Seville’s Cante Jondo — Voice and Duende

Themes You’ll Hear

• Love and loss, exile and return.
• Work, family, and dignity.
• Everyday detail as poetry.
• Pride and humor in cantes festeros (party songs).

Duende is not a trick — it’s the door that opens when emotion meets craft.

Forms (At a Glance)

How to Listen

• Notice melismas (ornamental runs).
• Respect the silences between verses — they hold meaning.
• The room will breathe with the singer.

Practice Prompt

• Write one line you’d sing after a heartbreak; keep it simple.
• Speak it softly over a slow compás; feel where it lands.