While flamenco harmony and rhythm has been widely used for creating new compositions, the use of flamenco voice in contemporary music is almost non-existent. The aim of this research was to uncodify the idiosyncrasy of the cantaor flamenco in order to apply it in a different musical context, starting from a solo instrumental piece and taking it to larger instrumental settings. To make this possible, the voice of the cantaor has been disaggregated into its melodic behaviour, its rhythm or its timbre.
The process consisted of transcribing examples of flamenco vocal recordings; analyzing many hours of videos, interviews and iconography to understand the cantaor’s rite; the participation of experts in the field like Mauricio Sotelo, Arcángel or Niño de Elche among others; and working side-by-side with the performers. The result came with three new compositions: ‘Cántico II: A la memoria de Antonio Mairena’, for trombone quartet, video media and soundtracks; ‘Cántico III’, a piece for voice, delay system and large ensemble; and ‘Cántico IV: Saeta por seguiriya after Velazquez’s ‘Cristo crucificado’’, a piece for electronic music, 3D animation and performative acting. In addition, this is probably the first study that treats in a deeper way the behaviour of the voice in the performance of cantes like fandangos or cañas, so it can open new perspectives on the field of flamencology.