Bulería

The name Bulería (Spanish pronunciation: [buleˈɾi.a(s)]; interchangeable with the plural, bulerías) comes from the Spanish word burlar, meaning “to mock” or bullería, “racket, shouting, din”. It is the style which permits the greatest freedom for improvisation, the meter playing a crucial role in this. Speed and agility are required and total control of rhythm as well as strength in the feet which are used in intricate tapping with toe, heel, and the ball of the foot.

It originated among the Calé Romani people of Jerez during the 19th century, originally as a fast, upbeat ending to soleares or alegrias. It is among the most popular and dramatic of the flamenco forms and often ends any flamenco gathering.

It’s a fast flamenco rhythm made up of a 12 beat cycle with an emphasis in two general forms as follows:

[12] 1 2 [3] 4 5 [6] 7 [8] 9 [10] 11

or

[12] 1 2 [3] 4 5 6 [7][8] 9 [10] 11

This may be thought of as a measure of followed by a measure of (known as hemiola).

For dancers, it is commonly viewed with a compas or bar of 6 counts as opposed to 12.

All the 12-beat palos, must culminate with the bulería, following the scheme mentioned in alegria.

Characteristics

Bulerías are a boisterous, partying and happy style of flamenco. They are distinguished by their fast rhythm and redoubled measure that lends itself more than other cantes to jaleo and clapping. They are usually the dance with which every flamenco revelry is finished (where, forming a semicircle and one by one, the performers go out to dance a part of the musical piece).

They are distinguished by their fast, doubled 6/8 and 3/4 rhythm, which better than any other style supports shouts of joy and expressive voices of noise. However, the most flamenco ones (with more pinch) are in Phrygian mode (With the mutation of the I chord that becomes the Perfect Major, it usually combines the melodic and harmonic turns on the I and VI).

Two variants of the bulería stand out:

• Bulerías al blow or soleá, slower in rhythm.
• Linked bulerías, to dance.

The bulería is one of the most complex styles of both cante and guitar.