Vito

“Vito” is a singing, dancing and traditional music of Andalusia. It refers to the disease of St. Vitus dance, because of the lively character of the dance. Its melody runs in a 3/8 time signature. It is used in harmonic minor scale ascending motifs and the Phrygian mode for the falling ones and it generates harmonic accompaniment which was based on the Andalusian cadence. The “vito” is sung with different serious and humorous lyrics.

 

In mid- to late 20th century, “vito” was considered a Cordovan dance, because it was in Cordova, where this dance started to be important again. Manuel Medina González, in his work “Coplas al aire de Cordoba”, says that Maruja Cazalla, Cordovan director of an Andalusian popular dances school, revived the “vito” in Cordoba. The first pupil of Rita Fragero was the one who revived these traditional dances in Andalusia.

 

During the period of the Spanish Civil War, the melody of the “vito” was used by the Republican side, to sing in honor of the Fifth Regiment. The new version became quite popular among the civilian population.