Polo

"Polo” is a flamenco style, which was originated from an ancient Spanish music genre of the 18th century. It is apparently one of the most archaic flamenco stylies. It may be pointed out as a precedent of "polo de salón", which was performed in lyrical shows as "polo del contrabandista". Its origin can be specifically found in some dancing song of the 18th century. In Venezuelan popular music, dancing “polo” is performed since the 19th century.

 

Flamenco “polo” is composed by two genres: “polo tóbalo” for deep voices and “natural polo” for high voices. Overall, “polo” is attributed to the flamenco singer "Tobalo de Ronda". “Polo tobalo” remains up to our days thanks to Pepe "Matron".

 

There were variations. “Soleá apolá” whose author is considered to be "Paquirri el Guante" who defined the genre as a mix of “soleás”.This style was part of other flamenco stylies such as "cañas" and former "malagueñas". For some scholars, "polo" doesn't really exist as a flamenco style, but as a version of "caña" from Curro Durse. Antonio Chacón gave this style a definitive melodic squaring.

 

There was another flamenco style: "policaña", which is close to a mixed genre and influenced in vesions which distinguish “polo” from “caña”. García Matos wrote about “medio polo”, a style with shorter melodic verses. First part of "polo" is performed in higher range of the singer. This is going down to reach the characteristic five or six "melismas". “Polo” is sung with a “solea” rhythm and it's performed in a four eight-syllable verse, rhyming second and fourth one. Demófilo collected 37 verses which were sung different for the “caña” or “polo”. Dancing emerged in the 18th century and it is one of the most popular with the tango, the “caña”, the gypsy “zorongo” and “rondeña”. According to Puig Claramunt, “polo” is a female soloist dancing, where “zapateado” prevails.