Neutral and Variable Scale-degrees in the Penthacordal Martinete. Analytical Study

Abstract

The pentachordal Martinete, a significant cante within the group of martinetes, represents one of the most unique palos in the flamenco repertoire due to the organization of the sounds in the melodic line, since these build a distinctive and independent modal space but linked to the essential sound features of the Flamenco Mode. This paper analyzes the modal construction in which this variant of the martinete is developed in order to define, under a new approach, the tuning and location of the variable and non-semitonal mode-degrees that occur in this cante. For this purpose, five recordings of martinetes performed by different cantaores are selected, and the musical transcription of one of these cantes is included in the article.