flor de las extremeñas
que Periquene me trae
la flor de las extremeñas
Cepero reaches the seventh degree in the first sung line and the tonic in the second sung line.
José Cepero in 1928 with Ricardo (second
fret por arriba).
Lo que me ha pasado contigo lo que
me ha pasado contigo
y al mundo le voy a dar cuenta
con el martirio que he tenido
Pepe Marchena recorded the closing soleá of Joaquín twice in 1929. It is interesting to compare these versions to his 1928 recording seen above.
Pepe Marchena in 1929 with Ramón Montoya
(seventh fret por arriba).
A mi cuerpo se lo achacan y se lo
mi cuerpo se lo achacan se lo
achacan a mi cuerpo
dicen que tiene delito
pero yo no se lo encuentro
el querer de esta serrana
se lo achacan a mi cuerpo
Pepe Marchena in 1929 with Ramón Montoya
(seventh fret por arriba).
(En) terreno que me hallo y en te-
terreno que me hallo y en te-
-erreno que me hallo
yo estoy al pie de la torre
y no veo el campanario
y al pie de la torre estoy
y no veo el campanario
This version of Pepe Marchena features successively higher notes in the repetion of the first line of verse. In the second sung line, he reaches the seventh degree and in the third sung line he pushes up to the tonic. It might be said that this is the classic way to sing this soleá of Joaquín, at least in the first sung lines.
Pepe Marchena in 1944 with Paquito Simón
(third fret por arriba).
Se sacude y luego
-o canta se sa-
-acude y luego
-o canta y
el que duerme en cama ajena
de madrugada lo alevantan
de madrugada alevanta
el gallo en el gallinero
ay se sacude y luego canta
Manolito de María, the cousin of Juan Talega, made several recordings of the soleá of his uncle Joaquín. From the second sung line onward, we can hear the seventh degree.
Manolito de María in 1962 with Fernández El Negro
(third fret por arriba).
(Por) dinero no lo-
-o hagas por di-
-inero no lo-
-o hagas lléva-
-ame a las herrerías
y echarme un hierro en la cara
The closing soleá of Joaquín (or perhaps the concentrated style 2 of his brother Agustín Talega) also seems to be present in several cantes por bulería. Although these cantes end in several different ways, the first line is always repeated and uses the same three notes that we have heard por soleá. Similarly, the cante can end with high notes or low notes, as we have seen in the soleás of Pepe Marchena. When the high notes are sung in these bulerías, the third sung line is linked with a high note that reaches the sixth or seventh degree.
El Niño del Museo reaches the seventh degree at the end of the second sung line.
Niño del Museo in 1932 with Manolo de Badajoz
(fourth fret por medio).
Yo mismo no lo comprendo yo mis-
-mo no lo comprendo
como se pierde el sentido
cuando un hombre está queriendo
The following three bulerías of Canalejas are from the same recording. In the first two, he reaches the sixth degree at the end of the second sung line.
Canalejas in 1934 with Manolo de
Badajoz (third fret por medio).
Mira si tengo talento mira
si tengo talento
que de las patitas de la araña ay
hago un molino de viento
que de las patas de la araña
hago un molino de viento
Canalejas (same recording).
Así suceden las cosas y así
suceden las cosas
tú dices que no me quieres
y el verme te vuelve loca
válgame Dios compañera
y el verme te vuelve loca
This version reaches the seventh degree in the middle of the second sung line.
Canalejas (same recording).
(Si es)tá muerta que la velen
si está muerta que la velen
que yo recomiendo su alma
y a la Virgen de las Nieves
que le encomiendo su alma
y a la Virgen de las Nieves
Pastora Pavón, La Niña de los Peines, also sang this cante. In her first recording, made in 1933, she reaches the seventh degree at the end of the second sung line. She sings the repetition of the last lines of verse with a different melody that may be related to Alcalá.
Pastora in 1933 with Antonio Moreno
(fourth fret por medio).
(De)ja que llegue el domingo deja
-a que llegue el domingo
que se recojan las cabras
que no tienen domicilio
que se recojan las cabras
que no tienen domicilio
In 1947, Pastora reaches only the sixth degree at the end of the second sung line.
Pastora in 1947 with Melchor (sixth
fret por medio).
De que no me querías dices
-es que no me querías
que cuando tú me tienes delante
que el sentido a ti te varía
cuando tú me tienes delante
y el sentido a ti te varía
Pastora (same recording).
(Me ha en-)señaíto la experiencia me ha ense-
-eñado la experiencia
a sufrir los desengaños
y a llevarlos con paciencia
y a sufrir los desengañitos
y a llevarlos yo con paciencia
In this recording from 1959, La Perla de Cádiz reaches the seventh degree at the end of the second sung line.
La Perla in 1959 with Paco Aguilera
and Juan Morao (sixth fret por medio).
Sol lleva su carrera y el Sol
-ol lleva su carrera
que no me puede quitar a mí
quitarme de que yo te quiera
In two different tracks from the same recording, La Perla sings both ways of handling this bulería.
La Perla in 1972 with Morao
(sixth fret por medio).
Jesús crucificado por Je-
Jesús crucificado
que no me des tú que más tormentos
que ya bastante me has dado
In this amazing version, La Perla reaches the seventh degree at the end of the second sung line.
La Perla in 1972 with Morao
(seventh fret por medio).
(Ni) mesita ni escribano ni el me-
-esita ni escribano ay
que yo no puedo primo mío enumerar
que de lo que de que te gi-a-gitano
que de lo que te he querido yo a ti gitano
In this peculiar version of Manuel Vallejo the cante ends in a lower register. The bulería is sung using four-line verse.
Manuel Vallejo in 1932 with Niño Pérez?
(sixth fret por medio)
Porque si no yo estuviera porque
-que si no yo estuviera
porque si no yo estuviera
y amarrado a una columna
hasta que Dios dispusiera
en el querer no hay locura
porque si no yo estuviera
Manuel Vallejo also recorded the soleá of Joaquín por bulería. The disk contains four cantes, the last of which ends in a lower register.
Manuel Vallejo in 1934 with Ricardo
(fourth fret por medio).
De tu querer apa-
-artarme de tu
-u querer apartarme
como escribir en el agua
de una piedra sacar sangre
Manuel Vallejo (same
recording). Appears as number 4842 in "Cantos populares españoles" by Rodríguez Marín: Sentío bienen bendiendo / tu madre que te lo compre / que te jase tanta farta / como á una puerta los gonses.
A tu madre que
-e compre dile
-e a tu madre
que compre que le hace tanta falta
como a la puerta los goznes
vergüenza vienen vendiendo
dile a tu madre que compre
Manuel Vallejo (same recording).
Todito el veci-
-indario de to-
-odito el vecindario
no hay quien me dé una escopeta
para yo matar a mi contrario
In this last cante, after the first sung lines, the melody ends in a lower register.
Manuel Vallejo (same recording).
(An)da vete por a-
-ahí anda
-a vete por ahí
que no te quiero para nada
desde que te conocí
que no te quiero para nada
desde que te conocí