Spain is a country where a lot of students within and outside Spain usually visit on musical tours. There is always a lot to learn and see during such tours, especially for those who are only aware of their influence on pop music in Latin America.

It is safe to say that Spain has a very evocative, passionate, lively and rich music. There are various and diverse type of Spanish music in the several various regions of Spain. Every music type has its own characteristic instruments blend and sounds. It is possible to get confused by Spanish music riches. Some of the favorite classic music tours in Spain include the Zarzuela, flamenco and Regional music.

Zarzuela

Your school should experience the Zarzuela performance if they decide to go on a music tour. The Zarzuela is the opera version in Spain. There are switches between portions that are sung and other portions that are spoken. The performance is usually done alongside an orchestra, and performed by ensemble members and soloists. Various areas have different types of opera play in Spain. Examples include the Catalan Zarzuela, Basque Zarzuela and Catalonia Zarzuela, including the different Hispanic colonies derivatives like the Philippines and Cuba. However, Romantic and Baroque are the two min zarzuela form. You can easily get insights into the culture and history of Spain that will be valuable if you watch both styles performances.

Flamenco

If you are just going to Spain for the first time, or going for a music tour in Spain for the first time, as a school or an individual, attending a flamenco performance will give you an unforgettable and impressive beginning. Linked to the gypsies of Andalusia, the musical form and historic art gives visual and audio delight to the viewers. In 2010, it was declared as ‘Masterpieces of the Intangible and Oral Humanity Heritage, by UNESCO. The flamenco is composed of a lot of elements including zapateados (stomps), Palmas (clapping), baile (dance), toque (guitar music) and cante (singing). All of these of interwoven in such a way that a masterpiece that is seamless is created. You are sure to get humanities, culture, art and history lessons, all at once, by visiting a traditional venue to watch the flamenco.

Regional music

The Aragon region is majorly known for the traditional Spanish dance known as jota. It features percussion and chord instruments alongside dancers who are holding castanets. Visiting Leon, Madrid and Castile on a music tour can give you the opportunity to witness this performance. The version of the jota in these 3 cities is slower than the ones in Aragon, with the instruments been a bit different. You can also visit northwest Atlantic areas such as Asturias, Cantabria and Galacia to witness the use of bagpipes to create a different sound type. Music that is influenced by Moor can be experienced in the Basque area.

There are several lovely music tours available in Spain. This has led to a lot of interest in local and international Spanish music tours been organized. The tours give the opportunity to learn about humanities, culture, art and history of Spain.

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Spanish music has over the years been a very important part of European music as it played a vital role in western music development. It was also a major influence on the music in Latin America.

There are various music types you are likely to come across if you reside in Spain or ever take a trip to the country. Most of the music types were influenced by Moorish, Arabic and German cultures. Spanish songs have different styles and forms, despite the fact that a lot of people often confuse Spanish music to be the same thing as flamenco, which is just on genre of Spanish music. Here are some factors that make Spanish music interesting.

History

The history of Spanish music is a very long one that shows a heavy influence of Roman culture and Christian era since before 100AD. With time, there were further influences from other cultures including the Moors, Arabs, Jews, German and Greek culture, which left its mark on Spanish music. Musicians from Spain were able to travel across Europe during the Renaissance era and got to know more about other types of music in the European countries they visited. They subsequently shared such knowledge upon their return.

Continuous Development

Another major strength of Spanish songs that makes it interesting, is the fact that it is continuously been improved upon. Despite the early history of Spanish music, there were a lot of improvement during the eighteenth and twentieth centuries, with new genres emerging including popular, guitar and opera. All of these have enhanced the unique nature of traditional Spanish music.

Musical Instruments

The different areas of Spain and the different genre of music in Spain often have different musical instruments that are linked to them. For the most common form of music and dance in Spain known as flamenco, Andalusia is linked with the genre. Guitars, castanets, bandurria and tambourines are lined to Jota music, which originated from Aragon.The music from the northwestern part of Spain have a unique Celtic influence, with their major musical instruments been zanfona, rebec, harp, fiddle, tamboril and gaita. Txalaparta, alboka and txisu are used by the Basques that are reputed for their choirs. Drums, tabor pipe and charango are used by a local jota type genre of music known as Isa.

Different music types

There are many distinct music sounds in Spain. The music in Leon, Madrid and Castlie were influenced by Gypsy, Visigoth, French, Moorish, Italians, Romans and Jews. Sarada music originated from Catalonia while Extremadura is known for Portuguese music. A lot of Christian songs and musical compositions in Spain were also influenced by Moorish music and they are often performed as accapella. Apart from the musical innovation in Valencia, the country is also known for its music that originated from Mediterranean.

Distinctive sound

Despite the many genres of music in Spain including hip hop, pop, rock, jazz, techno, opera and classical, it is easy to know that the song originated from Spain by just listening to the sound. Several Spanish musician have gone on to become popular all over the world including Enrique Iglesias and Julio Iglesias.

Music in Spain has evolved over the years to include different forms and styles. Spanish songs are also well blended with music in the modern era. All of these have made Spanish music to be very interesting, along with their instruments and dance.

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Spanish music has over the years been a very important part of European music as it played a vital role in western music development. It was also a major influence on the music in Latin America.