CANTE JONDO
Year of composition: 2026
Commissioned work as part of the special prize "Juventudes Musicales de España" of the 35th Young Composers Award of the SGAE Foundation-CNDM. Dedicated to Sohta Nakabayashi.
Duration: 8 minutes
Scored for: guitar
Opus 35 — AA352026
Difficulty: Advanced
Movements:
—
Premiere:
First performance was given by Sohta Nakabayashi at the Fundación Cerezales Antonino y Cinia Auditorium, Spain, February 14, 2026.
Please note:
Full set and study scores are purchased, fulfilled in hard copy, and yours to keep. Full sets are licensed per two years of performance, and it can be renewed with an additional cost of 100€. Additional parts are delivered in PDF, and the fixed electronics (when necessary) is free downloaded through a QR code printed on the full score.
For more information or request additional parts, please, contact us through: sales@aalcaldemusic.com.
Full Set
Price:
50.00€
Cante Jondo
Sohta Nakabayashi [World Premiere]
About the Music
Commissioned by Juventudes Musicales de España as part of the special award received in the 35th Young Composers Prize of the SGAE–CNDM Foundation. Premiered by Sohta Nakabayashi at the Fundación Cerezales Antonino y Cinia Auditorium, Spain, on February 14, 2026. It is affectionately dedicated to Sohta Nakabayashi.
The cante jondo ("deep song") is a vocal style of flamenco characterized by its emotional intensity and its connection to the deepest experiences of life. Originating in Andalusia (Spain), cante jondo addresses themes such as love, loss, suffering, and passion, interpreted with a melancholic and passionate vocal style. This is why, perhaps, the first thing that may draw attention in this work is precisely the deliberate choice of an instrument so deeply intertwined with the flamenco language— the guitar— for a genre that is traditionally and exclusively vocal. The choice, moreover, is not trivial, for the guitar possesses a deeply rooted expressive and emotional component that makes it ideal for suggesting both the desired style and character.
Structured in a modified rondo form, Cante Jondo follows a concave thematic–dramatic evolution. The first idea is an exploration of resonance, playing with the concept of harmonic bisbigliando and exploring the acoustic–timbral possibilities offered by having the six strings tuned with a scordatura based on the Phrygian mode. The second idea presents a fragmented theme, deliberately lyrical and expressive in character, exploring both the ornamentation and the inflections that characterize the genre of cante jondo. Finally, the third idea contrasts sharply with the contemplative atmosphere of the previous two ideas, imparting a renewed rhythmic element to the work and seeking, in a certain way, that quasi-mystical state: the duende.
Obra encargada por Juventudes Musicales de España como parte del premio especial obtenido en el XXXV Premio Jóvenes Compositores Fundación SGAE-CNDM. Estrenada por Sohta Nakabayashi, en el auditorio de la Fundación Cerezales Antonino y Cinia, España, el 14 de febrero de 2026. Está afectuosamente dedicada a Sohta Nakabayashi.
El cante jondo es un estilo vocal del flamenco caracterizado por su intensidad emocional y su conexión con las experiencias más profundas de la vida. Originario de Andalucía (España), el cante jondo aborda temas como el amor, la pérdida, el sufrimiento y la pasión, interpretados con un estilo vocal melancólico y apasionado. Es por esto que, quizás, lo primero en llamar la atención de este trabajo sea precisamente la elección deliberada de un instrumento tan imbricado en el lenguaje flamenco como la guitarra para un género exclusivamente vocal. La elección, por otra parte, no es baladí, pues la guitarra posee un arraigado componente expresivo/emocional que la hace ideal para sugerir tanto el estilo como el carácter en cuestión.
Configurada en una forma de rondó modificada, Cante Jondo sigue una evolución temático-dramática cóncava. La primera idea es una exploración de la resonancia, jugando con el concepto de bisbigliando armónico y explorando las posibilidades acústico-tímbricas que ofrece el hecho de tener las seis cuerdas afinadas con una scordatura basada en el modo frigio. La segunda idea presenta un tema fragmentado, de carácter deliberadamente lírico y expresivo, explorando tanto la ornamentación como las flexiones que caracterizan al género del cante jondo. Por último, la tercera idea contrasta radicalmente con el ambiente contemplativo de las dos ideas previas, insuflando a la obra un renovado elemento rítmico y buscando, en cierta forma, ese estado quasi místico: el duende.